Every year I would go to the PASS Summit and hear something during one of the keynotes: the number count of people attending a Summit for the very first time. And every year that number would be roughly the same in terms of an overall percentage (or so it seemed). And yet, after attending the Summit for five years or so, the overall attendance was stagnant. So, PASS could attract new people each year, but not retain them. If we were retaining them, year over year, then we would easily be over 5,000 attendees by now.
I was enjoying a lovely dinner two years ago provided to me by Red Gate (who considered me a friend, and still do despite my working for another software vendor, unlike other vendors that made it very clear to me I was no longer as welcome as I may have once been…but that’s a different blog post). Anyway, across from me was Adam Machanic (blog | @AdamMachanic) who explained to me what the Summit experience was like for the majority of attendees:
“They come alone, they eat alone, they speak to no one, they sit in their hotel rooms, and they go home.”
Whoa. I couldn’t argue with that, since that is what essentially I did as a first timer. So, how to change that? What could PASS do differently?
Enter the PASS Orientation Committee (or, as I liked to call it, ‘The OC’). The idea was borrowed from my college days, when we had an OC that was responsible for helping the freshmen move into their room and also to help them get introduced to others. I wanted to build the same thing for our first timers. I wanted to make certain that every person that came through the Summit doors got introduced to at least one other person. Ideally we could get groups of 8-10 people together along with a PASS Alumni who can help facilitate an icebreaking and networking session.
In short, I wanted to create a summer camp experience for everyone, one that makes them want to come back, year after year.
Next month, I will be in a room with about 800 first time attendees, and these people are the future of PASS. And somewhere in that room is a future PASS President. The trouble is, right now they don’t know it. And we don’t know it either, that’s why we need to meet them, to get to know them, and to coach them.
I want everyone that comes to the PASS Summit to have the same amazing, wonderful experiences that PASS has given me. It goes deeper than just a good time at a conference, though. I’m talking about the career growth and development that I have received by being a member of PASS and by serving on the Board of Directors.
I look forward to meeting you, (Madam or Mister) Future President, in about two weeks. See you soon.
The PASS group seems like it’s doing an excellent job of introducing attendees to others and getting them to connect and interact besides just attending conferences all day. The fun part is networking, however some folks need a bit of a push or some help.