The process of putting together a conference is changing.
Last week John talked about the backstage area at conferences and the take over effect that online streaming is having over this space. This is a new feature that conferences are using to help those who cannot make the conference still feel like they are there at the conference.
Another step that conference organizers are putting together is a Bloggers Lounge. A bloggers lounge has taken over the traditional meet up place to hang out and talk and has turned it into an internet cafe sort of feel with a twist. A bloggers lounge consist of people who are live blogging the session, writing post about a breakout, or just surfing the web.
Check out some pictures after the jump…
The Way to a Blogger’s Heart
The quickest way to a blogger’s heart is free wifi and coffee. Conferences are taking advantage of the free advertising and promotion by providing bloggers a place work.
Here are three things that are a must have for a Bloggers Lounge:
1. Free WiFi
Wifi seems like a very obvious need, but it can be overlooked. Take for example the Orange Conference. They held their conference at the Gwinnett Arena.
Like most conference centers, the wifi at the Gwinnett cost money to use per day. Even though there is wifi available, you have to pay a daily fee to allow you to get on the web. The people at the Orange Conference thought ahead and set up a secure connection for all the bloggers and provided them with a network and password that was set up solely for them.
Not having wifi or a good connection can quickly ruin a bloggers lounge.
2. People
Do not underestimate the value of having people in a bloggers lounge.
Though it may be believed that most bloggers are socially awkward people, it is still good to have the lounge filled with people talking and working. Providing places to sit and talk is a great touch to a blogger lounge. Nothing worse then hearing about the “place to be” and showing up to only two people being there.
A full bloggers lounge is a happy bloggers lounge.
3. A Place to Recharge
Laptops and people need to recharge. Having a place for bloggers to charge their laptops and get refueled themselves is another great touch to a bloggers lounge. Providing power-strips at each table a great way to allow bloggers to continue their work. Also having a place to get coffee and some food is another way to help bloggers in the process of updating their blog with new content about the conference.
Overall, a bloggers lounge at a conference is not a must, but is a great feature to have at any conference. Providing people an “office” to work from for a couple of hours can seem pretty insignificant but can go along way with the attendees that are updating their friends via twitter, facebook, and their blog about how great the conference has been and how they are hanging in the bloggers lounge.
What is one thing you would like featured in a bloggers lounge?
Jared Erickson says
I believe COFFEE should have been #1… other then that.. good jb
Kyle Reed says
everything is better with coffee
PhillipGibb says
No much beyond WiFi and Coffee 🙂
and maybe a few retro items like arcade games to give the feeling that it can be cool to have fun with the old stuff. 😛
Kyle Reed says
that is a great idea. Have pacman, x-man four player, and maybe some mario. Couldn’t ask for more.
Brian Alexander says
FREE SWAG! Nothing like coming home from a conference with a giant swag packed bag.
Kyle Reed says
I didn’t even think about that. Perfect idea, that is a must.
Graham Brenna says
agreed!
Stephen Bateman says
What about ambient 90’s Hillsong music?
Ok probably not…but I could go for some background music. Better yet…live jazz band.
Kyle Reed says
Genius. Another great idea that needs to be there.
Brian Alexander says
I wouldn’t call jazz music a great idea, but background music YES! Nothing like some Taylor Swift. 😉
Kyle Reed says
some nice soft jazz would be awesome, some anything of Taylor Swift would not.
Vince Marotte says
musicians.
lounge at SXSWi had musicians playing most of the day. nice touch. acoustic of course.
Vince Marotte says
also, a well lit backdrop for bloggers to do interviews and video posts from.
Kyle Reed says
I love that idea. Man, conferences should pay attention to this conversation. Some great ideas here.
Graham Brenna says
John was awesome and gave me a ticket to Catalyst One Day at Willow Creek near Chicago this year! Upon entering the conference, I walked into the auditorium where it was taking place and found a seat in the theater seating. I looked down and saw a “blogger’s lounge”. So I said, “cya later” to the people I had just sat next to and moved my butt down to a comfortable couch next to my friend @mbstockdale and blogged the conference right here on ChurchCrunch! Blogger’s lounge FTW!
Evan Forester says
Comfy chairs are a definite must. I went to the SYMC in Chicago and they had ginormous bean bags everywhere. If you’re going to have music, I think it should be movie scores. Nothing helps me pump out a blog faster than listening to Lord of the Rinds or Braveheart battle music.