The other day on twitter I noticed @tracibrowne made a comment about how refreshing it would be if conferences kept their attendees needs in mind (I'm paraphrasing).  And I wanted to chime in and say but that's what the new WEC experience IS.  But I totally understand that people aren't going to really "get it" until they experience it.  And that actions certainly speak louder than words - especially if they're just tweeted. ;)

One of the re-design elements that I think attendees will be thrilled with was created by Diana Rogers and Liz Luna here on Team MPI specifically with the attendee in mind. You know who it is because it's probably been you before - the attendee that can't clone themselves and be at every session they want to be at. So their creative solution? We're calling it the Daily Download. This open session at the end of the day engages attendees for peer learning and enables them to revisit and continue conversations from earlier conference sessions, aggregate comments and much more.

For the first time at WEC, event designers will crowd-source attendee observations and feedback using social media channels and community notes. The opinions, tips and best practices of attendees are the catalyst that will launch conversations. Daily Download attendees can discuss their opinions and insights as well as those of their peers, beginning a new round of discussion expanding the learning potential for attendees.

When I talked with Diana, she told me that attendees who are looking for the most efficient ways to connect on-site, the Daily Download is the place to be to transfer insights and elevate your daily learning. Here is a chance to network based on the session topics of interest whether you were able to attend it or not. I expect this to be one of the most popular times of day.

So if you're attending by yourself, meet up with other members of your chapter or twitter followers or heck, the person sitting next to you at the RISE Awards lunch and divide and conquer when it comes to the schedule of sessions.  Then you can meet back up at the Daily Download and share notes, ideas, observations. We're encouraging speakers and presenters to visit the Daily Download to experience their feedback instantly and to interact with the individuals that attended their presentations.

Oh, and if you loved Meeting Madness in March & April, you'll really want to stop by the Daily Download where you'll be able to vote for sessions you want repeated during reserved time slots on Monday, July 25 and Tuesday, July 26. For those unable to attend WEC and who will be following conversations online, Daily Download and the crowd-sourced Google Docs will give a preview of the sessions professionals you can view either on-demand (free for members) or purchase in the future.

WEC Daily Download will be in S320GH at 4:30 p.m. on July 24 and 4:15 p.m. July 25 – 26.