Consistent WiFi. Engaging content. Seamless audio-visual transitions. Well-timed coffee.
Every event manager must be laser-focused on critical elements like these that can make or break a successful conference, but increasingly conference planners are also focused on finding creative ways to make the experience memorable for attendees.
One trending tactic is the use of "sketchnoting" to document key talks, sessions or workshops. Sketchnoting is a technique of expressing a flow of communicated ideas or concepts through graphic writing or doodling using either traditional pen on paper, marker on whiteboard or a variety of other digital tools.
Sketch by Think in Colour
Sketchnoting is becoming more and more popular at educational conferences. Here is an example of a talk documented at the 25th Model Schools Conference just held in Nashville, TN.
Sketchnoting was in high gear at the 2017 ISTE Conference in April. Efforts ranged from a very professional illustration of keynote highlights...
...to a quick summary of Ignite sessions.
The folks at ISTE promoted the hashtag #SketchIste to encourage attendees to contribute their own impressions.
The contributions ranged from novice attempts...
...to those done by more practiced artists.
This use of sketchnoting at educational conferences makes sense as many educators are aware of the science connecting drawing with enhanced memory and have been adding graphic note taking to their classroom lesson plans as a way for students to better capture educational experiences. Kathy Schrock, an educational technologist, blogger and speaker, has compiled this fantastic list of sketchnoting resources. Canadian teacher, Sylvia Duckworth (not to be confused with that gritty Angela Duckworth) just started experimenting with sketchnoting in 2015 but is now well-known for her conference sketches and published how-to books. In fact teachers with huge social media followings, such as @CoolCatTeacher Vicki Davis, have been sharing concepts, and even endorsing educational partners for years.
How much does it cost to add sketchnoting to your educational conference? That depends. Professional agencies like ImageThink’s fee to document your conference starts at $6000 per day, but you may be able to enlist the talents of a known sketch artist in exchange for the price of conference admission. Or perhaps your event manager can think of creative ways to inspire a fun sketchnote competition among attendees - for free!
Most educators tell me that teaching is rewarding, but hours spent only with children in a classroom or a 1:1 situation can also be isolating. Attending professional development seminars and educational conferences helps them network with and learn from other adult professionals. Sketchnoting is an dynamic way to capture these interactions and record them for conference community’s collective memory.