We’re reinventing the conference.

Because a conference shouldn’t always be a place where you’re at a distance from other people.

And they shouldn’t all be in big rooms on uncomfortable chairs.

Conferences are supposed to be places for us to ‘confer’. The clue is in the name.

I suppose the penny dropped for me when I saw how many of my musician friends have taken to performing small ‘intimate’ gigs in people’s homes and other private venues: they had much better connection with the audience, it was a memorable experience for everyone. The barriers that are usually there at a conference (physical or metaphorical) are removed. This is the same kind of deal. Probably no guitars though. Probably.

informal ● relaxed ● experiential

We’re always learning – even when we think we’re not. If you go to a conference and learn nothing about the subject people were talking about, you still learn about the kind of conference you want to go to in the future.

House conferences give us the opportunity to keep things small scale and intimate. We get to take our time, to do things our way.

So you’re interested in running a house conference… what next?

When you book a “house conference”, you’re in charge. You’re the organiser! So I will work with you to sort out the theme of the conference, whether we need any other contributors, and help you think about practical things like where you want to host it, and how many people you want to invite.

You might have a tent in your garden which sits a load of people, or you might have enough space in your front room to seat a dozen. You might feel really happy to have people there that you don’t know, or you might just want to do a private event for close friends. There are lots of options.

The bottom line is, you get to decide what you want to do. Then we work together to create a great experience.

There is bound to be money involved, but the amount depends on what you want to do, so don’t let it put you off, get in touch to discuss what you’re thinking about. Basically, your guests (conference delegates) come on the basis that they are going to make a donation of a certain amount.

FAQs

Where would I hold it?

Offices, patios, living rooms, back gardens… the limit is your imagination really. They are successful because they are small – and because the people who come along already have a relationship with you, the organiser. The style of the event is different to the kind of training which you might have experienced elsewhere too – it’s friendly & personal, with lots of room and space for discussion and interaction.

Depending on the sort of event you’re interested in, it could happen in the evening, on a weekend, or during a work-day. It is up to you.

Will it cost me loads of money?

No, it shouldn’t do. Really this should be pretty simple, think of it like organising a party, but asking the guests to bring a donation to cover the costs. That’s how it works. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

What if I want to host a bigger event?

So you can access space in a larger building, and you’d like to host something on a bigger scale? That’s fine too. It will be a different kind of event, one designed for a larger group of people, these kind of things are usually a bit less personal – it’s hard to get to know everyone when there’s over a hundred people in the room. But that’s fine, we can deliver great sessions with those numbers too.

What is the format?

This will depend somewhat on the kind of conference/training you’ve booked. If it’s a short, evening session on meditation for instance, you’d expect a couple of training periods, with a break in the middle for refreshments. If it’s a day long session we’d maybe break it up with presentations, group discussions, food, practical exercises (where appropriate) and perhaps even a walk, allowing us to engage in topical training in a few different ways.

Is it complicated to plan?

No, really if you’ve ever arranged a party or even just invited a bunch of people around for a meal, you already have most of the skills you need to set up a house conference. I’ll work with you to ensure you’ve got everything you need, and I’ll even provide a checklist of requirements, that correspond with the kind of event you’re planning.

Ok then, so how do we do this?

If you would like to host a house conference, then get in touch and lets have a chat, it wont take long to get the ball rolling.