Expect the Unexpected: Our Conference Curation Approach
Curating a conference program is a delicate process that requires a balance of speaker expertise, speaker diversity and audience expectation. At Product at Heart, our conference for product managers, we strive to create an informative and inspiring experience for our attendees.
If you want to learn more about how we are putting the program together: read on!
First, to mention our keynote speakers. They play a crucial role in setting the tone for the conference. We invite four product thought leaders to speak on topics they are well-known for and that all product people are interested in. These speakers are experts in their field and provide valuable insights for attendees looking to improve their product management skills.
In addition to these expert keynote speakers, we invite a fifth speaker who is usually unknown to the audience. This speaker brings a unique perspective to the conference, often from a different field, such as art or activism. (In the past, we've hosted Dries Depoorter and Marie Louise Gørvild with their projects.)
This speaker provides a fresh perspective and encourages attendees to think differently about their work and product management.
These five talks are happening in full-auditorium mode. So all attendees are in the same room at the same time to see them.
But there's more than keynotes and big names: We also curate a set of themed sessions for which we split into two-tracks.
The session talks are organized into themed blocks, with four themes covered each year. We chose these themes based on what we believe will be most relevant and valuable for our attendees that year.
Once we have determined the themes, we actively reach out to product people who are passionate about the topic and already known for their expertise in that area. And we make sure to pick speakers that will bring their views and perspectives from diverse backgrounds and contexts—voices worth amplifying. This approach ensures that our attendees hear from the industry's best.
For this year, we've picked the following topics:
Providing Directional Clarity to the people around you
Finding Clarity of Thought for yourself
Exploring Product Operations
Knowledge Exchange for PMs: how to learn from others
Yes, we know these are different from the usual themes for a product management conference. Of course, you would expect themes like Product Discovery, Roadmap Planning and Product Analytics, but these are the topics many people out there are publishing their best practices and thoughts about anyways.
As we are interested in diving deeper and think our audience does as well, we've decided to go with the ones listed above. We know, this might not be for everyone, but that's why we call it a conference for curious product people :-)
While the speakers are an essential part of the conference experience, it is also crucial to remember that attendees can learn just as much from each other. Engaging with other attendees and building a sense of community is vital to our conference. We encourage attendees to network with each other, share their own experiences, and learn from their peers. We are therefore planning some side events and allowing longer breaks during the conference day.
In conclusion, Curating a conference program is a delicate process that requires a balance of speaker expertise, speaker diversity and audience expectation. At our conference for product managers, we strive to create an informative and inspiring experience for our attendees. We invite expert keynote speakers, provide session talks on relevant themes, and encourage attendees to engage with each other to build a sense of community. This approach creates a valuable and enjoyable conference experience for all attendees.