Thriving at Events: Making Industry Panels More Powerful

By Andy Oakes, CEO and Co-Founder, Bluestripe Group

This industry thrives on its events scene. You can get to an industry event any week of the year and learn from some of the experts in the industry, who offer insightful and erudite opinions. At least, that’s the idea.

The problem is panels. Four people sat in a line, often on plastic stools that seemed to have been borrowed from a dodgy bar where the host, who mistakenly thinks of themselves as a bit of a comedian, goes up and down the line asking the same question, and the panellists all agree with each other. Nobody wins in this situation. The event organisers appear lazy; the audience learns nothing new; the panellists miss out on an opportunity to build their brand (both personally and professionally) and the moderator is gently removed from all Christmas party invitations.

Panels could and should offer a lot more than this. As event organisers, we shouldn’t be afraid of differing opinions; we should actively seek to diversify the range of voices on panels, and ensure our moderators feel empowered to challenge answers and understand what the audience wants from the session.

I was once given a fantastic piece of advice about moderating panels. You aim to make it feel like a chat in a pub. Make it feel relaxed, encourage people to be passionate but also genuine. When the panel is relaxed, so is the audience. But sadly, so many moderators ignore this and stick rigidly to a script.

So, we’ve decided to do something about it. We’ve teamed up with industry legend Zuzanna Gierlinska, formerly of Spotify, Microsoft, WPP, and MIQ, to produce Panel Power, the first-ever training course specifically designed to produce better panellists and moderators. We want to work with marketers, HR teams, and commercial leaders to train their teams to ensure they convey the right messages while being engaging and interesting. To ensure that the vast amounts paid on event sponsorship actually work for companies, and to ensure that event organisers give the best experience possible to the audience.

Our aim is to grow the pool of expert panellists available to the industry and, significantly, diversify that pool. There’s absolutely no excuse for ‘manels’ and no excuse for wheeling out the same people time and time again. This industry has a wealth of talent; we just need to give everybody the opportunity to express it.

If this is something you think your team needs, then get in touch with us at training@bluestripegroup.co.uk.