The Roundtable Format

At the inaugural event this was billed as a ‘new event format’ one which ‘avoids those embarrassing sleepy moments” “instead seats you on roundtables with your peers” “provides a buzzing and interactive conference room” – as the 2009 event and the sister event in Kenya highlighted, this is absolutely the case.

“My first experience of an all amber event was very, very positive –
great turnout, great interaction and great format. I’ve been to a
few conferences and simply put this was the best.”
Brett St. Clair, Country Manager – South Africa, AdMob

It is important to reiterate that this seating format is utilised purely for the attendees benefit – in terms of using the space in a conference room more efficiently then there is no doubt that classroom and theatre seating is preferable.  But the problems with classroom and theatre include:

1) Restricted networking as you only really have the tea, coffee and lunch
    breaks available.
2) Meeting new people can be hard as you tend to sit next to and speak to
    people you already know.
3) Asking questions, and importantly receiving answers, is normally
   dominated by a minority of attendees.
4) It can all be a bit dull really, admittedly we're all students at the University
   of Life, but it doesn't mean you have to be treated like it, does it?

So ultimately what will the roundtable seating format
deliver to you the attendee? 

Simply put: Better value for the time and financial resources that you and your organisation have invested in coming to the conference. 
You’ll still listen to the presentations as normal, but the discussions that you’ll partake in and the connecting/networking that you’ll be exposed to will provide you with a considerably improved output at the end of the event.

“A very interactive conference, with a great number of people
from different backgrounds.”
Stephane Boyera, Program Manager, Web Foundation