Simon Thiessen | CEO & Lead Facilitator
Simon Thiessen is a dynamic keynote speaker with expertise in leadership, workplace culture, and team dynamics. As the founder of Experiential Edge, he has spent over 20 years creating and delivering activity-based learning programs that transform conferences and events, ensuring lasting impact and engagement for participants.
Building Better Agendas: The Key to Conferences That Truly Deliver
Ask any seasoned conference delegate what made an event truly worthwhile, and the answer rarely stops at the venue or the catering. It’s the agenda—the substance. For professional conference and event organisers, shaping a strong, balanced agenda isn’t just a planning task; it’s a strategic tool.
Balancing the agenda is something clients often need help understanding. This guide explores why a well-rounded agenda matters and how to make the case for it.
Why Balance Matters
Conferences that only cover industry-specific content often miss the chance to elevate thinking, connect silos, or build broader capability. On the flip side, events too heavy on soft skills or technical upskilling without grounding in sector realities can feel disconnected or generic.
The sweet spot? An agenda with three key pillars:
Industry or Role-Specific Content
This is the ‘why we’re here’. It grounds the event in the realities of the audience.
Examples:
- Healthcare summit: regulatory changes or clinical information
- Engineering event: infrastructure project updates
Cross-industry knowledge and meta-skills
Skills like digital literacy, communication, and data fluency help professionals adapt and excel.
Examples:
- Embedding AI into everyday practice
- Cybersecurity basics for all sectors
Personal and Team Development
Leadership, productivity, and collaboration are core to performance, not optional extras.
Examples:
- Building workplace culture through values-based leadership
- Beyond surviving – focusing on exceptional
This part of the agenda also comes with an opportunity to introduce activity based learning to break up the passive learning.
Why Clients Need This Explained
Clients may come with a narrow focus: we want insights into our industry. But value multiplies when delegates walk away with:
- Practical tools they can apply immediately
- Broader skills they didn’t know they needed
- Renewed motivation and connection
A well-rounded agenda also boosts engagement, keeps energy up, and appeals across seniority levels.
Tips for Making the Case to Clients
- Promote the rule of thirds to meet a diverse set of delegate needs: 1/3 role-specific, 1/3 meta-skills, 1/3 personal and team development
- Frame sessions around outcomes: what will attendees do, think or feel differently after attending this session?
- Highlight reputational value: balanced agendas reflect a people-first culture
- Share delegate feedback when possible: ‘That leadership activity was the unexpected highlight’.
Final Thought
Great conferences don’t just inform. They inspire, challenge, and connect. A balanced agenda is the scaffolding that holds all of that together—and it’s what turns a good event into a meaningful one.
Simon Thiessen is a keynote speaker who specialises in leadership, workplace culture and team dynamics. He is the founder of The Real Learning Experience and the creator of the Authenticity culture transformation model. You can read more about Simon and his keynote presentations at www.simonthiessen.com.au
Experiential Edge delivers activity-based learning programs. We have been bringing our unique blend of powerful learning and dynamic experiences to conferences for over twenty years.
