In 1997, Dar Williams, inspired by listening late at night to New Hampshire and Vermont’s progressive radio station WRSI The River, wrote the song “Are You Out There”. Her beautiful song about audiences and humans’ desire for connection speaks to today’s events industry.
Why? First, listen!
Hoping that Dar will be OK with this, here are the relevant fragments of her song’s lyrics.
[Verse 1]
“…You always play the madmen poets
Vinyl vision grungy bands
You never know who’s still awake
You never know who understands and
[Chorus]
Are you out there, can you hear this?
Jimmy Olson, Johnny Memphis
I was out here listening all the time
And though the static walls surround me
You were out there and you found me
I was out here listening all the time
[Verse 2]
Last night we drank in parking lots
And why do we drink? I guess we do it ’cause
And when I turned your station on
You sounded more familiar than that party was…
[Verse 3]
…So tonight I turned your station on
Just so I’d be understood
Instead another voice said
I was just too late and just no good
[Chorus]
Calling Olson, calling Memphis
I am calling, can you hear this?
I was out here listening all the time
And I will write this down and then
I will not be alone again, yeah
I was out here listening
Oh yeah, I was out here listening
Oh yeah, I am out here listening all the time”
—Lyrics [full lyrics here] courtesy of Genius
“I am out here listening all the time.”
Like Dar Williams, a true fan of obscure (at the time) music, people search for experiences that meet their wants and needs. We yearn for connection and look for opportunities to get it. Events are the most powerful opportunities for connection (and learning). While today’s radio is, with few exceptions, a pure broadcast medium, it’s available to anyone with a radio who wants to turn it on and find an interesting program.
Event professionals must remember that their events’ true fans are “out here”. They are the people who will form the nucleus of your events’ success. These days, we have far more powerful tools than broadcast radio to find true fans. Use them!
“I will not be alone again.”
The young Dar Williams learned through her radio that other people like her “got” the music she loved.
While listening late at night, she realized that she was not alone.
Well-designed events transform audiences into a community.
Community meets a fundamental human need, for connection and belonging. Well-designed events create authentic community through interpersonal experiences at the event rather than attempting to manufacture it through entertainment and novel environments. Such events allow attendees to be truly heard and seen.
Tap into the power your events possess to create genuine community. Participants will become faithful attendees because they will not be alone again.
Thanks, Adrian. Dar Williams writes and sings hauntingly beautiful poetry.
As for connections: an introvert who it is now believed may be on the autism spectrum*, I am overwhelmed by too much input. My spouse and I had this conversation (again) this weekend – how shopping IN a store is painful for me – years ago, a colleague at the association at which we worked tried to take me shopping and after 5 minutes, I ran [I could then!] out of the store in tears; going to the grocery – the lighting, array of merchandise, and worse if there are crowds or narrow aisles – become so overwhelming I must leave quickly. And meetings and conferences where I prefer a dinner with a few (up to 8 is best, fewer better) or gathering at a table in a foyer with colleagues v. even sitting in a session. What we miss is that I am not the only one and that we are missing opportunities for connections virtually that can be enhanced virtually v. going, physically, to a meeting/event.
I use, and ‘out’, myself as an example of those who will make an event a success if they desire and if different forms of belonging and participation are provided. We knew this before. The lesson was hit home during the worst of the first round of COVID [wondering if there is a surge, even of mild symptoms, our industry will again keep people, including hotel and other vendors’ staff safe] that we could. I learned it in the early ’90s with AOL chat rooms. We need to reflect and act differently to ensure all can participate in ways that work for them.
*I know it’s now more common to self-diagnose. Others of us, who grew up at a time before autism was recognized, have only been diagnosed in later years.
Dear Joan,
I love your take on what I wrote; namely that some potential attendees want and need virtual “over-the-airwaves” connections where they have control over their environmental input and the size of the gathering.
Thank you for continuing to advocate for _all_ meeting-goers.
-Adrian-