Reviews

Some of the book reviews of my three books.

Conferences That Work book reviews

“Fantastic!…One of the first books that really talks about design aspects in a whole new way.”
—Janet Sperstad, CMP, Program Director, Meeting and Event Management, Madison College

“If you’re going to read ONE book on events this year, make it Conferences That Work by Adrian Segar.”
—Rob Davidson, Managing Director, MICE Knowledge

“A brilliant discussion of the idea of peer conferences.”
—Nick Morgan, Public Words

“If you’re unfamiliar with small, friendly, interactive, energizing, everyone-gets-to-know-everyone, participant-driven, learning-with-and-from-each-other conferences, this book makes a compelling case for them.”
—Naomi Karten, Naomi Karten Associates

“Conferences That Work is one of the best books ever written on a new generation of organizing meetings and conferences.”
—Hulya Ceren, @Madagascar LIVE!

“In this book, the author outlines a unique and innovative model for conferences and other events that engages the collective wisdom of those present. Reminiscent of Open Space Technology but with slightly more structure, this model revolutionizes the conference experience and provides a deeper level of learning and connections that traditional conferences woefully lack.”
—Marty Jacobs, President, Systems In Sync

“There’s a relatively new, growing trend towards unconferences, sometimes organized using open space technologies. An excellent ‘how to’ book on organizing this type of conference is Conferences that Work by Adrian Segar.”
—Gregg Marshall, American Institute of Inspectors

“Awesome. Your book has helped make @TEDxCanberra what it is.”
—Stephen Collins, Founder, acidlabs

“Thank you for opening my eyes to how wonderful, informative, and engaging a conference can be!”
—Melissa Chambers, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School

Amazon reviews of Conferences That Work

The Power of Participation book reviews

“It may be a radical idea to turn attendees into participants, but in an environment of information overload and disconnection, we need it more than ever. The Power of Participation can transform how we act as workers, learners, citizens and ‘participants’ in our globalized world. This is a book that should be OPEN on every meeting planners or event marketers desk, and used every day.”
—Paul Salinger, VP of Marketing, Oracle

“This book is a must for anyone who needs guidance in modernizing meetings. Finally we are moving into a new stage of post industrial meetings where all participants are valued, not only those behind the microphone. Well designed participation is key, and Adrian shows us the way. Buy it, read it and do it!”
—Eric de Groot, Meeting Designer and co-author of Into the Heart of Meetings

“No one should plan a conference without this book!”
—Naomi Karten, Author of Managing Expectations

“We have to start meeting like this! A treasury of proven techniques, clearly written, based on first-person experience and deep insights.”
—Bernie DeKoven, Author of The Well Played Game, game designer, and fun theorist at deepfun.com

“Too many conferences are top-down, over-caffeinated, information dumps. Adrian Segar has figured out a different model: a participatory, community-driven event that yields benefits that last far beyond the conference itself. If you want to make a lasting difference with your group today, you owe it to yourself to read this book.”
—Dr. Nick Morgan, President of Public Words and author of Power Cues

“Love The Power of Participation! It’s a fabulous compilation of techniques to bring more interaction to your conferences. I’ll be keeping this reference book handy whenever I design a meeting for a client.”
—Kristin J. Arnold, CPF, CSP, founder of Quality Process Consultants, and past president of the National Speakers Association

“A must read handbook of the what, why and how to move passive conference consumer-based attendees to active engaged participants.”
—Jeff Hurt, Executive Vice President, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

“Adrian Segar’s work is crucial for the evolution of the event industry. This book is a mandatory read for the modern event professional. Adrian shares a logical approach to changing our outdated event designs, and guides you with practical techniques towards a value centered model, where the clear winners are both the conference organizer and the attendee. It’s time to shake up our conferences and make them more relevant and attractive. The Power of Participation provides the first step towards achieving conference success.”
—Julius Solaris, editor EventManagerBlog.com and author of The Event App Bible, Social Media for Events and The Good Event Registration Guide

“Adrian wants to transform attendees into participants. And in this book, he shows you how to do it. As an organizer of professional conferences for the past decade, I wish I had come across Adrian’s books earlier in my life. It would have made me more confident and competent.”
—Sivasailam (Thiagi) Thiagarajan, Founder and Resident Mad Scientist, the Thiagi Group

“Adrian Segar’s The Power of Participation is a catalog of tools for designing meetings. If you want to improve your meetings, keep a copy right there on your desk, always ready for instant access. Better yet, study the tools in his catalog so they’re right there in your brain, always ready to build first-class meetings that everyone loves.”
—Gerald M. Weinberg, The Consultants’ Consultant, author of over 40 books, including classics The Psychology of Computer Programming and An Introduction to General Systems Thinking

Event Crowdsourcing book reviews

“It was page 4 where I decided to stop reading. I had to. I stopped reading and I texted 2 people, and Whatsapp’d another. I told them that they had to see this book. Then I kept reading. On page 7, I took a picture and sent it to my 3 compadres. Page 25 is where I shouted ‘yes!’ out loud on a plane.

Adrian’s latest book Event Crowdsourcing is not only everything that is right about events, but it’s a step-by-step how-to guide for you to do it yourself. The most amazing thing about crowdsourcing is that there’s no ‘right way’ to do it for an event or meeting, and Adrian does a great job of outlining a framework for a variety of options that can be employed at events. We incorporate Adrian’s methodologies into our program and find that the feedback from participants is so emotional, so genuine, so passionate about what they’ve experienced that we’ll never give it up.

This book intelligently captures and describes the why and how of event crowdsourcing. Every event professional should read it and go to an event that employs crowdsourcing to drive its content, to experience the magic and bring it back to their events. Event Crowdsourcing should be a textbook in every event and hospitality program. All I can say is that I want to hug every page of this book. Go get it.”
—Liz Lathan, CMP, co-founder, Haute Dokimazo: A Spontaneous Think Tank

“People are far more committed to those things they’ve had a hand in designing — including events! Adrian Segar’s Event Crowdsourcing gives you myriad ways to crowdsource your meetings, thereby engendering more engagement, involvement, and commitment to the event and the outcomes.”
—Kristin Arnold, author of Powerful Panels and other books, and past president of the US National Speakers Association

“I’ve been railing against conventional conference formats — for example, the lecture — for years. Adrian’s book explains why conventional formats fail, and the how-tos of a new approach which can correct many of the failings of those formats.”
—Bob Marshall, organizational psychotherapist, and co-founder of the Rightshifting movement

“For meeting designers like us, Adrian’s work is priceless. He meticulously documents all there is to understand about crowdsourcing, participation, peer-to-peer working, and empowerment of conference audiences. His unique views on these topics make it easy to recognize his training as a former physicist, his facilitation skills, and his belief in what we humans can achieve together. Adrian, once again, thanks!”
—Eric de Groot and Mike van der Vijver, meeting designers with MindMeeting, and authors of Into the Heart of Meetings

“Adrian Segar is a leader in crafting the future of meetings. Event Crowdsourcing is the go-to tactical guide for planners to allow attendees to create their own meaningful experiences. In a world where everyone is talking about why events need to generate connection and engagement, Adrian has written the how-to guide for you.”
—Will Curran, founder, Endless Events, and #EventIcons, Event Tech, and Event Brew podcast host

“Event Crowdsourcing is part bible, part rules of the road, and part cookbook for creating events people want and need.

Adrian’s book is part bible because it thoroughly explains the principles and philosophy of crowdsourcing as they relate to events. This is vitally needed because I’ve seen so many events and programs that are a hodgepodge of crowdsourcing elements. Once you understand what crowdsourcing is and is not, you’ll need to know what to do. Event Crowdsourcing offers detailed rules of the road for each type of crowdsourced event. Readers will be surprised at how much planning and preparation are needed, and the book offers numerous crowdsourcing ‘recipes’ to serve up satisfying outcomes for participants.

I’ve followed Adrian’s conference facilitation career for over a decade, and can say that he is regarded as the thought leader in this space. After reading Event Crowdsourcing, I think you’ll agree that this status is well deserved.”
—Dr. Heidi Thorne, MBA/DBA, author and podcast host

“Actually giving attendees what they want and need instead of what you think they want? What a concept! Adrian Segar has done it again. Event Crowdsourcing is chock-full of detailed descriptions of low-tech, low-cost solutions that get to the core concerns of meeting-goers from any industry. It’s a must read for any meeting planner!”
—Brandt Krueger, technical producer, educator, speaker, and event technology consultant

“Adrian Segar’s first two books — Conferences That Work and The Power of Participation — have had a resoundingly positive impact on the meeting industry. Now, meeting planners and meeting-goers can further benefit from his newest book: Event Crowdsourcing. This book, both a why-to and a how-to, is jam-packed with proven guidelines, techniques, and suggested scripts to help you design conferences and sessions that are what attendees want and need. It’s clearly organized and beautifully written, and I’m happy to recommend it.”
—Naomi Karten, author of Managing Expectations, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals, and other books

“This book unlocks the hidden power of high performance gatherings. Adrian has given us a formula that can change the world — a simple and powerful way to harness humanity’s progress.”
—David Adler, CEO and founder, BizBash Media

Buy Books!