It couldn't have come at a worse time. I had committed to presenting at a panel discussion for the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) held in Chicago last month. But it was crunch time for this issue (which you might notice is on the hefty side), and I was considering bailing. Could I really spare two days to attend this conference? Did I want to subject myself to the hassles of traveling? Was it really worth my time and effort?

I'm hardly special. Those are the same questions all attendees ask themselves. They feel more pressure than ever in their professional roles; you are under more pressure to deliver a meeting that not only makes it worth their while, but exceeds their expectations. That can only happen if your meeting gives them a moving experience.

Who better to talk about what makes for a moving experience than the "experience gurus," Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine, who penned the bestseller The Experience Economy? When I asked them to apply their ideas to meetings, I learned they'd been doing just that for 10 years with thinkAbout, their own annual gathering for business executives. You'll be surprised to learn what they've done to make their meeting stand out from all the others (p. 44).

They cited TED as an innovative conference. That was good to hear, as we had already interviewed the planner behind that wildly successful conference for this issue (p. 58).

You may not be able to implement the ways in which Pine and Gilmore or TED carry out their meetings. But you never know what might inspire you to experiment, take chances - even small ones, at your next meeting. Learn how Lisa Block, SHRM's director of meetings and conferences, got the idea to make her huge annual meeting more personal on a shoestring budget (p. 133). Make changes. You can make your meetings healthier for attendees (p. 97) and the environment (p. 110 and p. 112). And now you can actually measure what your attendees get out of coming to your events (p. 87).

About that SNAP meeting. (Yes, I went.) I met new colleagues, got some terrific story ideas, learned about new resources, and enjoyed a wonderful general session speaker whom I plan on interviewing in a future issue. Most of all, I was happy to be surrounded by people who do what I do for a living. That's the warm and fuzzy that may be hard to measure, but keeps me coming back for more.