The impressive opening session for a large organization's even larger annual meeting was spectacle at its finest. Over the top. Full of sizzle and "wow!" But in the end, it was devoid of the one thing I think people crave most nowadays: an authentic, human-scale connection. Maybe I'm just a tad jealous that in my days as a full-time meetings professional I never had a budget lavish enough to provide for more than some mildly interesting centerpieces and a modest honorarium for a local jazz combo, but I don't think so. While the participants at this meeting were duly impressed in the moment, this expensive onslaught of special effects had little staying power. It left me thinking, "Cool … what's next?"

What's next in terms of meaningful moments at our conferences and meetings might just be a paring down of big production numbers; a return to the time-tested philosophy that in some cases, less really is more.

I recently experienced this minimalist joy during one of the most compelling evenings of Broadway theater I've been a part of in years. The source of my delight and what I believe could be inspiration for the design of general sessions: the current Broadway production of composer Stephen Sondheim's musical, "Sweeney Todd."

For those of you unfamiliar with this dark tale, Sweeney Todd was an 18th-century London barber who was framed and sent to prison. Upon his release, he returns to avenge his imprisonment … and a number of people get a closer shave than they anticipated, dying in Todd's barber chair, and being ground into meat pies sold by his landlord, Mrs. Lovett. For years, theatergoers saw a stage production of Sweeney Todd that can be captured by three simple words: big, bold, and brassy, with huge sets, a large cast, and full orchestra.

When British director John Doyle wanted to mount a production of the show last year, the resources of his 216-seat U.K. regional theater simply could not sustain any of these three B's. The sets were pared down, the cast trimmed, and in an inspired risk-taking move, the orchestra was eliminated and each actor did double-duty playing an instrument. It was this radically different production that found its way to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre ... and critics can't seem to find enough superlatives to describe the result, performed to rapt audiences each day.

More than just offering an inventive take on a theatrical classic, Doyle's approach envelops the audience in the story because the tale itself - and the characters - takes center stage. Undeniably a part of Doyle's staging "is the need to make the audience do some of the work - we ask them to use some of their imagination."

And there lies the lesson for general sessions, awards banquets, and other high-profile gatherings. If we wish to produce something other than gaga-eyed attendees wowed by the latest whiz-bang special effect, we need to pare down the production. We need to start first with the story we are trying to tell and the human connection we should be trying to evoke; to focus on telling the tale as opposed to teasing with technology. In doing so, we will be asking attendees to do a little work, to unleash their imagination and curiosity. I believe it is an assignment they will be eager to accept.

°Jeffrey Cufaude is a former higher education administrator, meeting planner, and association executive. He currently writes, speaks, and facilitates on a variety of individual and organizational leadership issues. Learn more about his work at www.ideaarchitects.org. To submit topic ideas and feedback on the Leading Learning column, e-mail jeffrey@ideaarchitects.org. Convene's Leading Learning series is sponsored by AVW TELAV. Visit its Web site at www.avwtelav.com.