Call it what you will, but innovative meetings have it. These conferences seem to come alive as they are experienced. They have an inner authenticity that feels special and touches you in unexpected ways, both intellectually and emotionally. They are as much movements as they are meetings; currents of interest and ambition that can't be manufactured in a conference planning session.

The movement (and meeting) only grows when the ideas, interests, and passions of individuals are given a space that encourages engagement with others. Existing interests are expanded upon by provocative presentations that focus on what might be possible. These learning experiences are about aspiration, not desperation; abundance, not scarcity. You feel part of something bigger than yourself and that each moment, each interaction, each set of remarks has the potential to reshape the way you think. While serendipity can certainly claim partial credit for this phenomenon, I think its real source is a belief I'm sure the conference planners hold with great reverence: Let's make this something special.

I'm fortunate enough to count Fast Company's Real Time, TED 2006 - and most recently, Elliott Masie's Learning 2007 - as learning experiences that truly stand out for me. Here are a few core ingredients of my Masie experience that frequently echo elements of other memorable learning opportunities.

Provoke Possibility Thinking
Many meetings are about training people in functional skills, something that is certainly necessary. But many annual conferences forgo a more expansive scope and purpose for narrowly defined objectives and learning opportunities. They end up focusing too much on probabilities and the present rather than amply addressing the future and its possibilities.

Learning 2007 sessions generally had an upbeat quality to them. Technology and generational trends that often are talked about as negatives were discussed as rich opportunities. Thought leaders and general session speakers in particular exposed us to niche topics and opportunities waiting to be capitalized upon. The entire content exemplified a "Wouldn't it be great if?" mindset that made you get excited about what might be possible - and in learning how to make it doable.

Make It Easy for People to Contribute More intellectual capital exists within a conference community than any formal program proposal process can capture. Couple that reality with a young generation more predisposed to share and generate content (think blogs, podcasts, MySpace or Facebook pages, and more) and you have a need to create new ways for conference learners to become conference teachers.

The number of opportunities for participants to shape, contribute to, and engage with Masie's Learning 2007 Conference was almost overwhelming. In addition to the common strategy of engaging a large and diverse cross-section of past attendees to design the event, here are a few of the more significant ways participants could contribute:

• Almost a dozen book discussion clubs were led by volunteers, who nominated the books they viewed as worthy of discussion.
• A Learning Wiki, which conference organizers describe as: "the collaborative content community for Learning 2007. It contains over 300 'pages' of content - one per session." Wiki pages have been expanded with discussions, real-time podcasts, and participant-generated input and text.
• More than 30 user-created mini-sessions, 20-minute informal presentations, and discussions (delivered twice) during a designated session time block. Imagine a huge ballroom filled with clusters of tables and chairs, each hosting facilitated high-energy conversations.
• The opportunity to volunteer to create and deliver a Pecha Kucha presentation - an innovative format that requires the presenter to deliver a talk in sync with 20 slides that automatically advance every 20 seconds. While several designated presenters anchored this special event, volunteer presenters were solicited on site during a general session.

Create New Standards for Usual Segments
I've yet to attend a major conference that didn't include general sessions, but the ones I remember most didn't follow the predictable format of talking head leaders, sponsor acknowledgements, recognition of volunteers, and a major keynote speech. That doesn't mean the innovative format can't be somewhat traditional. You can keep the same standard ingredients of your conference experience, but innovate how each segment is delivered.

Learning 2007 general sessions featured dialogues between Elliott Masie and the external thought leader who would normally deliver a straight keynote. TED general sessions are a thematically organized cluster of 18-minute talks. As other conferences copy these formats and they become increasingly common, they will become tired in their own way, and it will be time to rethink and possibly refresh them. Don't Be Too Spectacular I like cool and flashy as much as the next person. The problem with offering lots of spectacle (besides the obvious expense) is that it turns participants into mere spectators. We're passive critics, sitting and judging your efforts to wow us. And that can be a tough game to win.

Think theater. After you've seen the chandelier fall in "The Phantom of the Opera"and the helicopter land in "Miss Saigon," it takes some pretty cool stuff to generate audience awe. We're like kids with too many presents, interested less in what you just gave us than eager to see if something better is up next.

Anyone can spend a lot of money. What feels more spectacular and doesn't reduce participants to mere spectators is less flashy and more handcrafted. I'd rather hear a singer deeply connected to her song than a technically pure vocalist going through the motions. A $20,000 popular entertainer is a treat, but so is seeing a few well-known professionals sharing hidden musical talents during a member showcase.

It would be all too easy to dismiss these characteristics as something that conferences like TED or Learning 2007 can do because their participants are predisposed to more innovative learning experiences. While that certainly is true, which came first … the innovative meeting design or the participants interested in a special experience?

Any conference design team can plant a stake in the ground and say, "Let's create something memorable and transformational."

Sure we need impeccably planned and flawlessly executed logistics, but those elements don't ignite passion and energy. In an age when professional development opportunities are abundant and content can be commoditized, conference goers seek something that touches them, that leaves them different in small and significant ways. And those are the meetings most worth creating.

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@idea architects.org.

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