Collaborative Learning - The Future Of Event Networking | AIDA

1. IS COLLABORATIVE LEARNING THE FUTURE OF EVENT-NETWORKING? Networking is of particular importance in the professional event industry due to the pivotal role it plays for the success of an event and its impact on business models. However, some attendees are still frustrated by the lack of connections they make at events, and this is where event professionals get creative: ​virtual event apps being one such attempt. The challenge is to create an inviting environment with connections that help participants find the right people. Some have invented ingenious network games aimed at networking sessions on ​event management apps​, and have even integrated matching software and smart badges. Nevertheless, many participants simply do not master or love it - and that's where the event pro needs to get creative. Why Networking Matters Some event experts claim that traditional networking is dead and should be dead, but what can we do about it? As most of us know, event networking is often about navigating a room full of strangers in the hope of somehow finding a meaningful connection. Why shouldn’t the same be done for the connections that attendees of an event could make? The vast majority of participants who consume our content would never leave it to chance, and all players deserve better. It is time to go back to the drawing board and understand what participants really want when they ask for more connectivity. In the context of daily life, participants can wish for reasons that show where they stand in their professional and private lives. These reasons for networking can range from a desire to expand their network to a personal interest in a particular area of life. When organizers focus on collaborative learning rather than networking, it becomes harder for participants to connect and harder for organizers. The Right Way to Foster Networking As organizers, we work hard to deliver fantastic content and create many networking opportunities for our events. It is worth remembering that the events we plan represent a break from everyday life. These are special occasions that allow professionals from all over the world to meet and learn from each other, from departments, companies and even disciplines. We could rethink the network context for learning and do everything at the same time, but what if we could rethink it as learning? In a recent study, researchers Tiziana Casciaro and Gino Giorgio of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues wrote that connectivity feels like a great opportunity to discover and learn less tedious

2. work. In fact, they show that focusing on learning improves the networking experience and alleviates the disease with which these factors are often associated. This means that even the most introverted participants could consider networking a rewarding activity if they could focus on how it could help them improve the knowledge and skills they need for their work. For this reason, they consider collaborative learning to be a good alternative to traditional networking. Collaboration Learning is the Key Over the years, we have repeatedly found that collaborative learning is one of the strongest ways to stimulate conversation. What distinguishes it from other approaches to group work is that it is a form of collaboration between learners and themselves. Joint learning is pedagogical learning in which a group of people work together to solve a problem, solve it and create a product. Collaborative learning has been a key component of many other forms of learning over the past decade. Collaborative learning is effective because it is a form of social networking and not just an event - a networking event. Traditional networking works because participants are placed in a space and context that provides a reason to interact with others. This creates an atmosphere in which participants know that they can tap into the event community and, in the sea of thousands, find the one person who has the answer to the question they have asked. If the participants are not naturally extroverted, they need to swallow their nerves and start the conversation themselves. Original Source: ​https://prvn75.livejournal.com/2825.html