Why conferences should be more like The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show is America's biggest late-night talk show with all the heavyweight guests. It's been two years since Jimmy Fallon took over as host from Jay Leno - and what a difference! The show's popularity has increased by +41%. But what is he doing that is so much better?

The difference between then and now is well illustrated in the image below: an interview with Justin Timerlake has been replaced by a duet between Justin Timerlake and Jimmy Fallon.

This particular episode has been viewed over 2 billion times on YouTube. The difference from the past is that the new The Tonight Show has:

• A sense of musical comedy throughout the show
• Lekar
• Integrating technology and using social media
• A fantastic host

Jimmy Fallon has created a new concept where he:

• highlighting the talents of guests
• integrates social media
• not taking yourself too seriously
• dares to try new approaches
• makes everyone feel relaxed
• and above all, he makes sure everyone has a great time!

Serious conferences must not be boring

There is a lot we can learn from Jimmy Fallon. A lot of inspiration can be drawn from his TV show when planning meetings and conferences. Conferences are an important part of many businesses and often contain elements of serious learning and business development. But it is possible to weave elements of fun and entertainment into a serious message. In fact, it actually produces better results when you do. A recent neurological research study shows that when playfulness is incorporated into the learning process, we remember more than with traditional teaching methods.

So what could it mean to work more like Jimmy Fallon? In any business, it's ultimately about ROI, return on investment. If the ratings of The Tonight Show have risen by 41% since Jimmy Fallon took over, why shouldn't the knowledge capture at your next conference increase by 41% too? Or the percentage of new relationships increase by 41%? Or the outcome of your conference increase by 41%? All while everyone is having fun, who doesn't want that?

Our colleagues at Canadian event agency Engagment Unlimited share 4 ways they create engaging conferences, inspired by Jimmy Fallon:

1. take inspiration from musical comedies. For example, take a pop song, change the lyrics to reflect your company's content, add some entertaining characters, include some dance moves and encourage audience participation.

2. use fun games. Games do not have to interfere with learning. Weave in the company's message and content so that groups have to discuss and discover together. Games always open up opportunities for new and deeper relationships with other participants. It creates a community of shared memories of the conference, memories that make your conference stand out in the noise of all conferences.

3. get your boss or managers to deliver their message in a playful way. Remember when Jimmy Fallon slow jammed the news with Barack Obama? Imagine your CEO delivering next year's goals in a similar way. How cool would that be? And what would it do for your internal brand? (Don't worry, Contrast will of course help coach your boss to a good delivery ;-).

4. use a phenomenal conference host who keeps the energy up, is extremely positive, can improvise and joke with speakers and participants. And above all, get a host who can get all participants to deliver at their best.

Thanks to Engagement Unlimited for an inspiring article.