An American’s perspective on Likeminds & other UK conferences from Trey Pennington

I’ve met up with Trey Pennington on a number of occasions and he’s someone I’m now lucky enough to call a friend.  Our last meeting was at the Likeminds conference in Exeter about 5 weeks ago. One of our conversations was based around the differences between the UK & the US in how they treat social media events .

Here follows his thoughts.

An American perspective on LikeMinds 2010

Chris Hall is a community-builder. I’m thankful he’s included me in his community and asked for my thoughts on the differences between conferences in the United States and the United Kingdom.

For me, the conferences in the United Kingdom are quite rewarding. Only in the UK do y’all appreciate my distinctive Southern accent. In the US, no one notices.

It seems British audiences are more vocal about expectations and the thwarting of them. Y’all are quick to voice critique. I had thought Americans were demanding and vocal—the criticism of Jeff Pulver’s 140 conferences in the US was downright brutal, for instance. (Then again, I’ve also thought American politicians wouldn’t last very long under the scrutiny of Questions to the Prime Minister.)

American criticism seems to focus more on things (the attacks on Pulver’s 140 focused on lack of Wi-Fi, being in a basement without access to cellular signal, and lack of power outlets, for instance). British critique seems to focus more on content and people.  Criticism of specific speakers or specific content doesn’t seem so pronounced in the US.

One might make a case that Americans think first of comfort and convenience while Brits consider content. I can’t say one way or the other. What I can say is, it seems the critique proffered by my British friends would serve to increase the speed of evolution for things that matter.

Scott Gould with Trey Pennington on the London Bridge after the 2009 LikeMinds Conference in Exeter.

I can also say the British have received and treated me exceptionally well. I’ve been amazed at the hospitality showered on me by Scott Gould, his extended family, and the whole community of friends associated with LikeMinds. Y’all have enriched my life considerably and I’m immensely thankful for you.

What are your thoughts on UK/US conferences and their approach?