Packed rooms and engaged participants: Create conference sessions rural people don’t want to end

The hour was up. My session on Finding More Volunteers was officially over, but people were still sharing. The conversations were so good, and people weren’t done yet. There was nothing scheduled in the room after us, so I offered to stay and keep the conversation going.

They kept it going for another 15 minutes.

That’s what happens when the subject speaks directly to what rural people actually need. Not what someone thinks they might want, but what they’ve told you they’re struggling with right now.

That’s the energy I want for my conference

Back in January 2025, David Grindle, the new Executive Director of the International Association of Fairs and Expos (IAFE), heard me speak. His reaction was, “That’s the energy I want for us!”

He started sharing my information with their conference director. They took my existing speaking topics—the ones I’d developed from surveying over 2,200 rural people about their biggest challenges—and put them in the voting poll for their December convention.

Members voted on hundreds of potential topics. Two of mine rose to the top.

My existing topics were exactly what their members wanted because rural people tell me what they need through our Survey of Rural Challenges. I built my talks to those real needs.

Trying something new together

IAFE also wanted to try something they hadn’t done before: offer a virtual bonus session to reward early bird registrations. They specifically wanted to reach their small fairs that may serve a single county. They sometimes feel left out when workshop topics seem to favor big statewide fairs and expos.

I delivered “Practical Steps for Small-Town Collaborations That Work” in September as that early bird bonus. It helped build excitement for the convention and showed small fairs that this event was for them too. You know their small fair people saw themselves in that topic whether they attended or not. They could realize their concerns were being heard and addressed.

At their convention in December, I presented those two sessions that topped the voting: “The Idea Friendly Method: Open Up to New Ideas” and “Finding More Volunteers: Beyond the same ten people who try to do it all now.”

Both sessions were packed, 250 to 300 people in each workshop.

After the conference, even more value

After the volunteer session—the one where people didn’t want to leave—I compiled all the ideas we’d generated together. The suggestions from the audience, the strategies we discussed, the real solutions people were already using in their communities.

I wrote it all up and sent it back to IAFE before the end of the month. Now they have material they can use in their magazine, newsletters, website, or any other publications. One session at the convention became an ongoing resource for their entire membership.

I don’t just show up, deliver a talk, and leave. I look for ways to add value that extends beyond the stage.

Keeping a conference open to rural needs

IAFE was open to new ideas. They tried the virtual session. They let their members vote on meaningful topics. They trusted that what their rural members needed was probably different from what a traditional convention lineup might look like.

And they were right.

When you bring practical, relevant content to people who are hungry for real solutions, they engage. They don’t need more theory or big-city case studies that don’t translate. They get excited about implementable ideas from someone who lives rural realities. With that, small town people will participate. They might not want to leave when the hour is up.

For your next conference

When you’re selecting speakers for your rural-focused event, state association conference, or regional gathering, here’s what’s possible when we work together.

You get someone who doesn’t just talk about rural issues from a lofty height. You get on-the-ground experience, survey data from 2,200+ rural people, and content that’s already proven to resonate because it came from listening to your audience.

You get someone willing to collaborate, whether that’s a virtual session to drive registrations, customizing examples to your region, or compiling audience insights into resources you can use long after the event. Or bring your own ideas, and let’s talk about them.

You get packed rooms and engaged participants who want to keep the conversation going even after the session officially ends.

And you get practical, implementable ideas that people can actually use in their small towns. Not someday with perfect conditions, but starting now with what they have.

If that’s the energy you want for your event, let’s talk.