The Conference

A conference is a meeting of many people who assemble to discuss some important matters and issues. Conferences are of various natures and types. The topics or matters discussed at a conference-event determine what type of meeting it is. The purpose or aim of every conference-event is to enlighten people on diverse matters so that they feel qualified to take positive decisions. A conference should add real value to the lives of all the attendees who attend it, i.e. if attendees arrive at the meeting feeling benighted, they should go away feeling enlightened and edified.

Birth of the Conference

People have conferred with each other from time immemorial. People of the Stone Age would confer with each other to take decisions on behalf of their clans. Men and women of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and the Neolithic Periods would often converge in caves and caverns, in the midst of dense forests and in other primitive places to elect tribal chiefs, to discuss how to kill more game, to fix totems, to cook raw meat. They would talk amongst each other in languages that are unintelligible to us but that made sense to them. Sometimes, such conferences would end in bloody tussles and some of the attendees would be impaled to death by the crude tools and implements of the other attendees. Sometimes, when things were more peaceful, issues were solved mutually, through 'dialogue'.

Conferencing during the New Stone Age

As man became more civilized, the conference changed in form and substance. People of the New Stone Age met in a better fashion than people of the Old Stone Age. Meetings were based on conversations instead of on brute strength. In the Neolithic Period or the New Stone Age, people began to live in hutments comprising mud bricks. Life was mostly pastoral though animals were slain for meat and hides. Land was cultivated and animals and livestock were tended and reared. Meetings took place in the open air, under the skies, in the midst of idyllic farmlands, which served as naturally rustic meeting venues. Now tell me, do we not go scouting for meeting venues in open spaces, which have the sky serving as a ceiling as well as a backdrop? Do we not have to cough up a huge amount for hosting an event at such a spot? But the funny thing is that organizing a conference in the open air in landscaped terrains was something that was remarkably easy and dirt cheap for Neolithic men and women. That is because they dwelled in spacious rural areas that were superb meeting venues per se. Therefore, they could host 'conventions' at the drop of a hat.

However, all was not hunky-dory with these village inhabitants of the New Stone Age. Sometimes, conferences would turn violent and brutal with tribes and tribal warlords maiming and killing each other viciously. Violence would also surface in meetings in which rites and rituals were executed. Albeit, the people of the Neolithic Period were for the most part, serene and engaged themselves in the art of pottery and making bronze and iron tools. There were frequent gatherings where the knowledge of making of pots and pans, tools and implements were exchanged between attendees.

The Greeks Ensured Not To Leave Things All Greek to Us

With the steady march of civilization, the face of the conference underwent a colossal transformation. Conventions and meetings began to be hosted and conducted on a grand scale. In the ancient Hellenic islands, conferences were held in large open spaces known as the agorae. The citizens of different Greek cities would gather here to discuss and sort out various issues. The agora represented the confluence point for the ancient Greeks. All religious rituals, business transactions, political and social affairs were carried out in the agora. Judges would also dispense justice from the agora. Much like modern convention centers that are located in bustling city spots, the agorae were situated in the heart of Greek cities and were encompassed by temples and public edifices.

If you are attending a glamorous symposium in a fabulous hotel, do remember to thank the Greeks. The word symposium originated in ancient Greece. A symposium was hosted in Greece to celebrate learning and knowledge. In ancient Greece, a symposium was a lavish banquet that was attended by the rich and aristocratic men of Greece. The men assembled at the symposium to talk about politics, philosophy and poetry. The symposium was originally an assembly of fighters. Warriors met here and ate and drank and regaled themselves to their hearts' content. Symposium rooms were decorated elaborately only for the dining and wining. Just as modern seminar rooms are adorned to suit the tastes of the participants, ancient Greek halls where symposia were hosted were bedecked in a way to match the needs of the occasions celebrated within their precincts. An ironical fact that needs to be mentioned is that with the forward march of civilization, women started to occupy second place in society. Greek society was strictly patriarchal as opposed to Neolithic society, which was matriarchal.

To return to the subject of conferences, symposia were attended by aristocratic Greek men who wore rich garlands. The symposia commenced and ended with prayers. Some symposia were followed by pageants.

Assemblies were also organized in ancient Greece from time to time. Assemblies were also conferences where the Greeks met to discuss burning topics of the day.

The Areopagus was yet another form of conference in ancient Greece. The Areopagus was a council that was attended by Greek aristocrats. Initially, the Areopagus was attended by the king's closest advisers. Members could attend for life. However, later the structure of the Areopagus was altered.

Whether or Not We Are in Rome, We Still Do as the Romans Did

The gradual decline of the Greek civilization did not leave any vacuum in Europe. The Roman Empire sprung up with a lot of pomp and eclat to fill the space that Greece had occupied. Rome was full of class structure and division. The patricians were the highest class among all the Romans while the plebeians were the lowest. The patricians met regularly at the Senate to thrash out political and other issues. The Senate comprised a body of advisers whose duty it was to advise the Roman emperor. When monarchy was done away with, the Senate became the meeting point of the Consuls. It is interesting to see that the word Senate has been preserved intact and refers to the seat of government in many nations even today, the most notable being the United States of America. The US Senate, known as the Capitol, the main seat of the legislative body of the US government, is located on Capitol Hill.

Forum is a word that originated in Rome when the Roman Empire was in the height of glory. Forum, in classical Rome, meant an open space situated in the center of the city and which was encompassed by impressive public edifices and pillars and columns. The forum of Rome was the agora or acropolis of Greece and is the precursor of the modern seminar hall.

Many a conference and gory show, in which gladiators fought with other gladiators or wild animals, were held at the Colosseum of Rome, another gathering spot of the old city.

The Conference Undergoes a Renaissance

The fall of the Roman Empire spawned many changes in Europe. The Byzantines, the Huns, the Visigoths and the Islamic rulers gained preeminence. Christianity spread to a large extent and the church became the center of power and activity. With the dawn of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance, conferences started being hosted in palaces and churches. The emperors convened with their ministers in spectacular palaces. Sometimes, we too love to host and attend meetings in places that take our breath away. However, I must say that even if our luxury hotels with their stuccoed walls and marble floors and our corporate offices with their glass and steel look great, they cannot be compared to the exquisite palaces and churches of the Middle Ages.

Magnificent cathedrals were constructed here and there and meetings in the cathedrals were attended by the Christian clergy. Charlemagne or Charles the Great spearheaded the Renaissance movement. Meetings were held in the naves and chancels of churches, while the choir sang hymns in the background, and where the fascinating murals and motifs of Christ and the Virgin dominated the atmosphere. According to historical records, participants experienced ethereal feelings when they attended gatherings in such amazing and pious surroundings. Churches were constructed in Greek and Roman architectural styles and were bolstered by Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns. Intricately carved designs embellished the friezes, the cornices and the cupolas. It was a grand experience to attend a conference amidst such splendor. Conclaves were held at the St. Peter's Basilica with much panache.

The Modern Conference

The Middle Ages gradually yielded to the Modern Age. The Industrial Revolution was a phenomenon that rewrote history. Business hitherto had been a slow process, and depended on how long tradesmen took to complete journeys by the silk route, through deserts and across seas. Monetary systems varied from empire to empire. The barter system was still prevalent in many parts of the world. But with the Industrial Revolution, business experienced a metamorphosis. By this time, England was at the helm of affairs. She had colonies around the world. However, it was the Industrial Revolution that catapulted her to success. At this time, England installed machines and erected factories so that the factories could churn out hundreds of goods. She employed the best brains who exploited business techniques and the cheap labor available in her colonies to manufacture cookie-cutter goods by the hundreds. The advent of the steam engine and the railway network fueled her business aims and spurred her on further. England also built ships during this period that helped her sailors and mariners to conquer parts of the world that had not been traversed before.

The nature and essence of the conference sustained several modifications. Now it would have to have an agenda. The names of the presenters and the names of the attendees would have to be mentioned clearly on the invitation cards. Minutes would have to be recorded. The convention process became clearer and more methodical. Several meetings were held in the Parliament Building, in the many Inns of Court and in the Buckingham Palace of England, under the aegis of the English monarchs. When the Indian Subcontinent became a part of the British Empire, several British events were held in India in Indian forts and palaces. A durbar was the name given to a reception hosted by an Indian ruler in honor of a British Viceroy or Emperor. Many Indian and British leaders loved to attend meetings in the various Indian forts. Most of the forts, built by the Mogul emperors, have spellbinding environs and are hence excellent places for hosting meetings.

The Conference Proceeds: From War to Glamor

Both World War I and World War II were marked by a series of meetings such as the Paris Peace Conference; the Atlantic, the Moscow, the Washington Conferences; the Bretton Woods, the Dumbarton Oaks Conferences; the Yalta, the Potsdam Conferences, etc. At the end of World War II, when the British Empire started to disintegrate, when the United States of America started to rise as a world power, conventions experienced a major facelift. Conventions became more professional at this stage with a strict focus on business. They were following a new trend, which was, they were being attended by an increasing number of women. Many hotels started springing up in different parts of the globe. All hotels were designed according to the European style and offered facilities commonly offered by the European hotels. American hotels, though initially styled on European and British hotels, soon began to follow their own designs and started to look different and 'American'.

From the 1970s, most fashionable American hotels started offering large-scale conference facilities. Such hotels also had a separate Meeting Desk. The Meeting Desk comprised secretaries, typists, personal assistants, event managers and other staff whose duty it was to assist the meeting host with the meeting. You could avail of the services of the professionals of the Meeting Desk in order to have your meeting better organized. Besides, hotels also purveyed meeting equipment such as charts, boards, markers, etc.

The Hi-Tech Conference

This is the age of information technology. Although hotels still have Meeting Desks to aid conference-management hosts and still offer other event management facilities such as meeting venues and meeting equipment, information technology has revolutionized the conference. Just like a magic healer who by the light touch of his or her wand infuses life into a dying object, information technology, by its light brush with the conference, has made it lively, intelligent, vibrant and a platform for learning. And how has information technology performed this feat? By devising meeting widgets. Meeting widgets are actually conference-management or event management software. Such software makes the meeting process a cinch. Reliable conference-management software directs event organizers to set agenda, to decide the names and number of attendees, and to decide the names of presenters. Trustworthy meeting software helps organizers to share meeting data with one another through the platform of the software. Organizers can also come to a consensus on many matters without having to meet each other in person, if they use trustworthy event management software. Great meeting software even helps meeting managers to communicate vital aspects of the event to others, send emails to others, and interact freely with one another. Moreover, great meeting-management software automates the conference process in its entirety. Such software helps to reduce downtime and generate time and cost savings. It also enables managers to understand business processes better, arrive at path-breaking strategies and work seamlessly and with clockwork precision in a competitive environment. Authentic meeting software helps managers to save so much time that managers acquire a lot of time in their hands to think and plan creatively.

Ubiquitous and Intelligent Conference Software

Also, with the advancement of technology, many devices have come into existence that allow conferences to be conducted smoothly. Modern seminar halls are equipped with LCD projectors and other projectors so that slide shows can be hosted without any trouble whatsoever. Computers and laptops have proliferated and so also have handheld devices. So, you can access event management software anytime, anywhere as good event management software is always platform independent. Which means, unlike your files and folders, you do not have to carry event management software around. Just enter the seminar hall and start your laptop. Then access the Internet and your particular meeting software. That is how easy it is to get to your conference-management software. Event management software can be accessed from any PC, laptop or other device that is connected to the Internet. Most reliable meeting software and gadgets are miraculous in the way they let you organize and host meetings. The conference-management applications that are designated as 'renowned' are the applications that are 'intelligent'. All renowned meeting applications have been made using leading-edge technology. The makers of renowned meeting applications have designed them after studying the workings of the human brain. So renowned event management software is totally customized software that works according to your individual needs. Such meeting software is extremely smart and even reminds you of event schedules and other significant facts if you forget about the same. It urges you to think differently and embark on new, feasible and fulfilling courses of action. Additionally, this sort of software is foolproof and impenetrable to hackers. Your conference and other information are absolutely safe with such software as no one other than you can access your data with the help of your Username and Password. Never give out your Password to anyone because if you do, you render your information insecure. However, if you do not make the mistake of leaking your Password, your information will remain completely safe and sound and inaccessible to unauthorized users in such outstanding software. Great conference-management software is your passport to success, your magic formula that will help you to attain business goals and emerge a leader and victorious professionally, despite stiff competition.