Adrian Segar
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segar.com
Adrian Segar
@segar.com
300 followers 23 following 3.5K posts
I design & facilitate conferences that ➠ what folks want/need
🔸 Author of 3 meeting design books
🔸 ❤️ 2 🎤🕺🏻🧘‍♂️
🔸 Recovering academic
🔸 @ASegar@mastodon.social
🔸 Marlboro, VT, USA; Work globally
🔸 Everything about me: conferencesthatwork.com
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segar.com
Adrian Segar @segar.com · Dec 2
🔸 15 years of 850+ posts on #MeetingDesign #facilitation #consulting #LifeLessons #FacilitatingChange, being trapped in an elevator with a Nobel Prize winner & other #stories at conferencesthatwork.com
🔸 #Nonprofit board member junkie
🔸 Recovering #academic

#Introduction 2 of 2
Welcome : Conferences That Work
Conferences That Work: providing design and facilitation of your in-person and online participant-driven, participation-rich meetings.
conferencesthatwork.com
segar.com
It's time to demystify the unconference. We know how to create them. Clients want them. Build unconferences into your event planning future.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev...

#meetings #unconferences #EventDesign #events #eventprofs
demystify unconference: photograph of a shaft of light entering a mysterious, ornate, ancient room carved out of rock. Photo attribution: Flickr user stuckincustoms
November 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
segar.com
Five lessons event planners can learn from the iPad launch. Here's why Apple sold 300,000 iPads on the first day of the iPad launch.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/un...

#meetings #marketing #SethGodin #iPadLaunch #success #eventprofs
Seth Godin's blog illustration: the top of his head
November 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
rbreich.bsky.social
When Trump unveiled DOGE last year, I warned it would gut programs that help ordinary people, while turning a blind eye to tax loopholes and subsidies for billionaires.

Despite DOGE's demise, my predictions have sadly come to pass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hVMghqarHY
The REAL Waste That Elon's DOGE Should Cut
Robert Reich
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
maxfawcett.bsky.social
Oh please just fuck off
November 26, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
adamparkhomenko.bsky.social
It says a lot about our country that the FBI had no interest in interviewing Brett Kavanaugh but wants to talk to Mark Kelly.
November 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
propublica.org
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said it would cost $244.64 to review the emails between Abbott and Musk, which @kutnews.bsky.social and The Texas Newsroom paid.

After the check was cashed, Abbott’s and Musk’s lawyers sought to keep the records secret.
Gov. Greg Abbott Was Ordered to Release Some of His Emails With Elon Musk. Most Are Blacked Out.
Months after fighting to keep secret emails between Gov. Greg Abbott and Elon Musk, Texas officials released 1,400 pages of records. But they reveal little about the two men’s relationship or Musk’s i...
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
athul.acharya.cc
Just one of the many ways in which being an above-replacement-level lawyer means knowing what arguments not to make
gerritd.bsky.social Gerrit De Vynck @gerritd.bsky.social · 16h
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service
November 26, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
rbreich.bsky.social
Busting up big corporations and tackling Wall Street’s greed.

Getting big money out of politics.

Strengthening unions and fighting for higher wages.

Medicare for all, paid family leave, universal childcare...

This is the progressive populist agenda we need in America.
November 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
propublica.org
NEW: A Harvard study found that the children of women who contracted COVID-19 while pregnant may be at an increased risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental diagnoses, raising new concerns about the CDC’s decision to stop recommending the vaccine to pregnant women.
Amid Confusing CDC Guidance About Vaccines, Study Highlights New Risk of COVID-19 During Pregnancy
A Harvard study found that the children of women who contracted COVID-19 while pregnant may be at an increased risk for autism and other diagnoses, raising new concerns about the CDC’s decision to stop recommending the vaccine to pregnant women.
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
us.theconversation.com
Solar and wind power are now cheaper than coal and natural gas for electricity generation. Yet in developing countries, higher financing costs still make renewable projects more expensive upfront, according to a professor who studies energy and climate solutions.

buff.ly/ekchXmE
Renewable energy is cheaper and healthier – so why isn’t it replacing fossil fuels faster?
Politics is just one challenge. The cost of borrowing to build wind and solar farms is another, especially in fast-growing developing countries. There are solutions.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
acnewsitics.com
When decorated jet pilots and astronauts become the target, you know you've reached rock bottom in Trump's so-called administration.
November 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
segar.com
Disasters & over-the-top production can make conferences memorable, but they score poorly on ROI. Instead, give attendees an environment to share stories.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev...

#meetings #EventDesign #stories #eventprofs
make conferences memorable: a photograph of people around a campfire with a man telling a story. Photo attribution: Flickr user dpnsan
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
rbreich.bsky.social
How to get rid of Citizens United?

We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment.

There’s a far simpler way. Let me explain: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
How to Get Rid of "Citizens United"
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way
robertreich.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM
segar.com
The meeting industry's biggest dirty secret is so embarrassing, we don't even talk about it in private.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev...

#meetings #EventDesign #secrets #evaluation #EventOutcomes #NPS #ROI #eventprofs
Illustration of a group of people crowded around a table. Two people sit at the table, which holds a giant padlock.
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
dropsitenews.com
⚡️ In a new Drop Site investigation, Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain reveal that Jeffrey Epstein quietly helped Alan Dershowitz orchestrate the smear campaign against John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s 2006 paper “The Israel Lobby,” newly obtained emails show.

The scholars had argued in the paper...
The scholars had argued in the paper that a network of pro-Israel donors and advocacy groups routinely pulled U.S. Middle East policy away from what was truly in America’s interest. Their analysis triggered a fierce backlash: institutions denounced them as antisemites, The Atlantic killed the article, and the Kennedy School stripped its logo from the paper. Emails from Epstein’s Yahoo account show him reviewing early drafts of Dershowitz’s attack piece, accusing the authors of recycling “neo-Nazi trash,” and agreeing to distribute it through his network. The cache also highlights Epstein’s influence at Harvard and his role managing the finances of billionaire Leslie Wexner, whose foundation poured nearly $20 million into the Kennedy School. The covert effort to smear the scholars mirrored the very dynamics the paper described: wealthy, well-connected actors mobilizing elite institutions to police criticism of Israel. The emails also show Epstein, during that same week, working with his lawyer on strategies to discredit a young woman who had accused him of sexual abuse. 🔗 Read: https://dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-aided-alan-dershowitz-mearsheimer-walt-israel-lobbym @ryangrim | @MazMHussain
November 25, 2025 at 11:03 PM
segar.com
How can we build the right conference? Perhaps we can learn from the building industry's boom and bust cycle between 2005 and 2009.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/un...

#meetings #building #SpecHomes #bubble #events #eventprofs
the right conference: Photograph of the framed structures of spec homes on a building lot surrounded by chain-link fence. Image attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetruthabout/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
segar.com
How can we minimize vendor pitches during conference sessions? You'll find that moving to a peer conference format does the trick!

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/un...

#meetings #vendors #suppliers #TradeShows #pitches #events #eventprofs
minimize vendor pitches: photograph of a conference audience with one attendee raising their hand to ask a question
November 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
rbreich.bsky.social
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:

Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%

NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%

Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
segar.com
At traditional meetings, attendee status is static. You can improve your meetings by making attendee status a real-time construct.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/ev...

#EventDesign #status #eventprofs #assnchat
A two column table contrasting the differences between pre-determined attendee status and real-time attendee status at events. Pre-determined attendee status —Assigned before the event. —Based on role and hierarchy. —Publicly communicated by the event program. —Controlled by organizers or a program committee. —Implies passive participation from “lower-status” attendees. —Reinforces pre-determined hierarchical divisions. Real-time attendee status —Changes dynamically during the event. —Based on participant contributions and engagement. —Event design minimizes assumptions about status. —Fluid and can change throughout the meeting. —Empowers attendees to influence discussions. —Reflects a more inclusive and participatory environment.
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
rbreich.bsky.social
Speaker Mike Johnson has reportedly told the White House that most Republicans aren't interested in extending ACA subsidies.

Reminder that 57% of ACA Marketplace enrollees live in congressional districts represented by a Republican.

They're selling out their own voters.
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
davidjbier.bsky.social
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Adrian Segar
radleybalko.bsky.social
Video of her being dragged by authorities in Ghana:

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
segar.com
What do Anguilla supermarkets have in common with the future of conferences? Read on to find out!

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/un...

#meetings #EventDesign #future #ParticipantDrivenConferences #Anguilla #supermarkets #eventprofs
future of conferences: photograph of supermarket shelves
November 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
segar.com
How I use small ritual moments—hand-washing, bells, Pomodoro—to anchor attention, deepen presence, and convert ordinary life into purposeful practice.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/li...

#Rituals #Presence #MindfulWork #Mindfulness #Productivity
Hands of a person performing Jewish ritual handwashing at a sink. Source: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/709805 CC0 Public Domain: Free for personal and commercial use
November 25, 2025 at 5:03 PM
segar.com
Trapped in a giant trash compactor? When things look hopeless, Han Solo shows you always have a choice in how you look at life's problems.

www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/fa...

#FacilitatingChange #LifeLessons #choice #StarWars
You always have a choice: screenshot from the Star Wars movie scene in the garbage compactor
November 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM