Presentation Summit 2023: Conversation with Rick Altman

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    Rick Altman has been hired by hundreds of companies, listened to by tens of thousands of professionals, and read by millions of people, all of whom seek better results with their presentation content and delivery. He covers the whole industry, from message crafting, through presentation design, slide creation, software technique, and delivery. He is the host of the Presentation Summit, now in its 21st season as the most prominent learning event for the presentation community.

In this conversation, he talks about the upcoming Presentation Summit being held later this year for in-person attendees from October 15 to 18 in Monterey Bay, CA, United States. A follow-up virtual event is lined up from November 5 to 8, 2023.

Geetesh: Rick, the Presentation Summit conference this year is so different because it’s not one but two conferences. Can you tell us more about this dual event??

Rick: We did two years of hybrid and, modesty aside, I think we did a really good job of it. We created levels of engagement much higher than anyone expected. We even had the two groups engaging with one another!

Hybrid is exhilarating and exciting. It is also exasperating and exorbitant. Those are the four Xs of hybrid! But more important than the Xs is the inescapable conclusion that, no matter how well it is done, hybrid introduces compromises to both experiences, and I am no longer willing to accept those them. I believe that it will actually be easier and more satisfying to hold separate events.

Geetesh: For the in-person event, we are headed to Monterey, California. Do share some thoughts.

Rick: About 15 years ago, our family held an extended reunion at an oceanside resort that felt homey and intimate. As soon as I began to think of the in-person event as a “retreat,” that resort came to mind. The Asilomar Conference Grounds is positioned at the shore, offers group dining, and has lots of outdoor spaces to congregate. And the California coastline is at its best in October, when the fog is pushed back from the coast.

Geetesh: For those who are debating whether to attend in-person or virtually, what, according to you, is the best way to decide?

Rick: We are grateful to be able to continue to offer a virtual option for those who are unable to travel to a conference and I am proud of the engagement levels we have achieved with virtual. For those who can travel, there remain no greater learning and networking experiences than face to face. No amount of technology is going to move me off that belief!

Ultimately, however, we hope to remove the need to decide; for a very small upcharge, you can add the virtual experience to the in-person. That gets you access to any seminar you missed the first time around and recordings for six months after the event.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.