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A conference is a
meeting of two or more
experts
An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable so ...
to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of
group decision-making Group decision-making (also known as collaborative decision-making or collective decision-making) is a situation faced when individuals collectively make a choice from the alternatives before them. The decision is then no longer attributable to an ...
, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main purpose of conferences.
History
The first known use of "conference" appears in 1527, meaning "a meeting of two or more persons for discussing matters of common concern". It came from the word "confer", which means "to compare views or take counsel".
However the idea of a conference far predates the word. Arguably, as long as there have been people, there have been meetings and discussions between people. Evidence of ancient forms of conference can be seen in archaeological
ruins
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
of
common areas where people would gather to discuss shared interests such as "hunting plans, wartime activities, negotiations for peace or the organisation of tribal celebrations".
Since the 1960s, conferences have become a lucrative sector of the tourism industry and have evolved into hundred billion Pound per year industry on a global scale.
The growth around the world, including in Great Britain, Germany, Philippines, United States and Australia, has led to conferences themselves becoming an industry with buyers, suppliers,
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
,
branding
Branding may refer to:
Physical markings
* Making a mark, typically by charring:
** Wood branding, permanently marking, by way of heat, typically of wood (also applied to plastic, cork, leather, etc.)
** Livestock branding, the marking of animals ...
and conference facilities.
Modern conferences can be held to discuss a variety of topics, from politics, to science or sport. Many conferences are held on a regular periodic basis, such as annually, biannually (twice per year), or biennially (every other year).
With the development of
communications technology
Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...
, conference holders have the choice of replacing the physical meeting space with a telephonic or
virtual form of meeting. This has resulted in terms such as a
conference call
A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
or
video conference
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) system ...
.
Conference types
Conferences can have various formats, topics and intentions.
Conference formats
*
Conference call
A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
, in telecommunications, a call with more than two participants at the same time
*
Conference hall A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings.
Room
It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...
, room where conferences are held
*
Video conference
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) system ...
, with the reception and transmission of audio-video signals by users at different locations
Conferences topics
*
Academic conference
An academic conference or scientific conference (also congress, symposium, workshop, or meeting) is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to present and discuss their scholarly work. Together with academic or scientific journal ...
, in science and academic, a formal event where researchers present results, workshops, and other activities
*
Annual conferences within Methodism, the governing structure of certain Methodist churches; despite the name, these are not individual events
*
Athletic conference
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conf ...
, a competitive grouping of teams, often geographical
*
Authors' conference
An authors' conference or writers' conference is a type of conference where writers gather to review their written works and suggest improvements. This process helps an author improve their work and learn to be a better writer for future works, bot ...
, or writers' conference, where writers gather to review their written works and suggest improvements
*
Parent–teacher conference
A parent–teacher conference, parent–teacher interview, parent–teacher night or parents' evening, is a short meeting or conference between the parents and teachers of students to discuss a child's progress at school and find solutions to acade ...
, a meeting with a child's teacher to discuss grades and school performance
*
Peace conference
A peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of certain states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities and sign a peace treaty.
Significant international peace conferences in the past include the follo ...
, a diplomatic meeting to end conflict
*
Press conference
A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...
, an announcement to the press (print, radio, television) with the expectation of questions, about the announced matter
*
Professional conference
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
, a meeting of professionals in a given subject or profession dealing with related matters or developments
*
Settlement conference A settlement or pre-trial conference is a meeting between opposing sides of a lawsuit at which the parties attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of their dispute without having to proceed to a trial. Such a conference may be initiated thr ...
, a meeting between the plaintiff and the respondent in a
lawsuit, wherein they try to settle their dispute without proceeding to trial
*
Trade fair
A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...
, or trade conference
*
Unconference
An unconference is a participant-driven meeting. The term "unconference" has been applied, or self-applied, to a wide range of gatherings that try to avoid hierarchical aspects of a conventional conference, such as sponsored presentations and t ...
or open space conference, a participant-driven meeting that tries to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference
See also
*
Conference pear
A Conference pear is a variety of pear.
It is an autumn cultivar (cultivated variety) of the European pear (''Pyrus communis''). This variety of pear was developed in Britain by Thomas Francis Rivers from his Rivers Nursery in Sawbridgeworth, He ...
, a fruit, a cultivar of European pear
*
Conference call
A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
, a telephonic meeting
*
TED (Technology, Education and Design) Talks and TEDx conferences
*
List of Allied World War II conferences
This is a list of World War II conferences of the Allies of World War II. Conference names in boldface indicate the conferences at which the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union were all present. For the historica ...
*
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting (or just summit) is an international meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security, and a prearranged agenda. Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Win ...
*
Symposium (disambiguation)
*
Convention
*
*
References
{{reflist
Broad-concept articles
Meetings
Social events