Seminars, workshops, conference, symposia, user conferences, summits — the type of events we can host are varied. Choosing the right description for your event is critical because it communicates volumes about the type of experience your participants can expect.

Seminars are educational events that feature one or more subject matter experts delivering information primarily via lecture and discussion.

Hands-On Workshops typically involve participants doing work on a particular issue during the program. The promise is that when they leave, they’ll have at least a rough plan or tools in place to address the challenge.

Conferences often features keynote presentations delivered to all attendees, as well as multiple break-out sessions. Attendees often expect to receive information about industry trends and developments.

User Conferences are gatherings hosted by providers of products and services to educate and build relationships with their customers. Attendees learn about product enhancements, as well as new and advanced strategies for using the product to achieve business goals and solve problems.

Trade Shows or Expos are exhibitions where vendors can display their goods and services in hopes of generating customer leads. Typically held at least annually, these events are a good place to discover trends and developments in a particular industry.

A Symposium is typically a more formal or academic gathering, featuring multiple experts delivering short presentations on a particular topic.

A Summit is a gathering of the highest level of leaders and experts.

Teleseminars are seminars that are delivered via a conference call over the telephone and/or over the Internet. The instructor moderates the call, while the attendees listen. To engage listeners, many instructors provide outlines, notes sheets or copies of PowerPoint slides to follow when listening to the presentation.

Webinars or Web conferences are presentations that involve an audio and video component. The audio portion of the event is delivered via phone or over the Internet, so that participants can listen via their computer speakers. The video portion of the event is delivered via the Internet, giving participants a presentation to watch while listening to the instructor.