Featuring a wealth of practical tips, action checklists, case studies, useful sample material and templates, this book provides organizers with the knowledge necessary to plan and run successful conferences and training events.

"Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together—at home, at work, in our communities, and beyond. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive--which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker takes us inside events of all kinds to show what works, what doesn't, and why. She investigates a wide array of gatherings--conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp--and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience. The result is a book that's both journey and guide, full of exciting ideas with real-world applications. The Art of Gathering will forever alter the way you look at your next meeting, industry conference, dinner party, and backyard barbecue--and how you host and attend them.

The definitive career guide for grad students, adjuncts, post-docs and anyone else eager to get tenure or turn their Ph.D. into their ideal job Each year tens of thousands of students will, after years of hard work and enormous amounts of money, earn their Ph.D. And each year only a small percentage of them will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration. Those who do make it share an important asset that separates them from the pack: they have a plan. They understand exactly what they need to do to set themselves up for success. They know what really moves the needle in academic job searches, how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes that sink so many of their peers, and how to decide when to point their Ph.D. toward other, non-academic options. Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers join the select few who get the most out of their Ph.D. As a former tenured professor and department head who oversaw numerous academic job searches, she knows from experience exactly what gets an academic applicant a job. And as the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site The Professor is In, she has helped countless Ph.D.’s turn themselves into stronger applicants and land their dream careers. Now, for the first time ever, Karen has poured all her best advice into a single handy guide that addresses the most important issues facing any Ph.D., including: -When, where, and what to publish -Writing a foolproof grant application -Cultivating references and crafting the perfect CV -Acing the job talk and campus interview -Avoiding the adjunct trap -Making the leap to nonacademic work, when the time is right The Professor Is In addresses all of these issues, and many more.

Expert advice on how to stage the perfect event every time "A terrific resource of information for anyone in the event-planning business." --James Spellos, CMP, President, Meeting U. Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies is a practical step-by-step guide to the strategies and techniques event-planning professionals use to bring people together. This comprehensive resource covers all the angles from the little details to the big picture to make sure your business meetings and special events come off without a hitch! Praise for Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies "Packed with valuable information in an easy-to-use format. [It] covers all the basics for the meeting planning novice." --Diane Silberstein, President, Diane Silberstein & Associates "A great resource book every event professional should have.... Checklist heaven! We all love our checklists, and this book is full of them!" --Cathy Breden, CAE, CMP

"Author and peer conference expert Adrian Segar shows you how peer conferences use innovative group process to not only generate the right conference sessions but also encourage meaningful and memorable attendee interactions. Using insightful sidebars illuminating key details as well as real-world stories illustrating important concepts, he guides you step-by-step through his proven strategy for creating productive conferences that attendees love."-- Back cover.

The Event Planning Toolkit will help you rise to the occasion to plan and execute extraordinary meetings and events by getting organized, reducing time-wasting mistakes, and inspiring creativity. The Event Planning Toolkit provides the information you need to prepare and execute each aspect of your event with precision and enjoy the big day with less stress and fewer unpleasant surprises. It provides the assistance you need to make your event a real hit. Many people find the thought of planning an event to be an intimidating prospect. They think they’re not organized enough, or they don’t have the experience required to pull it off. But whatever the occasion, the path to success is straightforward; it’s a matter of thinking through the details and using a proven strategy to create an action plan and execute that plan on time and on budget. In this book, you will not only learn how to manage your scope, time, and resources, but also identify goals, create a budget, find the right venue, assemble an effective team, and much more. Use The Event Planning Toolkit to uncover some juicy nuggets of information that you can apply to your next event and give you the courage and confidence take on any new project or assignment that comes your way.

This book offers valuable insights into completing your Ph.D., and subsequently finding and excelling at a job. Further, it highlights other opportunities that a Ph.D. can offer, aside from the research and academic aspects. The book focuses on the five stages that Ph.D. candidates normally go through: joining a Ph.D. programme, starting a Ph.D. course, conducting research, writing their dissertation and finally, looking for the ideal job. Serving as an extensive “cheat sheet”, it explains the options and choices that need to be made to join and complete a Ph.D. programme; setting expectations; selecting a research topic; celebrating the completion of a Ph.D. programme, and most importantly, how one can continue to develop after its completion. With a bonus chapter in each stage that describe the perspectives and expectations from different people or organizations, this book shares vital lessons, showing readers how to apply them to a range of situations to create a successful Ph.D. ecosystem.