Hierarchy of needs

One small observation on the last night of the conference led me to another whole line of thought. Not for the first time, but it seems relevant.

Loved the band, the caller did a fine job, and there was a good mix of experienced dancers, beginners, and what I call 'lumpy' dancers like myself. I've got a vague idea of what I'm doing, but lack any sense of refinement and grace in delivery. I dance like I'm wearing wellies. (My apologies to anyone who suffered from the experience.)

At the end, when virtually everyone had joined in the last dance, there was an immediate demand for water. But the caterers were very much packed up and unresponsive to demands. And then there was a fairly natural inclination for people to either have a 'wind-down' drink, or carry on dancing. But that proved difficult.

I think these two things reflect something of Maslow's hierarchy of needs describing human motivation. I think there's great merit in using a model like this to plan and review the conference experience from the delegate's point of view. I think most conferences do pretty well of taking care of biological needs, such as food, coffee and comfort breaks. But I haven't experienced many that go further up Maslow's pyramid ...

The Hotel Schindlerhof seems to have inlcuded at least some of these thoughts into its facilities.

Here's a quote from the link ...

At the creative centre, our conference world is yellow!

It takes more than just a conference room and lunch for meetings where spirits and feelings are in harmony.

Design, colours, scents and music create a unique experience at the Schindlerhof's creative centre.

This synergetic effect not only promotes your well-being: it boosts your motivation, too.

Our three profesionally equipped conference rooms give you the perfect conditions for body, mind and spirit to combine effectively, with enjoyment and efficiency.

Looking at Maslow again, I think there seesm to be something relevant to my earlier point about the status of keynote speakers. What do you think?