When I attended MAD//Fest Up North in Manchester the other week, I posted on LinkedIn that one of the panels I saw was among the best I’d ever experienced. Mark Ritson, never one to hold back an opinion, responded with extreme scepticism, suggesting that no panel is ever good. Now, disagreeing with the brilliant Mark isn’t always wise but on this, I totally and utterly do.
Panels are an essential part of any industry conference, particularly in digital media and marketing. When they’re done right, when the right people discuss the right subjects in the right way, they can be brilliant. The best panels are entertaining, engaging, and, most importantly, informative.
They allow for nuance, debate, and spontaneity in a way that other formats struggle to match.
Panels create meaningful conversations
Last week we held NDA’s Digital Women International Women’s Day Lunch, where the opening panel debate made a huge impact on the room. The discussion didn’t end when the panelists stepped off stage, it, along with Katie Ingram’s powerful keynote, sparked countless conversations afterward, demonstrating the real power of the format.
A good panel isn’t just a collection of people talking at each other. It’s a dynamic, fluid discussion that evolves in real time. It allows for different perspectives to clash, complement, and challenge one another. Unlike solo presentations, where ideas are often presented in a vacuum, panels encourage dialogue. This interactivity brings fresh insights and, when well-moderated, can push the conversation forward in ways that scripted keynotes often simply can’t.
Misconceptions about panels
There’s a common misconception that panels are just an easy way to fill a conference schedule. The truth is, a great panel takes careful planning. It requires selecting the right mix of speakers, people with genuine expertise, strong opinions, and the ability to articulate them well.
Of course a panel with four people who all say the same thing is pointless. But when you bring together contrasting viewpoints, that’s when real conversations happen.
Another criticism often leveled at panels is that they lack depth compared to solo presentations. While it’s true that a panelist might not get the same uninterrupted time as a keynote speaker, the trade-off is a diversity of thought. One person’s point can be immediately challenged or expanded upon by another, making for a richer, more nuanced discussion.
The worst panels, the ones that reinforce the stereotype, tend to be those that are overly rehearsed as I’ve written about previously. I believe this has to change but I’m not going into that again here.
More panels, not fewer
I understand the frustration with bad panels. We’ve all sat through ones where the discussion goes nowhere, the speakers are disengaged, or the moderator is asleep at the wheel. But the answer isn’t to dismiss the format, we need more panels not fewer.
Panels, at their best, are one of the most effective, entertaining, and impactful ways to deliver information at an event. They allow for debate, diversity of thought, and an element of unpredictability that makes them far more engaging than yet another 30-minute slide deck presentation.
Solo talks and presentations can be incredibly powerful, enjoyable and memorable. But far too often, rather than the star power of someone like Mark Ritson, we’re faced with yet another thinly viewled sales presentation, slick but ultimately empty.
Furthermore, in a quest to increase diversity of voices at our industry events remember that standing up on stage on your own is far more daunting and intimidating for the less experience speaker than joining a panel discussion.
So no, Mark, I don’t think all panels are bad. In fact, I’d argue we need more of them, just done right.
