Workshop and conference are terms that we often hear but rarely consider the differences between them. Although they share similarities, they represent different educational settings with different functions and purposes. Generally, a conference has a broader scope than a workshop, which is limited to a few participants who come together to improve their skills in a specific area. This article will explore the differences between a workshop and a conference.
Workshop
As the term suggests, a workshop is a short-term educational training course designed to enhance participants’ skills in a particular field or profession where advancements in techniques require individuals to upgrade their abilities. Workshops usually have a small number of attendees who benefit from expert knowledge. The classes tend to be informal, with less focus on lectures and more emphasis on demonstrations of new skills. There is active participation from attendees, and individualized attention is a key feature of workshops. The number of participants is deliberately kept low to enable experts to help all attendees gain maximum knowledge in a short time.
Conference
Conferences are gatherings of like-minded professionals who come together to share their views and opinions on a broader range of subjects. The atmosphere is typically formal, and the venue differs from a workshop. The location chosen for a conference must have all audio-visual aids and accommodation facilities for the participants, as conferences can last for several days and participants may come from far away. In a conference, experts on the chosen topic are invited, and there are various types of sessions. Participants have the opportunity to share their views and opinions, with a focus on knowledge sharing rather than skill acquisition, as is the case in workshops.
Key Takeaways
- While both workshops and conferences are educational settings, conferences tend to be more formal than workshops.
- Workshops are short-term training courses where participants come to enhance their skills through an expert who demonstrates new techniques rather than adopting a lecture-style approach.
- Conferences, on the other hand, are gatherings of like-minded people who come together to discuss a predefined topic and participants share their views and opinions for the benefit of everyone present.
