Before March of 2020, pacing data was a useful tool for predicting final attendance and revenue. If you were pacing behind, you could make midcourse corrections. As we come out of the pandemic, we need a different playbook to drive attendance and earlier commitment. Use these five tips to develop a plan for optimizing registration for your major event in quarters 2, 3, and 4. Budget realistically. On average, associations are anticipating 2022 registration and revenue will be about 20 … [Read more...]
7 Design Considerations for Your Conference Hub
High-tech user conferences like Dreamforce and Microsoft Ignite have been designing innovative hub spaces to engage and nurture their top customers for years. While some of the elements in these areas can be costly to implement, they don’t have to break the budget. Creating a town-square-like experience can help grow your community through valuable connections. Our team got together for a strategy session and put on our design-thinking hats. We brainstormed what a hub should deliver from an … [Read more...]
Better Because You Were There
According to The New York Times, living with the pandemic “has pushed us to reckon with our deepest questions … [about] how we make meaning of our time on this earth.” In particular, COVID-19 has brought the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, social responsibility, and wellness to the fore. A number of our consulting clients have made social responsibility a cornerstone of their conference strategy — with the desire “to leave the host city better because we were there.” When you … [Read more...]
Will Use-It-or-Lose-It Budgeting Negatively Impact Expo and Sponsor Revenue?
Our crystal balls are pretty foggy when it comes to predicting the return of in-person expo and sponsor revenue. Three of the big questions are: With the advancement of digital demos, will exhibitors opt for smaller booth spaces? If marketing budgets intended for show participation in 2020 or 2021 were reallocated, or not spent, will corporations recall the good days and include your show in the 2022 marketing budget? Will poor ROI from virtual shows negatively impact future spend … [Read more...]
Conference Organizers: What Is Your Duty of Care?
Just when we thought we were turning the corner on a rise in Covid cases, we are hearing about short-term cancellations of conventions once again as the Delta variant causes cases to rise. Several conventions that occurred in June and July resulted in a number of positive COVID tests, including breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated participants. Some of the host organizations were transparent and shared these reported cases with attendees. Others were not. As conference organizers, it can … [Read more...]
5 Post-Pandemic Conference Program Design Changes
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” has become a popular adage in the business world over the past year, for good reason. As it becomes more apparent that face-to-face events will return in some form this year, conference organizers have an opportunity to make changes that would have been more difficult to sell up the ladder in the past. It’s a good time for planners to challenge their organizations to make the meeting experience more valuable than ever. As we work with conference … [Read more...]
Special Recognition for Sarah Michel, CSP
Please join the Velvet Chainsaw team in congratulating our very own Sarah Michel! Last week she was presented with the National Speakers Association – Colorado Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award. Sarah is in an exclusive club: She is only the sixth person to receive this honor in the past 25 years. Sarah is a Past President of the NSA – CO chapter. Over the past five years, she has also been instrumental in organizing the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado annual conference. Three … [Read more...]
Risk, Revenue Recognition and Recovery
For well over a year, we’ve consulted with dozens of associations on their go/no-go event strategies. One of our early — and still applicable — recommendations was for conference organizers to communicate and publish the date when they expect to make the decision for their in-person conference. Over the summer and the fall of 2020, most organizations were able to make decisions six months out without incurring liability. That window has tightened to 90 days. By May or June, facilities are less … [Read more...]
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