Conference Improvement Starts With A Focus On The Attendee Experience September 29, 2014 by Dave Lutz Improving attendee experiences is a top priority for the majority of conference planners. Yet few of us plan the attendee experience correctly. We approach conference planning from the inside-out. Considering the attendee experience is an afterthought. Most conference improvement plans look something like this: Systems & Resources → Procedures → Touchpoints → Interactions → Experiences. Although we don’t usually … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, customer, customer empathy, meeting, meeting planning best practices, user experience design, UXD
Association Virtual Event Strategy Benchmarking August 20, 2014 by Dave Lutz Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Ferris Bueller Virtual event strategies are evolving fast too! First, many tried to monetize them (instead of viewing them as a campaign). Next, quite a few associations embraced hybrid as their future. Now we’re seeing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , adult learning, Education & Adult Learning, technology, virtual attendee
Why You Need to Adopt a Sharing Economy to Keep your Conference Relevant August 18, 2014 by Dave Lutz It’s smart. It’s social. It’s green. It’s a movement towards a sharing economy. And the direction your next-gen attendee is headed. Collaborative consumption is about shared access to products and services. Sharing goods and services is considered smart, social, green, and aligns with the values of your next-generation conference participants. Time magazine has identified it … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , Collaborative Consumption, conference best practices, conference planning, meeting planning, Sharing
Ambush Marketing: 4 Ways to Diffuse Conference Scammers July 24, 2014 by Dave Lutz A few practices keep chipping away at the integrity of professional events. Chief among them are outboarding, when companies bypass exhibiting or sponsoring and set up shop on the fringe of your event, and suitcasing, which refers to non-exhibiting sellers who work the aisles or hallways. Lobby rats — non-registered folks who hang out in … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , Ambush Marketing, conference best practices, outboarding, suitcasing, tradeshow
Donna Kastner Promoted to Vice President July 7, 2014 by Dave Lutz I’m excited to announce that Donna Kastner has been promoted to VP, Expo/Sponsor Sales & Activation at Velvet Chainsaw Consulting! Donna’s contributions to our client consulting projects and innovation have grown steadily since joining our team two and a half years ago. Most notably, she’s led the charge for progressing our consulting muscles in the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , exhibit, exhibit sales, promoted, sponsor, sponsor acquisition, sponsor activation
Going All-In for Conference Improvement June 17, 2014 by Dave Lutz You may have noticed that our blog post frequency slowed down a bit in May. Our team was busy upgrading and converting our blog and website. We’re happy to announce that work is complete and the resources available to the industry we love are more accessible and plentiful than ever! We appreciate and value, you, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , conference improvement, resources
The Isaac Advantage June 11, 2014 by Dave Lutz Conference organizers who are in it for the long run know that partnerships really matter. In my mind, the best partnerships are the ones where your supplier is doing everything they can to help you win. If you’re strictly looking at them as an expense that needs to be cut, you’re probably working with the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, technology, tradeshow
Revamping Your Conference Social Media Strategy May 29, 2014 by Dave Lutz Are you bald yet from pulling your hair out dealing with recent social medial platform changes? Or perhaps you’ve spent all afternoon biting your nails wondering how to adapt your conference social media strategy to the platform changes. Social Media Platform Changes Yet Again In the past few months, Facebook has dramatically changed how company … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference ecommunity, conferences, inbound marketing, social media best practices
Three Amen-Astonishing Ways To Improve Your Conference Networking April 21, 2014 by Dave Lutz Networking! It’s one of the top reasons participants say they attend your conference. Yet few know how to do it effectively. Give them a helping hand. Networking’s Value Proposition Networking can be the most subjective and variable portion of your conference value proposition. For some, one or two meaningful interactions can more than justify the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, connections
Sponsorship: From Uninspiring To Really Mattering March 21, 2014 by Dave Lutz When attendees interact with your sponsors, do they feel marginalized or like they really matter? Are you forcing your sponsors’ messages on your conference attendees or helping sponsors offer insights that attendees may actually value? Remember That Last Event You Attended Think back to an event that you attended. Quick: Do you remember any of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference sponsorship, sponsor acquisition, sponsors
