Does your annual conference have a documented purpose or strategy? My experience is that most organizers either don’t have one or haven’t updated, or used it, in quite a while. With competition for attendee time and share of wallet reaching new degrees of complexity, revisiting this strategic step should be a high priority. Defining the Conference Purpose Here’s a guide to help you down the strategic path of articulating your conference purpose: Owners – Identify task-force or committee … [Read more...]
Conference Organizer: Proceed With Caution!
Danger, conference organizer! Danger! Did you ever watch the late-’60s sci-fi TV series Lost In Space? Yeah, most of you reading this are too young to know or remember it. Still you may have watched it in reruns or at a slumber party. It was known for its iconic robot that served as an early-tornado-type-siren. Whenever it sensed a terrifying situation, it would flail its metal arms and shout danger. Your Conference Data Just Might Be Flailing Its Arms If you are paying close attention … [Read more...]
Group And Meetings Impact Of The Marriott/Starwood Combo
A number of meeting professionals have voiced concerns over two recently announced mega-deals in the hotel space. In 2016, Marriott is expected to complete a transaction to acquire Starwood. And AccorHotels is expected to acquire Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel. Meeting professional often compare this roll-up to the consolidation in the airline industry. They believe hotel chain consolidation will negatively impact competition in the site selection process. They fear these mergers will … [Read more...]
What a CEO Can Do For Your Conference
Wanted: An individual with a laser focus on, and advocate for, the conference customer. Someone to educate leadership on the advantages of being customer and experience focused. A silo buster. A strategic professional with a high empathy quotient. Many conferences are planned and implemented leveraging a variety of departmental silos and often, several volunteer committees. One person or group owns education. Others are owned by marketing, business development, meeting planning, … [Read more...]
Innovators Network Differently
After studying a whole bunch of professional conferences, it’s very clear to me what separates a thriving event from one on life support. For multi-day conferences, a growing number register and return because of who else will be there. Our attendees have more choices than ever for professional development and acquiring purchasing intelligence. Today, it’s difficult to differentiate and grow without strong networking value and a tribe-like vibe. It’s no longer enough to just attract the … [Read more...]
Bill MacDonald Joins the Velvet Chainsaw Team
We’re excited to welcome Bill MacDonald, Vice President, Analysis & Insights to the Velvet Chainsaw Consulting team starting November 2, 2015. VCC will now a team member in Michigan. Having our roots in Ohio, Michigan is public enemy #1. I had to set aside my emotions on this choice and make the rational decision of hiring for talent and VCC’s future. For the last 18 months, Bill headed his own practice analyzing and providing recommendations for optimizing strategic meeting management … [Read more...]
Keys to Sponsorship Success
Lots of conference organizers want a magic formula for pricing sponsorships. Sadly, there isn't one. To grow this critical revenue line, sponsorship seekers must do the following: Earn a high concentration of participants who have influence on deal making or purchases. Involve leadership in the relationship building of primary investors or targets. Place attendees’ needs and desires above those of the organization or sponsor. Four Common Sponsorship Pricing Models Most … [Read more...]
High-Stake Conference Partnerships
As brands evolve, they are increasingly looking for marketing investments where they can make an emotional impact with a defined target market. Most of them can do it with or without you (ambush marketing), but most would rather partner and support organizations that are already serving a demographic that matches up with their best customers. Often, these are the ones that you want to target for potential partnership and sponsorship opportunities. Choosing the Right Partners For … [Read more...]
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