Conferences Need a Strategic Purpose April 11, 2016 by Dave Lutz 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference purpose, strategy
Conference Organizer: Proceed With Caution! February 23, 2016 by Dave Lutz 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. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , actionable metrics, conference best practices, conference evaluation, conference indicators, conference performance indicators, KPI, KPIs, metrics, shatterpoints, vanity metrics
Group And Meetings Impact Of The Marriott/Starwood Combo December 30, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning
What a CEO Can Do For Your Conference December 15, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, conference tips, meeting planning best practices
Innovators Network Differently November 13, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , active participation, conference best practices, engagement, Innovation, innovators, networking
Bill MacDonald Joins the Velvet Chainsaw Team October 22, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , Bill MacDonald, strategy
Keys to Sponsorship Success October 14, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference sponsorship, sponsorship strategy
High-Stake Conference Partnerships September 15, 2015 by Dave Lutz 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. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference revenue optimization, Partnerships, sponsorship best practices, sponsorship sales, Strategic Sponsorship
Helping Sponsors Turbocharge Through Activation September 2, 2015 by Dave Lutz Activation (or leverage) is the most misunderstood, yet most critical, success driver for sponsorship ROI. Savvy marketing professionals totally get activation. But most of our profession doesn’t. This is why many of us continue to sell non-emotional promotional opportunities and incorrectly call them sponsorship. We need to capitalize on this golden opportunity. Consumer events are … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, sponsor activation, sponsor leverage, sponsorship activation, sponsorship best practices, strategic sponsorships
Implicit vs. Explicit: Beyond the Badge Mass Personalization August 19, 2015 by Dave Lutz Whether your data capture and personalization efforts are implicit, explicit or a combination, it’s critical to develop a rubric. When combined with behavioral data, paths for mass personalization will emerge. Many associations are at the beginning of this journey and will learn much from internet commerce best practices. My Big Move Late last year, I … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , behavioral data, conference best practices, event mobile apps, event technology, iBeacon, mass personalization
