I’m a fan of technology. I’m usually an early adopter of the next shiny tech tool for individuals. And I typically try to understand if and how that tech tool may help organizations, learning and conferences. But, and it’s a big, big but: technology alone will not truly move your conference needle. Technology Isn’t Your Savior My email box is littered with announcements of the next great event technology. Most of them have gone nowhere. Occasionally, a new event technology—like the … [Read more...]
Attendee Experience The Next Frontier For Differentiation
Most conference experiences are very similar. They have similar schedules, receptions, general sessions, breakouts, exhibit halls, lecture-style education offerings, quality and price. They all look and feel alike. Too many conferences are on the verge of commoditization. One of the conference’s main offering—delivery of information disguised as education—is so widely available and mutually interchangeable with other types of information delivery—that potential customers cannot distinguish … [Read more...]
Conference Growth Is Connected To Unique Attendee Experiences
If you want to grow your conference, you need to annually create a unique conference experience. You also need to create an emotional bond with your registrants. We have to remember that our registrants are people too. And your conference experience should help them solve the issues that are keeping them up at night. Our paying customers buy conference registration with a trust that we will deliver what our marketing materials say we will. And, never, ever forget that they also want a fun, … [Read more...]
How To Create An Entirely Unique, Clangorously New Conference Experience
The conference market is saturated with commoditized information-driven attendee experiences. Most conferences are nothing more than status-quo, average, predictable information overloaded experiences. They reek of sameness. After you’ve attended a conference for the first time, it loses its freshness and excitement. It feels too familiar. Focus On Creating The Attendee’s Experience So how can a conference set itself apart from other commoditized experiences? Reconnect with its … [Read more...]
Conference Organizers Should Be Great CEOs: Chief Experience Officers!
What do conference organizers really do? They organize all the aspects of the conference experience. I believe that title—conference organizer--doesn’t serve us anymore. It doesn’t convey the right information as putting together logistics is like putting together quilt pieces without any plan. It’s just stitching pieces together and crossing your fingers that it will result in a great look, product and design. Enter The Conference Experience Officer Much like a conference meeting steward, the … [Read more...]
How To Create A Bodacious, Mind-boggling, Unforgettable Conference Experience
Now, more than ever, conference organizers can’t continue to play it safe! Your annual conference is part of your organization’s brand experience. Most conference hosts and organizers understand the power of experience to inspire people and drive business growth. Yet few take the time to consider, plan and design an amazing conference experience. They just patchwork conference components together and wait for great results. Today, people expect more from their conference experience. Repeat … [Read more...]
Does Your Conference Promote The Wrong End Of A Telescope?
“How much are our attendees willing to pay?” It is a question that many conference hosts and organizers frequently ask when they begin planning their events. It’s like asking the question, “What topics do you want to hear at next year’s conference?” Instead of asking, “What’s keeping you up at night?” Challenge is that this stumble is classic. It is something that happens all around us on a daily basis. The Typical Grand Stumble Higher education and universities keep pushing the same old … [Read more...]
Does Your Conference Foster These Five Core Attendee Experience Principles?
The experience matters! It is one of the most (over?) used business phrases today. Most business professionals agree that the experience matters to consumers. As consumers, we even agree that our experiences with brands and organizations drive our future buying decisions. So why is it that most conference organizers do not focus on designing the best conference experience possible for all of its stakeholders? Instead, we focus on logistics and details claiming that “designing the … [Read more...]
