As we progress through the event industry’s recovery to 2019 levels, conference organizers must have a laser focus on helping potential attendees make their business case for attending their events. The best path for helping them get approval to attend is to ensure that the majority of your education program is aligned to advance business outcomes or results. To help you on your business priority program development journey, consider these six tips: Learning Pathways — Do not organize … [Read more...]
My Professional Home
The last two years have been a wild, scary and sometimes exhilarating ride for many in our industry. Having attended several in-person shows and events this fall, I am bullish on a healthy return for events and the people who run and support them. I am also excited to kick-start 2022 by attending PCMA’s Convening Leaders (CL) in Las Vegas in January, fully vaccinated and masked up. I’ve been an active volunteer and engaged CL participant for many years and it’s always been a great way to … [Read more...]
[Webinar] INFLUENCE 2020, National Speakers Association Virtual Experience
Meet the brains behind the design of the highly successful National Speakers Association’s INFLUENCE 2020 Virtual in August. Discover how they created memorable experiences, facilitated networking and delivered inspiring general sessions. Understand the strategy behind transforming a 3-day event into an 8-week virtual experience that launched their new digital vault. Hear testimonials from first-hand attendees--experts in the meeting and event space--who can’t stop singing the virtual … [Read more...]
Education Committee: More Advising and Curating, Less Slotting
Most meeting organizers invest a significant amount of time creating the educational programming for their annual conference. Models vary, but most include a 15- to 20-person conference committee (slotters) and army of reviewers (graders). Progressive organizers are shifting to a blended model, where conference committees act more like content curators and advisors and less like graders and slotters. Session and abstract submissions are still an important part of the process, but a greater … [Read more...]
Your Conference Content Has Magnetic Pull
Content marketing has grown by leaps and bounds during the past five years. Unfortunately, too few event organizers fully embrace the long-tail, pull benefits of content marketing. Likewise, many conference professionals have no idea what embracing the long-tail, pull benefits of content marketing even means. It’s a foreign concept to them. Most marketing and communications teams agree that content marketing serves as the foundation to their conference marketing strategy. Still, very few … [Read more...]
Ninja Moves for Improved Conference Session Marketing
Better session copy helps put butts in seats! As conference education trumps the exhibit hall experience at many association meetings, or creeps into your trade show experience to create a solutions-driven, holistic experience for your attendees, upping your game with session titles, descriptions, and learning objectives has become more important than ever. In 2013, we partnered with Tagoras on a research project and produced The Speaker Report. 48 percent of the 120 conference/education … [Read more...]
You Need To Move The Finish Line For Your Learning Participants
We are sending the wrong message with the majority of our organization’s learning opportunities. Our programs often end with a certificate of completion, CEU credit or some type of recognition. It implies that the learner is done. The learner has arrived. That learners have completed all that is required of them. The Real Work The real work actually begins when the education session ends. The real work is the effort the learner uses to transfer and apply the new knowledge and skills … [Read more...]
