It seems to be a regular part of our normal life today -- the personalization of content, programs, products and services. Yet, our conferences still serve up generic content for the masses. We Notice When Personalization Is Absent Recently I observed an annual conference committee meeting of a major association. Staff and volunteer leaders were present. Graying male baby boomer veterans made up the majority of the committee. Three millennials (two males and one female) also served on the … [Read more...]
How Predictable Is Your Annual Conference?
Has your annual conference become predictable? Do attendees show up to the general session late because they know it starts with business for 20-30 minutes before the keynote? Predictable Meetings, Routine Conferences Predictable: behaving in a way that is expected and can be predicted; can be prophesied; can be foretold; to declare or indicate in advance; especially: foretell on the basis of observation, experience, or scientific reason. It starts with an Opening General Session (OGS), where … [Read more...]
Using Social Media To Generate Conference Attendee Registration
"This year we are going to start engaging with more people via social media," your boss says at the staff meeting. "We're going to have a conference blog, a Twitter feed, a conference Facebook page and a Linkedin event. And I need each of you to contribute some weekly content." Hearts drop. Eyes roll. Some even excuse themselves from the room. Social Media Strategy? Many of us have heard similar words from our supervisors. The intention is good. The goal of engaging with customers and … [Read more...]
Top Seven Conference Functions Easily Leveraged By Social Media
Your conference's social media presence is worthless unless you do something with it. It isn't enough to have a conference blog, an event Facebook page, a conference YouTube channel, an event Twitter profile, a LinkedIn event or a multiplicity of other outposts in social media. Ok, perhaps it's better than not having a presence at all. But I am not sure if a dead social media presence is better than the absence of one. So what is the value of having social media outposts? Having a … [Read more...]
Event Organizers: Chief Storytellers And Liars
You are a liar. At least Seth Godin thinks so. In Seth Godin's book, All Marketers Are Liars, Godin claims that marketers lie to consumers because consumers demand it. He says that customers don't really need an organization's products and services. They buy them because they want what the organization sells, because of the way it makes them feel. No, Godin doesn't really believe all marketers are liars. He used that word to get your attention. What he really means is storytelling. Event … [Read more...]
Meeting Site Selection Cheat Sheet: Logistics
While a journey is a road, not a destination, most meetings are about the destination not the road. Choosing the right destination is critical to a meetings' success. Effective meting professionals focus on two key factors in the site selection process: Foretelling an organization's meeting requirements and Evaluating a potential site's ability to meet those requirements. Eight Steps To Successful Site Selection The needs of an event must be identified first and then aligned with sites … [Read more...]
Meeting Site Selection Cheat Sheet: Attendee Perspective
Location, location, location. Three of the most important words in a meeting professional's repertoire. The selection of a city and venue is a critical factor in the success of a meeting. Choose the wrong city and your potential attendees may not register. Choose the wrong venue location (airport, downtown, resort or suburb) and your attendees may complain that it doesn't meet their needs. Choose the wrong venue and you can have challenges with logistics, service and possibly perceptions. The … [Read more...]
Seven Things You Should Stop Doing At Your Conferences
I've attended more than my share of conferences this year both as speaker and as attendee. Here are seven conference things that annoy the heck out of me! 1. Branded PowerPoint Templates For Speakers Really, I mean really! We know the name of your conference. We know what your brand looks like. Do you want to bore us even further with your branded PowerPoint templates in every presentation? Your branded PPT is useless. It does not serve any objective except to make the audience throw-up in … [Read more...]
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