The scarcest resource you have is a customer. You can’t manufacture them. You can’t outsource them. You can duplicate them. You can’t make them from a recipe. Your conference and event attendees are the scarcest resource you have. Money Or Customers? Which Do You Need? Which do you need more to have a successful event? … [Read more…]
One of the purposes of a business to business event is to build and strengthen customer relationships. Just as one of the purposes of a trade association’s annual meeting is to build and strengthen member relationships. So how do you quantify the value this brings to your organization? How do you quantify the value of … [Read more…]
Let’s face it. Most conference education is yawn-stirring, sleepy-eyed, ho-hum, day-old soggy Melba-toast tasting boring. It makes root-canals seem fun! Regardless, the human brain loves to learn. In spite of our age, culture, gender and race, our brains are designed to always be on the prowl for new things to discover and experience. The brain … [Read more…]
Attendees experience a variety of emotions during a typical conference experience. Their short two- or three-day experience rivals that of any fictional drama. Hopes and dreams fill their minds. Anxiety, anticipation, excitement and fear jerk their emotions like a tilt-a-whirl. Egos and status posture for the lead emotional position. Emotions go from frustrations to fulfillment … [Read more…]
A trend we’re seeing is that exhibitors are requiring less square footage and shifting dollars to other sponsorship opportunities. Conference organizers need to think about how to convert exhibitor’s marketing dollars into sponsorship opportunities that benefit attendees. The Shift From Exhibiting To Sponsorships This shift requires a more strategic and consultative sales approach. Many conference … [Read more…]
You seldom awake in the morning with people waving money in your face to register for your event. There comes a time in every conference’s history when there is a need to identify and pursue the right markets for conference growth and sustainability. Instead of trying to be all things to all people and offer … [Read more…]
Our conferences and events need to create a more powerful attendee-centric experience. The passive conference attendee experience of the past twenty years is not enough. Attendees no longer want to sit for hours and just listen to experts speak. They want to be involved. Attendees are demanding and expecting something different today. Or they will … [Read more…]
Being a meeting professional can be hard work. Being an ineffective meeting professional is even harder, especially for everyone involved. Six Habits Of Unsuccessful Meeting Professionals In the discouraging tradition of the highway traveled all too often, here are six guaranteed ways to ensure that you and your team are unmotivated and provide a status … [Read more…]
Our profession is at risk. More small meetings, shorter lead times and RFP abuse are on a collision course for commoditizing our industry. It shouldn’t be commoditized! Hotels react by throwing technology and lower-level sales professionals against the problem. The model is not sustainable. Group Meetings Are Big Business Even a small meeting of 25 … [Read more…]
I strongly believe that consumption is less about reflecting who we are–even though that’s clearly a fundamental dimension of it–as much as it’s about who we wish to be. ~ Paul Mullins, The Archaeology Of Consumer Culture. Your conference attendees’ choice of education sessions identifies who they are and also about who they want to … [Read more…]
