Exhibitors Matter Too

When prepping for your conference, your main focus is on the members. You want to make sure they are happy and getting their money’s worth which is very important. Exhibitors, however, are also paying to attend and exhibit at your event and deserve some love as well.

Anticipate their needs. Exhibitors require a lot of set up prior to the event. Make sure they have anything they might need or a contact they can get it from. Keep in mind this could include electricity outlets, chairs a map of the showroom, a schedule of where members will be and when they will be in the showroom. Instead of putting the pressure on yourself, you can also ask your exhibitors when they sign up questions like,

• What technologies will you need the day of?

• What kind of information would you like to know about attendees?

• What will you be bringing to your booth?

Consider an event app. An event app is useful for both attendees and exhibitors. It allows them access to all of the information they could possibly need about the event while also being able to connect with one another. Some apps even allow for appointment setting between exhibitors and attendees.

Require/encourage exhibitor visitation. If your association requires continuing education credits, offer credits for attending a set number of booths. This benefits both parties and is easy to do. If continuing education is not a component of your organization, offer a different incentive. This could be entering their name into a raffle, discounting membership, or anything else that applies more specifically to your group.

Improving your exhibitor experience will bring in more money for events, instill a good reputation for your association among vendors, and leave attendees feeling happy.

3 Things to Improve your Member Luncheons

Several of our clients hold a monthly member luncheon that typically includes a presentation and networking. Members, however, are often busy during their work days and find reasons not to attend. If you are looking to increase attendance and make those attending happier, give the following a try!

Surveys. Make sure to survey those that are attending after each meeting. Ask them about the food, presentation, and for any suggestions for future meetings. This is a great way to determine how satisfied members are with the current location, food quality, or content. The Board of Directors can discuss this feedback each month and make adjustments accordingly.

Giveaways. Have a small drawing each month. It can be a gift card or a small gift that relates to the season or speaker. Encourage sponsors or members to donate these from their business. This will save you money but gives people something to look forward to at each meeting.

Networking topics. Provide a list of networking topics to get your members chatting. They might find it uncomfortable to sit down and just jump into a conversation. Giving them a list of topics will make them feel more at ease about attending future meetings and will hopefully will allow them connect with those around them.

Make your member luncheons something to look forward to and something that is always evolving! Your members will be thanking you.

All Eyes on your Next Event

When planning an event for your organization, you typically have two goals in mind: create an event that your members will love and get as many people there as possible. No pressure, right? To achieve those goals, it is best to create a promotion plan.

1.     Determine your audience. Understand who would benefit best from the event. This includes both demographics and psychographics. Do you want to include non-members? This first step will determine the direction of your promotion plan.

2.     Develop a message. Your event might have a million benefits for guests but your audience will only care about some of those benefits. Narrow down the message that you want to deliver to your audience and hone in on it. This will be a more effective way to communicate with them.

3.     Find your audience. If you are targeting an older group of people, it might be best to send out direct mail or email. If you are targeting millennials, head to the internet. Going to your audience, will ensure that the message gets in front of them and increases the chance that they will read it.

Determining these few factors can make all the difference in your promotional plan. Make sure to reach your audience more than once to nail in their attendance. Happy event planning!

Post-Conference Game Plan

As an association management company, our staff attends many conferences each year. These conferences can include client work or educational seminars. After attending educational conferences, we have several steps that we take in order to make the most out of our experience. If you aren’t doing the following after every event, we suggest that you start.

1.     Review your notes. At educational events, we often feel the need to write down EVERYTHING. This can lead to a mess of notes scribbled on a notepad. It is important to review your notes after the conference and type them up to be more legible. This will make you more likely to refer back to them and allow them to be easily shared.

2.    Talk about your experience. Speaking of sharing, make sure to let your team in on the fun. Fill them in on any key takeaways. This might spark up ideas for them and could be useful for the whole team. If you have a blog, you can also share what you learned on there. Your notes are already typed up and it would be a great way to engage with people online. Make sure to tag the event and use any hashtags they have.

3.    Define any action items.  After reviewing your notes, you may notice takeaways that you want to implement into your own organization. Make a list of action items that you want to follow through on. This will keep you from forgetting them and will make your time and money put into the conference worth it.

4.    Follow up on connections. If you found yourself talking to the other attendees and enjoying the conversations you had, follow up with them. Add them on LinkedIn or contact them from their business card. These people could be useful to your organization and might forget about your encounter if you don’t reach out shortly after.

If you are attending conferences, you should be ensuring that you get the very most out of each one. By following these steps, you will come away from conferences with new information, networking connections, and inspiration for your organization. Happy conferencing!