Don’t Stop the Party Community—and your business value—isn’t a 48-hour thing. How do you think our event participants define what a successful event is? A “not bad” buffet? Conference rooms without lightning that doesn’t make everyone look like a vampire? Not even reliable on-site WiFi is what really delights them. Paying attention to those details is important, but at the heart of the matter, a high-quality event is about us delivering information and connections—real value—to the community when they need it ..read more

Lend an ear Knowing and understanding your audience is key What’s the most annoying thing that happened to you today? We’re not talking the big stuff (hope nothing truly frustrating darkened your path today), but the “little” stuff that is oh-so-human and irksome. The “spilled coffee on your shirt on the way out the door” stuff. Got all the way to the interstate entrance before realizing you forgot your mask or your lunch or, yikes, your laptop. Arrived at the restaurant looking forward to happy hour…and realized it was scheduled for tomorrow ..read more

Sales Tactics Are Out; Participation Tactics Are In Engage, and the sales will follow. It used to be that we’d look at sponsors with cartoon dollar signs in our eyes. And they didn’t necessarily mind the objectification. As well as we understood our role in event management, they knew their role—event banker—and in exchange, they got to name a room or session at the event, maybe even the event itself; fill swag bags with branded travel mugs and keychains; or have the primo spot at the tradeshow ..read more

Remember the Platinum Rule True inclusivity is all about we, not me. Sing along with us: one of these things is not like the other… And when it comes to audiences, no one is the same as another. With the move to digital and hybrid, attending an event is possible for a host of new folks: People who previously couldn’t afford the time and money it took to travel to an in-person event. People with rigorous dietary or mobility restrictions. People who don’t like crowds. With a greater diversity of attendees, it’s imperative that we prioritize making an inclusive environment ..read more

Spoiler Alert: It’s not as simple as it used to be. Our industry is still adapting to and learning from the unprecedented changes of the past two years. Nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to an event’s revenue model. In the olden days when all events were in person, we generated revenue with sponsorships and ticket sales ..read more

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONTENT THAT ENGAGES AND CONTENT THAT BORES ..read more

Remember the relationship-building basics. Build on them with low-tech and high-tech tools. In person, online, or hybrid, each and every event relies on the relationships between participants for that event to be successful. You experience it when you are attending, not running, events. If you know your neighbor’s name before sitting next to them at the keynote breakfast you’ll be more likely to pay attention to the keynote—you’ll want to compare notes with your new friend. Laugh together with a small group of strangers as you uncover your common interests and you’ll be more likely to be fort ..read more

Your Attendees Are Special—Treat Them That Way As we reimagine events (for example, no longer confined to physical conference centers), audiences (no longer just the folks with resources, and temperament, to attend in-person events), and sponsorships (way more than just branded keychains and folks showing up to hold down a booth at a tradeshow), we must also envision a new, better path for marketing events. Fortunately, we have more data, more apps, and more tools at our disposal to help us be brighter, shinier, and more successful than ever ..read more

Successful events don’t really end with the final session. Or shouldn’t, anyway. As your attendees drive away from or turn their computers off after the final session, you don’t want them to be saying, “Event? What event?” Not only does that indicate the event wasn’t that memorable but that they are unlikely to register for one of your future events. Plus, at the heart of your role as an event planner, you’re trying to create and strengthen community. If your event becomes something more than “a nice three days out of the office,” you’ve really succeeded ..read more

Make tech work for you Risk lowers when your approach to tech strengthens. Firefighter. Military personnel. Police officer. Pilot. Event planner. Yep, you don’t need us, or the experts who rank the world’s most stressful jobs, to tell you that our job is right up there with the most expected toughies. We manage so many parts—the big, the little, the always moving—and it’s got to all come together, perfectly and at once ..read more