Conference organizers know that the “main course” of their education offering and value proposition is in the concurrent education sessions. These learning experiences are primarily guided and selected by committee members who have little to no training or experience in adult learning principles. This model can be very risky. What happens in those rooms will make or break their overall satisfaction and future decisions to attend. Don’t Leave Education to Chance Imagine what could happen if you invested in developing your conference committee members and speakers to increase the quality of the ..read more

A number of associations we work with have seen their annual convention exhibit space sales lag attendance, which has recovered since the pandemic. Conversely, sponsorship revenue is back to pre-pandemic levels and has upside potential. If your sponsorship menu and prospectus look similar to 2019, a refresh can help you seize this growth opportunity. Here’s a step-by-step guide for auditing and refreshing your sponsorship menu. The first two steps are critical for organizing your sponsor data for analysis. Steps three through five should be done collaboratively with a small workgroup. Itemiz ..read more

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), the business-to-business exhibition industry is still in recovery mode. The bad news is that full year performance for 2023 participation and revenues is expected to be 9.5% below 2019. The good news is that 2024 is expected to eclipse 2019 results by 3.6%. (One can only hope!) Whether your results are better or worse than the CEIR index, I think it is a helpful top-line metric for benchmarking and sharing with your organization’s leadership. For most business event professionals, rebuilding attendance and overall revenue is pri ..read more

Many of our clients have had to navigate unchartered waters as venue contracts (that were secured years ago) are now being questioned and challenged by members in states that have adopted discriminatory and women’s health laws that go against the mission and values of the association. In response, we posted this article back in April to provide decision-making resources and examples of communication strategies for boards facing these very difficult decisions. Creating a Safe and Welcoming Environment Last week, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) hosted a one-hour webinar led ..read more

You belong here….was the theme of the American Psychological Association’s “more than just an annual convention” recently at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Our team had the opportunity to participate and observe both the in-person and virtual event as the post-Covid rebound continues. That theme manifested most successfully in: Intentional content and messaging delivered in the main stage rooms. The Gathering Place activation with interactive activities and short casual sessions. (The Gathering Place is an innovative space for attendees to connect with each other, experts and ps ..read more

For many annual meetings, the Great Resignation has resulted in erosion of loyal, regular attendees and an increase in first-timers, whose experience can be improved with guidance on the best course for them to follow during your program. In his book, The Paradox of Choice, author Barry Schwartz writes: “Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.” For complex conference programs, this insight means that you can increase satisfaction — and reduce attendee anxiety — by provid ..read more

With AI and ChatGPT on the rise, event professionals now have a helpful tool that can elevate efficiency and improve work quality —and you don’t need to be an expert to harness its potential. Over the past few months, I’ve tested out real-world applications for leveraging the power of ChatGPT. Here are three work tasks that I’ve found useful so far: Summarizing large sets of comments/content. Initial idea generation for solving a challenge or kicking off a new task. Adding polish to paragraphs, articles or other correspondence. Getting started is a breeze—create a free account at https://op ..read more

Last week I attended the National Speakers Association’s (NSA) Annual Meeting, Influence 2023.  As a 25+ year member of NSA, I was eager to see how they would weave in their 50-year anniversary and deliver on a promise to elevate the education and main room experiences. They did not disappoint. Below I’ve highlighted five strategies NSA implemented that resulted in achieving pre-pandemic attendance, record high sponsorship and highly valued education and networking experiences. Many of these can be replicated for improving your annual meeting results. 1. Personal Outreach to High Influen ..read more

Photo Credit: Zuko.io Images   Our last post, Key Vendor Service-Level Expectations, explored how the events industry is managing through a significant loss of experienced talent. We shared some strategies to help close the gap and navigate this new normal. In the fast-paced world of event planning, strong project management from your key vendors is essential for success. Before joining VCC, I spent more than 20 years leading some of the best technical and event project managers in the large/complex housing and registration space. Let’s explore five essential qualities that define excep ..read more

This is a guest post by Diana Kander. Diane is a keynote speaker on curiosity and innovation and a New York Times Bestselling author. Her latest book, Go Big or Go Home, outlines five ways to create a memorable customer experience. The event planning industry is one of immense creativity, innovation, and personal touches. In the modern era, where experiences reign supreme, it’s essential to craft events that resonate deeply with attendees, leaving them with memories they’ll cherish forever. One effective tool to help event planners achieve this is the ‘Customer Journey Canvas’. Real-World Suc ..read more