You Know the Type

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As we gear back up for tradeshow and conference season it is good to be prepared for the variety of challenges and experiences that come your way on the show floor. If you have spent any time staffing a booth you know that many attendees can be lumped into general "hard to deal with" groups. Below we list out some of the people you are likely to encounter and how best to turn around the experience and make it a positive one for both of you.[Tweet "You know the type... Which one is your favorite? #GovEventsBlog"]

  • The one who never makes eye contact - some people are shy, introverted, and just not interested in making small talk. Valid reasons for someone to avoid interacting with you, but as an exhibitor you cannot write these folks off. Try to engage them in a way that is comfortable for them. Have some self-guided demos on hand so they can walk through them (alone) and hopefully afterward they will have some questions to engage you in conversation.

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F is for Federal and Fun

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When we saw the headline, How to Entertain a Serious Audience, we immediately thought of government events. We know it is an overgeneralization and a misrepresentation that people who serve the government tend to be more serious, bureaucratic, and careful with their words, but there is some truth to this stereotype. With very real mandates around gifts, endorsements, and the reality of austere budgets, events for the federal sector cannot be as flashy as those for commercial-focused attendees. But that does not mean they cannot be fun.

While the day-to day work and missions of government audiences are incredibly important, vital, and sometimes even deadly serious, it does not mean they don't enjoy some levity. Here are a couple ideas to lighten the mood at events and create some fun differentiators in the crowded federal event marketplace. [Tweet "Ideas to lighten the mood at federal events and create some fun differentiators. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Behind the Lens – What Makes Great Event Video

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With the growth of hybrid events, webinars, and general re-purposing of event content online, video is becoming a critical part of the event plan.

While the lighting and camera angles are very important (more on that later), according to Emily Timmerman, Senior Solutions Consultant with Adobe Connect, the most critical decision that needs to be made is the quality and resolution of the video.[Tweet "Behind the Lens: Event video tips from Emily Timmerman with @AdobeConnect #GovEventsBlog"] You need to be knowledgeable about your online audience. What is their bandwidth? What level of resolution can they best view and can you best produce? If they cannot clearly view HD, there is no reason to spend money on getting high definition footage.  You also need to be aware of the bandwidth of the location you are shooting, make sure the connection can easily handle your video feed. Continue reading →

Next Gen Event Planning

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The expectations of attendees are changing the dynamics of events.  While there have been several reports claiming event planning as we know it is dead, we see it as more of an evolution. [Tweet "Event planning as we know it is dead... We see it as an evolution. #GovEventsBlog"]

To remain relevant and attract audiences, we need to listen to what they are telling us they need and want and then use the latest technologies and techniques to make that happen. Here's a quick list of new realities that should be shaping the way we plan events. Continue reading →

Tactics to Drive Webinar Registrations

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web_registerWith readily available and user-friendly technology, webinars are easy to produce. The hard part is getting people to register. Your topic may be interesting and your speaker may be engaging, but with most webinars being free to attend and requiring no commitment in terms of travel, it is hard to get people to commit to attending. [Tweet "Webinars are easy to produce. The hard part is getting people to register and attend. #GovEventsBlog"]They may see your email advertising the event pop up in their email box but there is no sense of urgency to register nor is there a driving force to attend since they (usually) do not need to commit money or a huge block of time. So how do you get people to register and then (more importantly) attend your webinars? We've looked around the web for advice and added some of our own in this quick tip list. [Tweet "Tips to drive registrations AND get people to attend your webinars. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →