Tag Archives: engagement

Give Them a (Meaningful) Break

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Time is a precious commodity. With events, attendees are giving up precious time away from the office and possibly, away from their families. Because event organizers know that their attendees' time is valuable, their response is often to pack as much into an event as possible to provide the most value in attending. But, as in many areas of life, this "more is more" mentality can backfire. A lack of breaks can leave attendees tired and their purpose for attending left unfulfilled. Without these breaks, there is no time for attendees to absorb information or make impromptu connections. [Tweet "Time is a precious commodity. Give attendees a meaningful break. #GovEventsBlog"]

If the event is organized in a way that encourages interaction with and by attendees, you want to give them the chance to recharge from all of that engagement. A study published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that the most engaged employees are also the ones that burn out the quickest. With this understanding, it makes sense that engaged event attendees will get tired (burn out) as they are being challenged with new ideas and information. So, what should event planners do to maximize both the quantity and quality of the time spent with their attendees?[Tweet "A lack of breaks can leave attendees tired and their purpose for attending left unfulfilled. #GovEventsBlog"]

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The Human Factors Leading to Higher Event Effectiveness

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Empty hotel conference meeting or event room provides space for business meetings conferences speakers or events. Tables and chairs set up to view projection screen.

We all want to be actively engaged with experiences that mean something to us personally or professionally. These are the events in our lives that lead to great stories people want to hear and that make memories we cherish long after the occasion ends. Our professional events should have the same impact. Events and exhibiting are people businesses. Anything that emphasizes and appeals to each individual's humanity produces authentic engagement and deeper meaning for all involved.

GES MarketWorks asked corporate marketing leaders, brand managers and event marketers about their event objectives. Revenue, Enhanced Customer Interactions and Brand Awareness topped the charts,essentially tied with about 70% of responses. Corporate responders reveal logic that should penetrate all event strategies and planning. Several factors lead to higher event profitability and success, engagement (enhanced customer interaction), brand awareness and personalization.

Engagement

Whether you are an exhibitor or a corporate host of a company event, engagement is a major objective. Unlike other objectives, engagement provides the emotional tie that binds people. It acts as the pathway to accomplish and magnify other objective results.

Customer engagement certainly stands at the top of priorities for chief marketing officers globally. In IBM's 2016 CMO Perspective report , 66% of CMOs held "developing deeper, richer customer experiences as their top marketing priority."

Awareness

With emotional engagement, brand awareness is easier to accomplish. People believe because they are emotionally invested. Engagement and brand awareness lead to revenue because they generate an emotional bond with the brand. As Ben Franklin said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Events create advocacy because deep engagement builds brand loyalty and because engagement happens best in face-to-face events. When we asked responders about event characteristics that drive sales, Enhanced Customer Interaction led the way with 19% of responses, followed by Brand Awareness and Personalization, both with 15%.

Personalization

Brand awareness happens through personalization of content and interactions. Customers take it personally when you demonstrate authentic interest in their issues and interests. They feel appreciated and understood. That's deep engagement.

Deeply engaged customers demonstrate more brand loyalty, less price sensitivity, shorter resell cycles, and a greater likelihood of recommending the brand to their friends and colleagues. Those are the motivators behind Gallup's observation that deeply engaged customers provide an almost 25% "premium in terms of share of wallet, profitability, revenue and relationship growth over the average customer."

These survey respondents carry weight because 60% said they earn at least a 3-to-1 Return on Investment through their events. More than a quarter of respondents (27%) earned ROI of 5-to-1 or greater. They know, at least intuitively, what Joshua Foer, a freelance journalist and champion memory competitor said, "We remember when we pay attention. We remember when we are deeply engaged." Learn more about Event ROI

What are you changing in your events to deeply engage customers based on more personal, relevant interaction? Is event consistency driving more attendees to participate less frequently? This infographic will help guide your questions.

To read full peer insights from marketing executives, download our free Driving Event ROI guide.

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Put Down the Phone, Let’s Get Active!

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In recent posts on gamification and IoT we talked about some ways to use technology to better engage modern event audiences. While the tech is here to stay and it is important to integrate it into events, every new twist you add does not have to involve technology.[Tweet "Every new twist you add to events does not have to involve technology. #GovEventsBlog"]

In a recent survey, 99% of respondents said that in-person meetings have helped them succeed in their careers. Meetings are seen as critical to business and personal success and the rise in spending on attending them (both in the general market and the federal market) backs up that belief. Attendees want more than a technology-heavy experience (they get that in other facets of their work day). They want experiences that are uniquely real world. So how do event planners keep events fresh without making them a virtual reality experience?[Tweet "How do event planners keep events fresh without making them a virtual reality experience?"] Continue reading →