Tag Archives: event planning

Go Take a Hike

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The television show, The West Wing, was famous for its walk and talk scenes. But more than being dramatic, there is something to the function of moving while talking. Companies across all industries are implementing walking meetings for problem solving and collaborative discussions with great results. A Harvard Business Review study found that those who participate in walking meetings are 5.25% more likely to report being creative at their jobs than those who do not. Additionally, walking meeting participants are 8.5% more likely to report high levels of engagement. While these are not huge numbers, it shows that there is something to be said about the connection between movement and engagement.[Tweet "Walking meeting participants report high levels of engagement. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Great Expectations: What Sponsors Want

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What would happen if sponsors at tradeshows and conferences suddenly disappeared? Most likely there would be significantly fewer events, as there would not be enough money to pull most of them off. Much like our post that looked at events without a speaker, we likely won't see sponsor-less shows, but we may see sponsors playing a different role at events--becoming more of a participant and less of a funding source.[Tweet "What would happen if sponsors at conferences suddenly disappeared? #GovEventsBlog"]

Part of this transition is in response to many organizations who are no longer content to hand over money just to receive a logo on a sign in return. They need (and deserve) tangible returns for their investment. This evolution is being driven by sponsor and exhibitor expectations but has an incredibly powerful impact on the attendee experience as well. Sponsors want to be more involved in events. This can mean including their executives and experts as speakers or being involved in the event planning process. It can also mean providing access to attendees beyond waving them over on the show floor. Sponsors are hoping to build relationships with attendees that extend beyond the show dates.[Tweet "Sponsors want to be more involved in events. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

The Event House of Horrors

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In the spirit of Halloween we thought it might be fun to create our own haunted house of sorts. We started thinking about how the traditional elements of a haunted house could be applied to the event world. What would happen if we combined common mistakes and missteps into a single show? [Tweet "Hold on tight as we walk through the GovEvents House of Horrors! #GovEventsBlog"]

  • Hall of Mirrors - Tradeshows can be overwhelming. Even attendees with the best laid plans can get sidetracked on the show floor. They can be confused by layout and/or distracted by competing audio and visual assets of exhibitors. Try to set a clear path through the show floor and plan booth layout so that two super loud or super visual companies are not set up right next to each other.
  • Cobwebs - Tradition can be heartwarming but when year after year you are "treating" attendees to the same thing it gets stale. Make sure you brush off the cobwebs. Look at attendee feedback and keep the elements of your show that are consistently praised and change up the elements that not only get negative feedback, but also those that never get mentioned at all.
  • Zombies - In the event world Zombies are people manning a booth that clearly have no knowledge of the product they are selling. They work off a script and take no interest in engaging in two-way conversation. Instead of mumbling, "brains....brains....I want brains" you can hear them asking, "leads.....leads...I need to meet my lead quota."
  • Trap Doors - Make sure session descriptions are accurate. You don't want attendees leaving a session or the event in general feeling like it was not what they expected. In a similar vein, make sure to clearly indicate which events are product-focused. Imagine an attendee looking forward to a session on "How to accelerate your move to cloud." They think there will be some best practices shared, actionable tips, etc., but instead it ends up being a sales pitch for a specific cloud service. At that point they may wish an actual trap door would appear to take them away.

[Tweet "What are some of the scariest situations you've found yourself in at events? #GovEventsBlog"]We'd love to hear from you. What are some of the scariest situations you've found yourself in at events? Let us know in the comments.

Survey Says…..Poll Your Audience!

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During election season we hear a lot about polls. Polling is integral to our democratic society. In fact, the Declaration of Independence requires that public opinion be taken into account. It states that our government functions expressly with "the consent of the governed." Abraham Lincoln took this heart when he said, "What I want to get done is what the people desire to have done, and the question for me is how to find that out exactly." This same concern should be shared by every event planner.

It is critical to remember that events exist to serve the attendees with a benefit to the planner (be that monetary or in intangible brand reputation). If attendees are not satisfied, the benefits will not be realized. To be successful, polling must go beyond leaving paper questionnaires on chairs and sending post-event surveys via email.  Just like in political races, polling must happen throughout the event process.[Tweet "Just like in political races, polling must happen throughout the event process. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

The UnConference

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Much like Alice learned when happening upon the unbirthday party in Wonderland, everyone wins when events become inclusive - it's more about the group than one single person. This idea, as fantastical as it sounds, is truly making its way into the event world. We wrote earlier this year about events without speakers as well as how streaming technologies are allowing attendees to broadcast event content themselves. But these are isolated tactics. What might a complete unconference look like?[Tweet "What might a complete unconference look like? #GovEventsBlog"]

We may get our answer this May when the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) launches their new program, Xperience Design Project (XDP). This program replaces the association's long running and wildly popular Springtime conference. This event ran like a typical tradeshow with keynote speakers, break-out sessions, and a trade show floor, but organizers found that attendees were ready for something different. Continue reading →