The ability of the attendees to retain information can be curtailed if a conference fails to generate engagement. The attention span of the people is notoriously limited and therefore if proper planning is not followed businesses can fall for information overload.
Added to that, the digital era is marked by the culture of participation where the content is generated both by the audiences as well as for the audiences.
So here are some tips that will assist businesses to create an engaging experience while organising their conferences. Just take a look.
- Ask Audience What They Need – You should ask the audience about what they need. It is always liked by people when they are asked to opine about something. This way they feel being part of something. You can conduct a pre-conference survey to be apprised about what kinds of activities are liked by the potential attendees. You should also ask your audience to rate the conference as it approaches towards the end. This way you can get a better idea of what people want.
- Design the Conference in a Way to Avoid Overload – You should not let the conference planning to be wasted and organise programs in a way so that there is a break or time-gap between the heavy sessions. The keynotes often appear towards the end of the conference, but it is better to plan the information processing earlier in the day. This is because the audience is likely to be more accepting and alert during the period. This method is most impactful when the event lasts for a few days.
- Go for Easy Online Registration – One of the simplest ways to achieve maximum attendees for any conference is to make the event registration super easy. Such software can be customised for letting every registrant select their own adventure. You should also design the registration form in a way that resembles your event brand and not look like an invitation that is cheap. Otherwise your potent registrant can think that your site has a bad link. The other features that can assist you and the registrant include –
1. A Clear Itinerary
2. Easier Payment Options
2. CRM or Membership Validation
- Go Creative with the Breaks – The usual understanding in the planning of the event industry is that the breaks are equal to time-off. But they need to be planned for increasing the engagement between the conference attendees. Breaks do not interrupt but rather they are continuation of the overall mission f the event. So be creative and include the team building activities. This can range from bike rides or short walks and even short meditation sessions. You can also ask attendees to write on the gratitude wall and so on.
- Make the Speakers Promote Your Event – This is known as the influencer or influencers marketing. If you have some people who are well-known to speak at the conference, then they can assist you to gain medium to large groups of social media followers. You can ask them to promote the event and post your event on a variety of social media channels often.
- Design Your Conference for Participation – Usually, the participation is a task for the committees, speakers or the conference management team. But if you want to enhance the conference attendee engagement it must be extended to the attendees. For that you should use surveys, live polls and try to collect the data during, before and after the conference using event apps and social media.
- Offer Networking Opportunities – Irrespective of whether there is a chance to discuss the event or it is completely career-driven, most attendees can get a chance to network during a conference or an event. So if you include a time in the agenda for events like post-event drinks or a meet or greet, you are much more inclined towards getting a great turnout.
- Go for Follow-ups – No matter how great your conference is, people are bound to forget about it. That is why you must email and follow-up with the attendees almost regularly through the year. Here are ideas for you –
1. Invite them to a special Facebook group for conversation about the event
2. Send videos and recordings about the events of the speakers
3. Send PRs, guest blogs or articles covering the conference
4. Send a survey regarding the conference asking about their opinion
5. Send online courses that you developed because of the conference
The above are some of the ways to boost the conference attendance. Apart from the above, you should also ensure that you present the perfect décor with conference chair hire so that your attendees don’t get disappointed with the ambience of the conference and they get the exact feel that they were promised.
