Rethink Your Event

Competition for event attendees is fierce. Your average NH executive could attend an event every day of the week and still not be able to take advantage of all the networking opportunities or information sessions available. In fact, there are days in the Granite State when you could attend a breakfast, lunch and dinner event.

But here’s the rub. Businesspeople have limited time. So how to do you grab someone’s attention and motivate them to register?

Keep it Fresh
If you have an annual event, don’t let it get stale. And, if attendance is down, accept the fact that it probably has become ho hum. What was cool one year, like photo booths, quickly gets old … and copied.

Change venues, themes, the format and even the configuration of the room. Play with color palates, lighting, attendee handouts, entertainment and the event format.

Keri Laman of Tidewater Catering Group once said an event doesn’t have to be over the top to be memorable. As she put it, adding one unique pop can be enough to amp up the vibe. And be ready to ditch a legacy event with declining attendance for the opportunity to create something new.

Keep it Moving
Nothing is worse than an audience full of people looking at their phones. Make sure your event doesn’t stall out. If your event includes PowerPoint presentations, simply remember less is more. Limit speakers to a few slides with minimum information per slide. Bear in mind, if the audience is reading a slide, it is not listening to the speaker.

If you host a panel, educate your panelists to keep answers brief. More importantly, train your moderator to gently cut off a longwinded panelist. Nothing is more snooze-fest worthy than the moderator who asks all panelists the same question or who utters that worst of all questions, “Does anyone have anything to add to that?”

Deliver an Experience
If your event allows more pizzazz, make the event interactive through onsite videos, distinctive selfie opportunities, social media or having attendees vote with their cell phones or other wireless devices.

Keep tabs on what’s trending in the culture and in technology that could be integrated into your event. Given YouTube’s success, it’s safe to say showing a video that’s relevant to the topic at hand is a great way to pull together an audience.

Simply make sure whatever you do to spice up an event is relevant to your audience. If the point is to network, but the decibel level of the band precludes conversation, you are working against yourself.

Create Something Special for the Sponsors
Attendees aren’t the only ones who want an exceptional experience. Sponsors have their pick of events, so provide them with deliverables that put you at the top of their list and budget.

If social media is important to a sponsor, create an attendee experience that is branded with the sponsor’s logo.

If sponsors want exclusive access to key attendees, create a VIP networking opportunity. Or let a sponsor offer something special, like a chance at winning a book from the speaker. Remember, there’s more to offer sponsors than a speaking part.

Enlist Influencers to Spread the Word
Find out who the influencers are in the topic area or focus of your event and tap them to promote your event on social media. It’s a great way to build buzz and beef up attendance. Also suggest social media posts that speakers, award recipients and other participants can use to promote their participation before and after the event.

Offer Takeaways
Don’t make your attendees write copious notes. Offer presentations and PowerPoint slides on flash drives for attendees or post them on your website. This also extends the value of the event even after it’s over.

Generate More Networking
Let’s face it; no matter how long the networking period, it’s never enough. Find different ways to help them engage, such as a first-time attendee reception or opportunities to make introductions with key attendees through social media to connect in a crowded room.

Mix It Up
Find different ways to provide information to attendees. Don’t just have a bunch of speakers lined up. Engage with the audience with interactive presentations, panels that feel like a talk show, and breakout groups that let people learn and network at the same time.

The key to success is remembering just how many events there are to choose from and that your event doesn’t have to be over the top to win over executives. But a little bit of flair will go a long way.