Social Schmoozing

I would first like to start off  by offering congrats to everyone who seized the opportunity for change. I remember saying back in 2000 that I would hate to see the economic situation in America if W held office for eight years. I made this statement based on how poorly George Bush ran the Texas Rangers. Sadly, we are living that reality eight years later. Granted- you cannot place all the blame on one man, but this economic disaster came to head under his watch and there is no denying that. Again- congrats to everyone who made the right decision for America and the world. I have no doubt brighter days are ahead- starting today!

In Part 2 of “Making Conferences More Social”; I will focus on a list of best practices onsite and after the conference ends.

Onsite Best Practices

• Hand input all Presenters, Vendors & Attendees –Keep track of who has registered on attendee matrix. Many times we found conference users, speakers and sponsors feel as though they should be pre-registered for events if they are paying to be there. Then follow up with an email letting them know they are pre-registered and offer a link to change their password and get started in the community!
• Email the Attendees & Sponsors two weeks prior reiterating the importance of posting sponsor materials and how interacting with the Attendees ahead of time, this will lead to more in depth and fruitful discussions onsite. Basically get the “breaking of the ice’ out of the way. As for Attendees, start the learning process now! Ask the analyst and speakers questions ahead of time instead of just onsite! Attendees will be more inclined to do this as the event gets closer. Also encourage them to post one blog a day about their experience at the event. Essentially documenting the lessons learned for others.
• Presenters Expectations- Reiterate you would like a few more blog posts leading into the event. Then onsite- request one blog post a day about their experience at the event and post their slide presentations after they speak. They should also be monitoring other blogs and discussion forums for Attendee questions that they can answer.
• Free WiFi- this should be a given.
• Have all speakers post their presentations in the community immediately following their session, and have them announce they are doing so at the end of their session. You will need to choose a vendor that can catalog white papers and presentations.
• Have all speakers remind the attendees to pose questions within the community to continue the dialog from the session.
• Give every attendee a community one sheet (upon arrival) that outlines why to utilize the community and how to login (every member will have login info by that point).
• Record every session- video or podcast. Post within the community as quickly as possible. We live in a real time society.
• Offer a Recognition Rewards program to the attendees for their participation. This is a simple and effective way of inspiring a good portion off attendees to participate and ask questions in the community. The reward for great contributions can be something as simple as a free pass to the next event. This Recognition Rewards program should not only be apparent within the community, but at the conference as well. The winner to be announced at a session onsite!
• Ask the Sponsors to blog about their event experience after each showcase experience.

Post Conference Best Practices

• Post conference recordings and slide presentation
• Launch IdeaShare to innovate the conference next yeas event to the voice of the customer. Send this messaging out to the attendees & presenters to get started on the innovation while the event is fresh in their mind.
• Have a post-event email ready for all parties to continue utilizing the community and furthering the discussions from onsite. Make the value benefit apparent.
• Send an email invite to attendees to post their thoughts and lessons learned at the conference & tie it into a new Recognition Rewards program.
• Send an email invite to presenters to post their thoughts and lessons learned at the conference.
• Have your Community Manager post-industry specific articles and some relevant research within the community.
• New Polls Weekly
• Post information on the awards recipients and ask them to post a blog about their event experience
•Continue Tweetups, podcasts and webinars around the subjects suggested by the attendee base. This should be considered a new revenue generator if tied together with sponsorship.

The largest challenge for conference providers will come from a resources standpoint. The Best Practices listed in the last two posts involve a new level of commitment to opening two way conversations and extending the conference experience. It is a commitment I feel is critical for conference providers to stay relevant in the coming years.

Enjoy the Inauguration…..