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People attend events for a variety of reasons, with networking often at the top of the list. As an event professional, there are steps you can take to promote networking and boost the likelihood of attendees achieving success in this area.
Why would somebody want to attend your event? In addition to learning, networking is a response that many will share. They want to connect with others in their space, such as to drum up new business or to simply broaden their network for future benefits.
Here are some face-to-face networking statistics from HubSpot to help you better understand why this is a big deal for your event:
- 84 percent of people say they prefer in-person meetings.
- 85 percent of people say they build strong relationships at conferences and face-to-face business meetings.
- 77 percent of people say they prefer networking at conferences as they are able to read body language.
With that out of the way, it’s time to answer this question: how will you improve networking at your events?
Here are a few ideas to consider:
1. Add Some Excitement
People will undoubtedly network on the trade show floor and at conference events, such as learning sessions. However, […]
Networking: Are You Doing it Right?
Networking is a key part of building a personal brand. The more people you know, the better. You never know when you may be able to help each other out on a project, get hired by a company, or even find investment. Since you really never know who you are going to meet, it’s always a good idea to check out a few networking events a month if you have time.
This week we are really going to focus on some key points in networking.
Tips for Better Networking at Your Events: Follow these easy tips to increase networking at your events, thus making your event worth more to those looking to work with those in their field. Networking is one of the most important parts of attending any type of event or conference.
Digital Ice Breakers: Break into the newest technology and help to break the ice digitally for your attendees. Show them something brand new that has shown amazing results. Is it a fit for your next event?
Sweatworking: What it is and how to do it correctly: Step up your networking event game by having a private spinning class for your attendees. Get everyone sweating and see where the networking goes from there.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Planning a Social Media Timeline for Your Next Event
A ton has already been written about the power of social media as a marketing tool, especially in the event industry. Few other fields can make so extensive a use of social networks, and few other industries have as much to gain from doing social right. Chances are, this is already common knowledge for you – but while you understand the why of it, you might not yet be clear on the how.
That’s what we’re here to talk about today. Running an effective social event starts with proper planning. It starts with a timeline, one which covers everything from initial preparation to post-event wrap-up.
Before You Get Started
We’ll start with a few steps you’ll need to take care of before you start marketing.
Choose Your Platforms: While Facebook and Twitter are sort of blanket platforms, other social networks cater to different audiences. Is your event targeted mostly at millennials? Instagram and Snapchat are where you want to be. Business professionals? Go for LinkedIn.
Brand Yourself: How do you want attendees to see your organization? What sort of experience do you want them to have at your event? How do you want them […]
Everything You Need to Know About Instagram’s New Algorithm
With more than 400 million users, Instagram is now bigger than Twitter. While the social media platform has remained relatively the same since day one, things are now getting interesting in a hurry.
So, what do you need to know about Instagram’s new algorithm? It doesn’t matter if you are an avid user or simply visit the platform to stay current with your favorite celebrities, you are likely to recognize the changes brought forth by the new “feed algorithm.”
Announced by the company on March 15, 2016, the new Instagram algorithm shifts the order of photos and videos. Here is what the company had to say about this big change:
“The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post. As we begin, we’re focusing on optimizing the order — all the posts will still be there, just in a different order.”
As you can see, this is an impactful change to how the platform functioned in the past. Previously, photos and videos were displayed in chronological order. This has all gone out the window.
How to Increase Social Media Use at Events
With more than two billion active social media users scattered throughout the world, this trend is here to stay. There is no guessing as to whether Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms will continue to increase in popularity in the years to come.
Social media is used by many people for many reasons. There are those who uses these sites to share updates with friends and there are those who rely on social media to grow their business.
ALSO SEE: Acing Social Media on a Bootstrap Budget
And of course, social media has become a big part of the event industry over the past few years.
As an event planner, it’s not your sole responsibility to increase social media use. After all, you can’t make attendees do something they don’t want to do. But here is the kicker: they want to use social media, you just need to give them a push in the right direction.
Here are several ways to help boost social media use at an event:
1. Start at the Beginning
From day one, make sure you establish a strong social media presence for the event. This can mean everything from sharing […]
Boosting Social Media at Events
Last week we looked into ticketing for your next event. We are now switching our focus to social media. How you can use it at events and then amplify it to get the most out of your marketing efforts? With everything from constant changes in a platform’s algorithm to tips in boosting engagement during an event, we are spilling all of our secret tips.
Be sure to catch these posts:
Increasing Social Media at Events: See how to use the latest technology to boost social media at your events. Engaging both attendees and those who are not present at the event using new technology and tips from the social media world.
Everything You Need to Know About Instagram’s Algorithm: Get an inside look at the changes happening on Instagram and how they will change your marketing efforts. Looks like they are taking some tips from Facebook, their parent company since 2012.
Social Media Timeline for Your Next Event: How ready are you for your next event? Do you have before and after your event timelines created? Be sure that you are ready with this checklist.
RFID: A Good Choice for Your Event?
There are many benefits of RFID, especially from an event technology perspective. While you don’t have to implement this technology at an upcoming event, it’s a strategy to consider. And here is why:
- Improved efficiency regarding event entry
- Additional revenue streams
- Looks good to attendees
- Access to real time insights and data
- Eliminate counterfeit tickets
So besides the basic understanding of RFID benefits, there is a big question to answer: how do you know if this technology is a good fit for your event? SEE: Using Technology to Boost Attendance
Others have used this successfully, but that doesn’t mean you can necessarily do the same. Fortunately, there are some questions you can answer to help decide in favor or against RFID technology:
- What type of event are you organizing?
- How many attendees are you expecting?
- Will you be admitting people in multiple zones?
- Are you giving attendees the ability to leave and re-enter the venue?
- Are you willing to spend the extra money for the convenience of RFID technology?
- Are your attendees going to be expecting the newest technology available while attending the event?
Take the time to answer these questions in great detail. For example, a small event, such as […]
Paper vs. Online Invitations: A Big Decision for Your Event
Go back in time 20+ years and you will find that sending event invitations was straightforward. Your only option, for the most part, was to send paper invitations. In today’s day and age, things have changed a bit. Now, you have a couple of options though the most popular is online.
Which one is right for your event? Which one will attract the most attendees? Here is what makes a decision so difficult: there is no right or wrong answer. The choice is yours, and you can only make a final decision once you are comfortable with the pros and cons of each.
ALSO SEE: Should You Worry About Scalpers as an Event Planner?
To start, let’s take a look at a couple primary benefits of paper invitations:
- Tangible item that recipients can keep in a “safe place.”
- People still get excited when they receive snail mail.
- High sense of style and personalization.
- Connects with older generations who are not using email frequently or at all.
Before we discuss the comparison process, let’s examine the benefits of online invites:
- Fast and efficient.
- More customization and personalization options than ever before.
- Free (if you want it to […]
Should You Worry About Ticket Scalpers As An Event Organizer?
Any ticketed event, no matter how large, will eventually run out of space if there’s enough interest. It’s inevitable – and to be frank, there are far worse problems to have in your field than a sold out event. At the same time, a sold-out show potentially opens you up to a completely different issue: ticket scalping.
Desperate to gain access to an event on short notice, people will often turn to scalpers for admission. These men and women would traditionally purchase tickets in bulk, selling them at a profit – some less reputable ones might even forge their own tickets or steal them from hapless guests. Although at one point the practice was illegal, there currently exists no federal laws against the resale of tickets.
That means that ticket scalpers are free to ply their trade, morally questionable though it may be. And if you think the birth of online ticket merchants deep-sixed the scalping industry, you’d be wrong. If anything, it’s brought about an unprecedented boom – and the line between scalpers and legitimate resellers grows more blurred with each passing day.
“The lines are blurring between a professional scalper and someone who sells their tickets,” […]
Everything You Need To Know About Ticketing
Every event requires some sort of ticketing, ranging from a simple RSVP list to in-depth, data driven software systems. This week we are going to focus on the latest happenings in the ticketing world. It’s critical to have as accurate attendee numbers as possible to set a budget and ensure a smooth running event. It’s a waste of budget to over order on your catering or not have enough hotel rooms on site due to an oversold event.
This closely follows our series from last week that looked at current innovation that is changing the event industry.
Check out our pieces on:
Should You Worry About Scalpers as an Event Planner?: Having a sold out event is great, but then come the inevitable scalpers. How are you going to deal with and combat it?
Paper vs. Online Invitations and RSVPs: It is well known that paper invitations have been long left in the dust. Is there a time when those are appropriate? If so, how is the best way to deal with it?
Using RFID at Events: From paper invitations to RFID bracelets, see how far this technology has come and how to implement it at your next event.
