Page 165 - DMGT304_EVENT_MANAGEMENT

Event Management

Notes 1. Send a Countdown to Hotel Sell Out: Every conference has a preferred hotel with reserved
room. Most attendees are procrastinators on booking the hotel. With a regular email tell
them how many rooms are left.
2. Send a “To Bring” Reminder to Attendees and Speakers: No one does this. But why not
send an email a couple days before the show reminding attendees to bring cards, a bathing
suit if it’s a warm area with a pool, sunglasses, etc. Send the expected weather forecast. And
send logistics of the event (hotel address, conference address, etc.). This creates goodwill,
excitement, and is a little thing that prior to the event shows you’ve got your set together.
3. 20 Feet Badge Layout Test: Whether you’re an attendee or an exhibitor, everyone is looking
at badges to find someone they want to meet or talk to. And this is the biggest motivator for
coming to conferences. Can I see the name of the person and company on the badge from 20
feet away? Make the name and company name larger, and include the location of attendee.
4. Prepare Speakers on the Phone: Get on the phone with speakers to discuss how presentations
should go, expectations, guidelines, templates, etc. This creates a high quality show and
content. Reinforce what the audience wants to hear, show examples of high rated
presentations, require case studies and examples, and reinforce no selling. An email won’t
do this...make the speakers accountable to the content organizer – lest they not be asked
back.

5. Hand out a Pocket Agenda: Make it easy for attendees to see what’s next without carrying
a big book, reaching in the bag, and looking for page 5 in the big book. If you have a large
badge holder, put it in the badge or on the back of name tags.
6. Separate Content and Exhibitor Fees: Should exhibitors be able to pay their way to speak?
Would this create great content? Good magazines separate editorial from advertising.
Conferences should do the same. If part of a conference’s product are great speakers and
topics, the event organizer should find the best speakers and topics.

7. Give Feedback to Speakers: Want great speakers to come back? Give them feedback. Send
them video or audio of their presentation. Send them the scores from the session feedback
survey. Great speakers always want to improve and they’ll look forward to speaking at
your conference next year if you give them feedback.
8. Thank the Speakers: For the same reason you want to give feedback to speakers, thank
speakers after the conferences. Speakers are your product and they’re your influencers for
driving word of mouth attendance.

9. Select Speakers Based on Feedback and Topic Popularity: Conference excellence is based
on logistics (facilities, organization, etc.), participants (networking) and speakers (content).
So, great content is based on the right topics and the best speakers presenting them. Select
next year speakers based on previous years’ feedback, attendee feedback and input on
great speakers, and topic popularity. Topic popularity can be gauged by attendance to
previous conference topics, most popular article topics online, attendance to other shows
and its topics, and attendee surveys. Also consider topics and speakers based on brands
that are popular.
10. Bring in Speakers with Wisdom, Emotion and Perspective: In addition to selecting speakers
that have good feedback and the right topic or brand, consider seeking out speakers that
present wisdom, not just knowledge. What makes a keynote a keynote? Typically a great
keynote makes you think, stretches your perspective, and is emotional and memorable.
Certain speakers, perhaps not keynote-level, present their topics from a more strategic
perspective. They can tell good stories. They simplify the complex. They share how knowledge
is applied, and how things fit in a broader perspective. These are the presentations attendees
remember. They forget the typical tactical breakout tips and tricks. And as a conference

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