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Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Lynsey Riffle contributed a whooping 18 entries.
It’s no secret that in recent years, the increasing number of remote workers has risen exponentially. As we enter this new wave of learning, we are no doubt faced with some unique challenges to navigate along the way. Holiday parties serve as a celebration of company milestones, recognition, and the opportunity to create a sense […]
As an event planner, you know just how vital sponsorships can be. The right sponsor can provide you with the financial backing you need to “wow” your attendees while also lending credibility to your event. While this is certainly nothing new, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted sponsor relationships.
In the past, event sponsors have readily paid large sums of money to advertise their brands at in-person events. Now that many events are held in a hybrid or virtual-only format, event managers must find creative ways to nurture sponsor relationships and provide them with the exposure they need to meet their objectives. Not sure where to start? Take a look at these seven strategies.
When hosting virtual or hybrid events, you’ll want to give your sponsor plenty of opportunities to get their brand in front of attendees. The good news is, most sponsors understand the value of digital advertising.
As you plan your event, consider adding branded splash pages to the event website and pop-up ads or banners during your live streams. You should also add each of your sponsor’s logos on your event’s mobile app. You can also link the sponsor’s logo to their website or social media page, driving even more traffic to their desired location.
To add even more value, consider allowing your sponsors to add gated materials to your event website. Not only can this position them as a thought leader, but since attendees will need to enter their email address to access the material, it will also provide your sponsor with valuable leads.
When promoting your event, communication is key. You’ll want to reach out to your attendees via email, text message, or even postal mail. You may also frequently post about the event on your social media platforms and private groups.
Whenever possible, be sure to include your sponsor’s name and logo. This ensures they’re getting maximum exposure in the weeks and months leading up to the event.
If you have a top-notch virtual event management platform, you can easily include breakout sessions between speakers. This is a great way to improve attendee engagement, and it also gives you another opportunity to promote your sponsor.
Consider including sponsored entertainment, free downloads, special offers, and other exclusive perks that attendees can only get by attending these sessions.
For many sponsors, the opportunity to speak directly with attendees is an incredibly valuable proposition. This gives them the chance to come face-to-face (virtually) with your audience, so that they can introduce their company and the products or services they want to promote in their desired way.
Providing a speaking opportunity is also a great way to drive revenue. Direct contact with the audience is a selling point that will significantly boost the value of your highest sponsorship levels.
One word of warning, though. If you’re going to offer a speaking opportunity, you need to be confident that the sponsor will bring a skilled speaker. Otherwise, it may be better to show sponsored videos and intros before each presentation instead. If the sponsor doesn’t want to speak, they could also host a panel or be a panelist instead.
Everyone loves free stuff, so offering branded giveaways is a win-win. If cost is an issue, consider offering branded digital swag bags. This could include free online courses, free trials for digital products or services, amazon gift cards, or other digital giveaways.
You could also surprise attendees with home delivery of physical swag bags or other branded items. For example, a bottle of wine or nonperishable snacks with branded labels would be perfect for a virtual happy hour.
Gamification is an increasingly popular way to improve attendee engagement. It’s also a great way to connect your sponsors with your audience. There are many ways to incorporate sponsor branding into games. This can be as simple as adding their logo to the game platform or offering prizes from the sponsor.
Depending on the nature of your event, you may consider adding a virtual store. It is a unique approach that would allow your sponsors to showcase and sell their products easily. You could also offer souvenir-type products related to your event. Attendees may enjoy the opportunity to get their hands on exclusive items, and both you and your sponsors will have an opportunity to make instant profits.
While the strategies above will help you offer value to your sponsors, that’s only part of the equation. You’ll also need to make sure you maintain your relationships with your sponsors. Start by making sure you reach out to them periodically throughout the year – not just when you need something from them.
Please keep them in the loop about any significant changes or updates within the hosting organization. It’s also a great idea to occasionally check-in to ensure they’re still getting what they need out of the relationship and ask for suggestions or feedback.
Nurturing relationships with your sponsors is an ongoing process that requires a bit of effort. However, the payoff is huge! Once you’ve established a strong relationship with your sponsors and have shown that you can offer actual value in all event formats, you’ll find that it’s much easier to bring them back for future events.
Sponsorships should be a mutually beneficial solution. To keep your event sponsors happy, you’ll need to make sure they feel that they’ve received sufficient value for their money. Not only does this require you to provide them with plenty of brand exposure, but you’ll also need to ensure you create a well-organized and value-driven event that your sponsors will be proud to be a part of.eShow provides all the tools you need to plan and execute top-notch events. From increasing event engagement to managing all of your event logistics and following up with leads, we can support you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn about your options and schedule a customized demo.
From expos and product launches to user conferences and VIP dinners, B2B events can play a significant role in a company’s marketing strategy. Done right, these events can drive sales and boost your clients’ bottom line. While return on investment (ROI) is essential for all events in the B2B marketplace, not only do you want […]
In the business world, as sterile as it may be from time to time, relationships matter. According to the well-worn phrase, people do business with people they know, like, and trust, but it’s even more relevant in an age where this business is often conducted at arm’s length. In other words, it takes a lot […]
Event sponsors are an invaluable resource for event managers, especially those who find themselves with aspirations above their budgets. But, sponsorship is a give-and-take relationship. Of course, sponsors want to ensure that their companies are reflected favorably within your events in exchange for their financial support. But, they want more than simply having their logos […]
Most industries, truth be told, have been revolutionized by the changeover from analog to digital. Vinyl records gave way to CDs as just one part of a never-ending transition from old school to new. Yet, it’s taken some time for the event industry to go through its own revolution brought on, in part, by the […]
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 125,900 event planners in the United States in 2020. The event planning industry is expected to grow at around 18% over the next 10 years, a significantly higher rate than the overall average of 8%.
While these numbers are promising for the industry, they also show that competition isn’t going away any time soon. Instead of avoiding or aggressively going after your competitors, consider learning how to network and collaborate with them instead. You may be surprised to learn that doing so can help you strengthen and grow your business.
In business and in life, it’s critical to foster good relationships – even with your competitors. Not only is being friendly easier and more pleasant than viewing your competition as the enemy but making these connections can also yield unexpected benefits. Here’s a closer look at three advantages you can enjoy when networking with your competitors.
If you’re offering a similar service in the same market, there’s sure to be some things you can learn about the way your competitor does business. What draws people to them? And what services do they offer that you don’t?
By going into the conversation with a learning mindset, you may be able to identify areas where you’re lacking or strengths you need to capitalize on. Take the time to truly listen, pay attention to your similarities and differences, and use what you learn to make our business even more potent.
Have you ever had to turn down a client because your business was at capacity? Or had a client ask for a service you didn’t offer? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to provide them with an alternative solution? It would also be great if your competitors looked to you when the same things happened to them.
By creating a friendly and respectful relationship with your competitors, you may be able to find ways to lean on each other. Whether you’re sharing resources or referring clients that aren’t quite the right fit, you’re likely to find at least a few ways to collaborate.
The events industry is ever-changing. Employees come and go, experienced professionals enter and leave the industry, and the demand for different services often ebb and flows. If your circumstances suddenly change, you may need to look to the people who know the industry best – those who are already in it.
Create connections with as many industry professionals as possible today, and you’ll be in a better position to adapt if you find that you need to make a change in the future quickly.
While networking with your competitors can foster growth, it’s essential to do it the right way. The following tips will help you collaborate successfully while still maintaining your edge.
When networking, it’s far too familiar for people to seek out opportunities that benefit them without any concern about what they bring to the table. Whether you’re dealing with someone in your industry or other individuals, it’s essential to look for ways to offer support and assistance. Not only will identifying opportunities to assist help to sharpen your skills, but it will increase the likelihood that the other party will eventually find a way to return the favor.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a relationship with a “competitor” isn’t worth your time. Often, initial connections can lead to valuable future relationships, and it’s vital to remain open-minded when meeting people. Even if you can’t see an immediate benefit, you may uncover a profitable opportunity in the future.
That being said, it’s also important not to view relationships as nothing more than a means to an end. It will quickly become evident if you’re only interested in what you can get out of people. Instead, focus on the mantra of “givers gain,” and you will always come out ahead.
While you must approach the relationship with a willingness to share some information about your business, it’s important not to overdo it. Even if you become very friendly with your competitor, don’t forget that there are certain things you must keep to yourself.
Feel free to share experiences, but keep information about your employees and clients private. Also, avoid disclosing financial information about your business or details regarding your strategic planning and market positioning initiatives. This type of information will be too tempting for your competitor to ignore, and you can be almost certain they will end up using it to their advantage, even if they don’t intend to do so.
While collaboration is terrific, you still need to maintain your competitive edge, which means making sure you continue to be an authoritative, savvy, and creative business executive. If you feel the need to bounce proprietary information off someone who is “in the know,” find an industry-specific coach or mentor who is not a direct competitor to your business.
Continue to stay on top of the latest trends and find ways to incorporate them into your events, so you’re always on the cutting edge. Keep these ideas to yourself until you’ve already earned a reputation for flawlessly executing them.
The most successful event managers have found ways to forge strong connections with all of the crucial players in their industry – including their competitors. Approach this with confidence and the right mindset, and you’ll help ensure your business is strong enough to survive even the toughest of challenges.
For more guidance to help you navigate the world of event planning, take a look through our webinar series. Our team of experienced industry experts has created in-depth guides for everything from creating successful events to stakeholder preparations. We’re continually updating our offerings, so be sure to check back often.
When an event planner wants to attract attendees, they’ll typically think about logistical issues. For example, is the venue close to a significant airport, or does it have sufficient space and an “all in one” element to make movement easier? Yet times are changing, and it’s not enough to design an event this way anymore. Attendees are a lot more particular and will often buy with their heart as well as their head. So, if you want your next event to be a resounding success, why do you need to tap into some intellectual capital and make sure that your venue has the correct attributes?
It’s no surprise that the key destination cities around the country have spent a fortune to develop sprawling convention centers. As just one example, Orlando’s Orange County Convention Centre covers 7 million ft.² and brings more than 200 events per year to this Central Florida city. In response, many event planners make a beeline for this type of facility as it will often have every base imaginable covered. Large hotels will stand nearby, and there are so many options for event configuration, there is little need to go elsewhere.
While nobody denies that the OCCC is a fantastic facility, you could argue that it represents “more of the same.” Attendees may get a sense of déjà vu as they progress through the event, and they may wonder if they are getting as much out of their investment as they could.
Maybe it is time to transition away from the conventional convention center and towards something more off the beaten track. Planners can look for facilities that may offer unusual facilities or a link to untapped resources. They may connect with local thought leaders or prominent individuals who can offer new experiences or education. In so doing, a planner will engage the intellectual resources of the venue or host city instead, and this may make the event far more appealing to the prospect attendee. The American Society of Association Executives suggest that Canada could be a source of meaningful, content-rich events for just such a purpose.
Remember, event space should not be simply a place to mingle or listen to somebody talking on a distant stage. It needn’t be a place where attendees feast on a menu designed by the hotel staff in a somewhat nondescript room. Instead, the venue could be an integral part of the experience, and this gives an enterprising planner a lot more scope for innovation.
For an event to be successful, everything starts at the planning stage. Potential attendees will look very carefully at any event agenda before deciding to attend, especially in the current landscape. These people are very conscious of safety and security and, if anything, even more entrenched in their ideas, feelings, and emotions. They’re not likely to be impressed by a venue or agenda that appears repetitive but may find something unconventional quite attractive instead.
Of course, a planner cannot throw all the rules out of the window and will need to consider accessibility, timing, and other fundamental logistical needs. After that, however, they should put all their previous experience to one side and start with a clean sheet of paper.
To begin building the event’s intellectual capital, think about an unusual location with a special appeal. Look for a venue that is aesthetically pleasing and allows you to tap into local resources and provide some additional color. Business leaders, visionaries, scholars, or artisans could all contribute to the event in one way or the other, from an educational, artistic or support point of view.
You could make this a core part of the event itself or weave some of these elements into breakouts, meals or closing functions. Your attendees will be impressed and far more likely to commit if they can see that you’re trying to do something different. They’ll feel that it is worth their time and, crucially, help you avoid their tendency to stay at home in this post-pandemic world.
But where do you start, especially if you’re working on a repeat event with its own proven agenda?
This may involve a lot of work at the planning stage, but it will be worthwhile. It may give your event an additional dimension and add a lot of color to your marketing mix. It may help you to move away from the predictable to the unusual – and enthuse your potential attendees.
Of course, you will still need help when it comes to designing, planning, and executing and should work with an established pattern. eShow can take the strain while you redesign your package and bring a support package to help you manage the entire ecosystem of your event. Talk with eShow today to request a demo.
As an event planner, you must be on the lookout for ways to improve the event experience and ensure that your attendees make the most of their interaction. In the modern era, this means that you need to embrace the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) and understand that there are many ways to use these tools to make your event a success. Certainly, this is an ever-changing landscape as new products emerge, and existing products develop, and you’ll always need to be flexible and ready for the next “big thing.” In the meantime, here are six ways that you can capitalize on AI when planning your next masterpiece.
When you have to start with a clean sheet of paper, you need all the help you can get. You may be given a brief by a client but will still need to do a lot of detailed work. You have to locate venues, open discussions with appropriate vendors, and even reach out to people who may be interested in attending your event once it springs to life. In the past, you may have had to do all this manually, trawl through records or reach out to industry sources. Today, you may be able to use AI algorithms to find those perfect matches in a fraction of the time.
According to Exhibitor Magazine, the global chatbot market is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than 24% per year, reaching a value of $1.23 billion in 2025. While this is hardly new technology and, in fact, can be traced back half a century, the chatbot is nevertheless an element of AI that you simply cannot do without.
When you incorporate chatbot software, it can interact with people with a very high level of efficiency and can mimic human conversation remarkably well. You can program your chatbot to handle a wide variety of different questions at the event, and this will take a lot of the pressure off your staff members. Users can “talk” naturally or type questions and expect a considered answer.
Use the chatbot to handle all your frequently asked questions, give access to the event schedule and provide valuable feedback at the end. This will generate real-time insight into how attendees feel, their satisfaction levels and their reaction to your overall support. And the good news is that chatbots are relatively affordable these days – and scalable to any size of event.
If you’re organizing a multifaceted event where attendees can choose their own agenda and where you may have multiple breakouts or peripheral meetings, AI is your friend. You can create a matchmaking engine powered by AI, which can provide recommendations to each attendee, so they can make the most of their participation.
The AI can analyze each attendee’s profile or behavior to suggest the most appropriate breakout. This will overcome the random nature of large events and make sure that these people are using their time most efficiently. Use the information you may gather during registration or other accessible data (if you have the permission) to make this type of AI work best.
You can use a variety of other apps on the event to further personalize the experience. If you have attendees from many different countries, remove the language barrier with a translation app powered by AI. Create a separate application to provide collateral so that you do not have to rely on paper handouts or schedules.
This AI can also generate a survey to gauge satisfaction, and this can be rolled out at the point of delivery or midway through your event. You will get timely feedback and won’t have to wait for attendees to respond manually, as this often leads to lower quality data. eShow Event Management Solutions created a personalized event app that can be used as a mobile hub for all info on your event, connect with all attendees, and provide event support from start to finish!
You need to ensure that your venue is as secure as possible and that attendees are well cared for. Use AI to help confirm each attendee through biometric registration or facial recognition. You’ll be able to scan your guest as they pass from one part of the event to another and avoid close contact with a human being. Of course, in these socially distant days, that can only be a good thing.
Utilizing a pre-existing RF ID method to contact trace and provide safe parameters for your attendees is a great way to increase non-invasive COVID event processes.
You may have a finely tuned “gut feeling” that can tell you whether your event was a success or not, but still, you need measurable data so that you can make the next event more successful. Consequently, you need to use AI to gather that data, examine your event metrics and calculate your bottom line.
Using the aforementioned apps, you’ll be able to gather a lot of this data during the event itself and before your attendees forget the details. You may even be able to make changes on the fly, but principally, you will get granular and high-quality data that can aid with your future decisions and planning.
With this type of focused data, you will know whether your keynote speakers were a success, whether people could navigate their way through the event and whether they felt that their time was used effectively. Use the information gathered by your AI today to improve the performance of your AI software on future events.
Whether you plan something that is in-person, digital or hybrid, you will need a raft of support and specific tools to help manage your event ecosystem. This is why you should turn to an industry-leading event management company like eShow. Here you will find professional tools and web-based solutions that can help you plan any size of event from beginning to end – and all underneath one umbrella. For example, build a registration hub at the outset, create a floor management plan, or handle attendee housing and travel. Make use of the Virtual Event Management platform, an all-inclusive solution that is built on experience.
So, as you put more of your faith in AI, work with a company like eShow to integrate these methods and make your next event a roaring success.
While hybrid events provide much-needed flexibility in an uncertain world, they’ve also created a new challenge for event planners and organizers. Now that attendees have the option of enjoying events from the comfort of their homes, planners must work even harder to make in-person events attractive. The cost of travel, changing COVID restrictions, and the […]
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