53.7 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Meeting Expectations Key to Convention Experience

Meeting Expectations Key to Convention Experience

Planners Find Flexibility, Attention to Details Can Make All the Difference

BY ROBIN AZAR

“It’s always darkest before the dawn”, an adage that rings true today for those in the conference hosting business. If you’ve been in the events business during the last two years, you have experienced a tumultuous journey. Sponsor dollars have dried up, attendance has declined, marketing departments have disappeared, branding campaigns have been put on the shelf, not to mention travel bans, SARS scares, and war.

Many in the events industry chose to close up and wait out these economic doldrums from the sidelines. A few remained and struggled through and are just beginning to see a turnaround. Competition is returning, executives are once again paying to peek at new products and technologies, and sponsors are planning to bolster their marketing campaigns with face-to-face networking.

That being said, margins are tight as sponsors have become accustomed to deep discounting and attendees are looking for “bubble burst” reduced fees.


– Conference Attendees Find Events Have Suffered

Unfortunately, the costs of hosting events have not decreased at all. In fact, food and beverage costs are at an all-time high. Hotels are still demanding substantial room blocks and food and beverage guarantees, which are nearly impossible for the event planner to forecast during this topsy-turvy economic period.

One thing has been very clear of late: both sponsors and executive attendees have had inconsistent and negative conference travel experiences during this down time. In addition to the issues mentioned above, when attendees arrive on site, they find the typical executive event has suffered from the dwindling bottom line.

Many event producers have had to make difficult choices to dramatically cut costs and the results are obvious: a multitude of horror stories about lower service levels, lack of excitement, and a noticeable deficit of pizzazz at the events.

The most crucial element of a successful conference is the attendees. Without them, you don’t have an event. For most executives and managers, taking time away from the office is more difficult now with reduced staffs, more frequent reporting needs, lawsuits , you name it. It’s a big decision to take a few days out for what is considered an “educational” program. Unfortunately, there isn’t any central casting agency that provides executives and managers ready to sign up to pay the typical $1,000 to $5,000 executive conference registration fees.

Instead, it is necessary to execute smart, targeted marketing campaigns that establish the value of each event, prove a real understanding of executives’ conference needs, and reassure potential attendees that their money will be well spent. Once the marketing campaigns are finished and the attendees are registered, an event’s reputation is made or broken on whether or not those promises and expectations are met.

If you want those executives to come back next year and provide invaluable word-of-mouth recommendations to their peers, you better provide a top rate experience from registration to the concluding reception.


– Success Is All In The Details

Proving that your event is worth it comes down to implementing and attending to every detail. And paying attention to the details could never be more important to a successful event than it is right now.

The key components are simple, and can be lumped together under a broader umbrella of controlling the event’s environment:

– Provide content that’s fresh, interesting, and compelling.

– Ensure a relaxed and easy environment that makes it fun to be an attendee.

– Event staff should show respect towards attendees and communicate appreciation on behalf of the event and the sponsors.

– Pick venues that are well-situated for the event’s target audience and easy to get to.

– Offer a safe setting conducive to networking.

At a recent conference held at the Ritz Carlton, Dana Point in May, there was consistent feedback on the level of satisfaction with the event. In a time of mixed fortune and misfortune, the event coordinator had committed to a fairly significant room block. As the threat of SARS heightened, it became clear that the contracted room block obligation would not be met.

After talking with management at the Ritz, the company increased its food and beverage commitment for the event. Now, this may sound odd , knowing that revenue was down, the company agreed to take on more expense. The reasoning was this, if you are committed to your brand for the long term, it’s more important to improve the experience during the tough years than at any other time.

Attendees responded with a resounding “thank you” for keeping the level of experience the same as it had been in better times. Thoughtful details such as including foods for those on the Atkins diet plan as well as those taking the low fat, higher carbohydrates route keep customers happy at a basic level. Keeping the bags, shirts, and give aways at the highest quality reinforced the fact that the level of content and production that had become a differentiator for the firm’s executive programs was still equally high. Carefully monitoring the environment and paying close attention to details communicates a very important message: attendees are appreciated and honored.

Creating the right customer experience is the most critical factor in maintaining a successful event business. Paying close attention to, and meeting, the expectations of the attendees is the only way to accomplish that.

Azar is the vice president of events and executive forums at Network World, Inc. which produced DEMOmobile, held in La Jolla in September.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-