We’re excited to bring you a guest post from the event mobile app experts at TripBuilder Media on how you can build event conversation among your attendees. You can view the slides and recording for our July 2017 webinar with TripBuilder Media here.
Building buzz around your event is key. You want people talking about it… a lot … before, during and even after the event is over. What are the five best ways to ensure buzz. We’ve got some tips for you.
1. Restaurant Discoveries Make the Event: Let’s face it, a lot of convention centers and hotel meeting rooms look the same—few windows and neutral colored carpet and furniture. If someone is travelling to a destination they’ve never been to before those bland rooms are not going to be all they want to see while they’re there. Who doesn’t love exploring a new city, especially when exploring means new restaurants? A recent study done by Mandala Research and sponsored by the World Food Travel Association exemplifies the importance of promoting food and drink when marketing a destination to meeting planners and attendees. The study’s key thesis is that ” food and drink are an important aspect of the decision to travel to a specific destination”.
This research just drives home our philosophy that food is the key to a great event. The cozy eatery that offers up amazing ahi tuna sliders, or the charming Italian restaurant down a random side street no bigger than a luncheonette are keys to attendees discussing your event long after it’s over. People might not remember a specific piece of information from the session they attended on Saturday afternoon but they will remember the great dinner they had on Saturday night at the jewel of a restaurant that only locals know about. And they’ll talk about it …. to other attendees … .and they’ll keep talking about it!
2. Session Chatting is Key: You want your event attendees to be engaged in their sessions to share their ideas. Their questions. Their thoughts. And not just on a main Twitter feed but on a specific session-by-session basis. That builds discussion and discussion builds buzz.
3. Photo Sharing Can Be Fun: Sharing your photos generates conversation. This may seem like an obvious point but photos provide a fun and interactive way to share both serious parts of the event, and the non serious parts of the event, even when you are at home. The ability to save event photos and email them after continues the event experience long after it is over, and continues the connection between attendees.
4. Get Attendees Active: Get attendees active and involved before, during, and after their time at the event. Whether it is finding out who is attending the opening reception or planning to meet for breakfast before attending a session, attendees should be able interact with one another by posting questions, comments, and more.
5. Motivate Attendees: A successful event gets all your exhibitors involved. When exhibitors are talking about a great event, that just builds loyalty across the board. But how are your exhibitors going to be happiest. When attendees are motivated to come to them. So develop games and contests that encourage attendee-exhibitor interaction.
Want to go deeper on building your conversation? Download Hubb's Ultimate Guide to Creating Engagement at Your Event!
