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Engagement.
When you read that word, what does it mean to you?
I was talking with BeEvents’ Ray Hanson, Event Solutions Publisher Meredith McIlmoyle, Pink, Inc.’s, Deb Roth, and Conference Content Strategist and Emcee Glenn Thayer at Event Solutions Conference this past week. During our conversation, someone dropped the “e-bomb: engagement.” There it was resting on our ears and brains as if we each understood its depth and meaning. The all allusive, slippery 21st Century e-word. Engagement had announced its arrival once again.
I asked the $64 billion question. What does engaging a conference attendee actually mean? What does engagement look and feel like?
During our time together, several others joined and left the conversation. Our discussion was fluid and always changing directions as we deconstructed attendee engagement and others added their input.
To some, it meant that a presenter was engaging. The presenter had good eye contact with the audience, proper presenter body language and adequate inflection in their voice that appealed to the listener and viewer.
To others, it meant the obvious: a promise to marriage and the period of time between proposal and marriage. Ironically, Elizabeth Beskin was in Vegas at the same time at the Wedding Photographers Conference and joined the conversation as well, thus her spin on engagement.
Some said it meant that the presenter had a high energy and so much stage presence that it captured the attendee’s attention and became engaging.
Still to others, it meant that the presentation was hands-on, interactive allowing the attendees to talk with each other, discuss the presentation and maybe even do something. It was more than a panel allowing audience question and answer.
Before “engagement” becomes another overused business cliché done to death, how can conference and event organizers create engaging attendee experiences in a 21st Century digital world?
I believe that the future of conferences and events is about engaging attendees more than corralling them into general sessions and commanding them to sit, be quiet, listen and learn. People want to be engaged in conferences that help them work with a purpose. They want insight into how their conference attendance is linked to their work and ultimately to larger organizational and societal goals. Attendees want to know where they fit into the industry and how to continue to succeed. They want to connect with each other on a higher level than just a passive conversation held in the hallway or tradeshow booth. Engagement requires a level of participation rarely experienced by attendees at most conferences and events. Engagement means active involvement and not passive contributions.
I’ve been reading Stanford Professor Byron Reeves and physician J. Leighton Read’s Total Engagement: Using Games and Virtual Worlds to Change the Way People Work and Businesses Compete. It’s about how massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) like Halo, Mafia Wars and World of Warcraft will change careers, companies and competitions…and I believe conferences, events and face-to-face meetings. (If you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about when I mention those games and are more familiar with Pinball Wizard, Pacman and Space Invaders, go ask your kids what multiplayer online games they play.)
More than one hundred million Americans and many more around the world played a computer or video game last week with levels of engagement and focus rarely seen at face-to-face meetings and events. (Online Gaming Report 2008) The hours flew by for people immersed in sophisticated online interactions.
These new MMOGs represent a high level of interactivity and continued refinement. Digital play is already engaging and will continue to improve. Great MMOGs have light-speed pacing, constant feedback, transparent levels and reputations, compelling narratives and interesting methods for self-representation in action.
So why do people play these online games? Why are people willing to spend so much time in these games? Nick Yee’s 2006 study the Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences and two subsequent studies by Richard Bartle and Thomas Malone categorized two types of reasons: personal and social. Personal motivations include achievement, immersion and exploration. Social motivations include competition and socialization.
These reasons sound very similar to the reasons people attend conferences, events and face-to-face meetings. Yet these MMOGs have found a way to get people involved in cooperative explorations that afford an opportunity to begin a social relationship.
I think the key to successful future conferences, events and tradeshows are designing experiences that include elements of successful online games: achievement, competition, exploration, immersion and socialization.
What do you think? What experiences have you had with online games that you wish conferences and face-to-face events provided? What lessons can conference and event organizers learn from online games to provide more attendee engagement?
CEIR Report Power Of Exhibitions In 21st Century Review Part II Read part I.
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! Dr. Seuss
Theodore Gisele, aka Dr. Seuss, had a great idea about thinking. Think differently.
Now apply Dr. Seuss’ thinking strategy to the next event or exhibition that you’re planning.
Think about it from many angles, from top to bottom, to inside out, to before and after, to what’s it all about. Think about who’s attending, who’s not and why. Think about how to do it differently and not repeat what you’ve done on the fly. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.
If more exhibition and event organizers would stop and think before planning their next event, they might come up with more “thinks…if only they try.” Unfortunately, many organizers continue to plan their events the same way they’ve always done it. They expect that the old dog method will lead to new, improved results.
CEIR’s recent report, Power of Exhibitions In the 21st Century: Identify, Discover and Embrace Change from the Point Of View of Young Professionals (those under the age of 40), shows that exhibitions and event organizers can’t continue to “wash, rinse and repeat” and expect the same results. It’s time for event organizers to wash the old strategy right out of their hair and think differently in their planning process, especially if they want to attract Gen X and Y.
Here are six more takeaways from the report that organizers, exhibitors and event professionals can use for improving the planning and executing of future exhibitions and events.
1. Event Web 2.0-enabled sites are a necessity, not a luxury.
Websites and conference eCommunities are the gateways to an organization and its events. 73% of young professional respondents interviewed created a must-see list of exhibitors before attending the event. Unfortunately, most ranked current event Websites poorly as disorganized, outdated, incomplete and not user friendly.
Suggestion
The online event eCommunity and Website with show floor plans and exhibit descriptions is a must. Having this available before and after the show as well as via mobile devices is a no brainer. Similarly, organizers must give more attention and investment to the event Website by making it more user-friendly, robust, vibrant and updated regularly.
2. Stop the selling madness!
Gen X respondents who attended an exhibition feel there are too many sellers and not enough buyers. They also feel that there is too much pressure from sales people who staff the booths.
Suggestion
Younger generations do not appreciate the hard sell. Exhibitors should endeavor to explain to younger attendees what they are offering and what they are capable of without pushing a sale. Tricking them into scanning a badge to enter a drawing is not a best practice for gaining trust. They want transparency.
3. Age discrimination will cost you! Let no one despise their youth.
Many young professionals expressed age discrimination, ignored by show exhibitors because of their age. This mistake can cost an exhibitor future sales. While these individuals may not have the final purchasing decision for their employers, two-thirds do have the power to make recommendations and influence the buying decision.
Suggestion
Event organizers can work with exhibitors to help them understand that young professionals heavily influence the purchasing decisions of their employers. Organizers can also help exhibitors learn new sales approaches like consultative and relationship sales.
4. Interactivity and engagement are imperative.
Young professionals have a strong preference for interactive exhibits versus static exhibits. They also want interactive educational sessions where they can discuss content with each other versus monologue, lecture-style presentations.
Suggestion
Organizers should recommend that exhibitors consider hands-on, interactive elements to attract younger professionals. Exhibits that combine high-tech with high-touch and use virtual gaming components will be successful. Session presenters and facilitators that use hands-on, activity based efforts that allow attendees to work together collaboratively and discuss issues are also important.
5. Content is king and human interaction is queen.
38% of respondents considered the educational sessions the most important component of the exhibition, over the exhibition, social events and networking. Nearly nine in ten that attended a recent exhibition participated in an education session. The content of the session was the most influential element while the session title and speaker had the most influence on Millennials. 35% said they go for the networking. Both Gen X and Y stressed that they want to interact and learn from each other and industry veterans.
Suggestion
Organizers must spend as much time on planning the event program as they do on the logistics. They should secure industry veterans that can give short presentations and facilitate discussions. Providing relevant, exclusive content with appealing session titles and descriptions that accurately reflect the presentation is also important.
6. Yours, mine and ours!
Opportunities must be created that permit attendees to contribute their own ideas and suggestions to the exhibition and event. Creating show floor social spaces and lounges with power ports will draw and retain traffic of young professionals. Both of these points gives attendees the feeling the show is as much theirs as it is the exhibitors. Both groups also want wireless access on the show floor and throughout the event.
Suggestion
Organizers should crowdsource event ideas, suggestions and education topics. They should also ask facilities to provide free wireless on show floors and venue for attendees. They should include wireless request in future RFPs. Are facilities better off charging for this or helping their clients satisfy long-term attendance challenges?
Did any of these points surprise you? What resonates with you about your attendees? What changes will you make to your next event to attract and retain young professionals?
CEIR’s Power of Exhibitions In the 21st Century Part 1 41 page report offers a wealth of insight on what Gen X and Gen Y want.
ICEEM (The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing) is hosting a soldout webinar on Wednesday February 17 entitled “Do Young Professionals Think Your Event Sucks?” IAEE and CEIR are providing an archived recording of this Webinar to members and nonmembers for a nominal fee.
CEIR Report Power Of Exhibitions In 21st Century Review Part I
“A trade show is a trade show … I don’t expect anything to change.” Chad, 26.
Imagine this comment came from one of your recent conference attendees. What would you do? How would you engage Chad in a future exhibition or event?
Chad’s negative sentiment is not unusual from others his age. Organizers and exhibitors need to recognize that the exhibitions and event marketplace is on the cusp of a major generational shift and plan accordingly. The long-term health of the show is depending on it!
In October 2009, Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released the first part of an 18-month study, Power of Exhibitions In the 21st Century: Identify, Discover and Embrace Change from the Point Of View of Young Professionals. The purpose of the study was two-fold:
- Provide a better understanding of how a new, younger attendee demographic thinks and feels about exhibitions and events.
- Provide a clear blueprint for how to produce exhibitions and events that will create a positive value-added experience for younger professionals.
The CEIR report also explains why organizers and exhibitors must change the way they currently do things if they want to keep young professionals attending year after year. For the purpose of this study, CEIR defined young professionals as those under the age of 40. Generation X are those age 28 to 39. Millennials are those 27 and younger. As a collective whole, these two generations are technology savvy, individualistic and innovative.
Here are five takeaways from the report that organizers, exhibitors and event professionals can use for improving the planning and executing of future exhibitions and events.
1. WOM rules! Especially with your exhibition and event registration marketing.
More than half (52%) of respondents learned about an event from their work colleagues. 88% use social media regularly. Each time an exhibition or event creates a successful brand, the opportunity to improve the overall image of the industry increases with more people saying better things about their experience.
Suggestion
Identify the various exhibition influencers that have large social networks that believe in your event and can help spread WOM. Identify and reach out to key bloggers that will write about the event before it starts. Create blog and Facebook badges for attendees and speakers to post on their individual pages.
2. It’s time for organizers to innovate, think differently and not rest on their laurels.
87 percent of Generation X and Millennial respondents are very to somewhat likely to attend an exhibition in the next two years. Does willingness to attend automatically translate into guaranteed attendance? No.
Suggestion
Organizers have to find ways to convert their willingness into action by meeting more of Gen X and Y’s expectations and needs. (See number 3 and 4 for more tips.)
3. Give away bacon and add more cowbell to create more fans.
There is a large gap between the average number of job-related exhibitions these young professionals had the opportunity to attend (7.6) and the average number of exhibitions they did attend (2.8).
Suggestion
Number 2 and 3 speak to the opportunity of attracting and gaining Gen X and Y’s loyalty. Perhaps it’s time to provide more bacon and add more cowbell. Seriously though, adding more bacon and cowbell can be as simple as helping Gen X and Y meet each other before the event through the event’s eCommunity, providing social lounges on the exhibit show floor complete with recharge stations, and allowing Gen X and Y to help plan parts of the event. All of these suggestions are things Gen X and Y expect according to the CEIR report. (See number 4 for more ideas.)
4. Organizers must increase the value of attendance.
Non-attendees of both generations feel that exhibitions take too much time away from their personal and professional lives.
Suggestion
Organizers need to provide the irresistible offer. How do you do that? Provide exclusive education and content that is relevant to Gen X and Y that can’t be found online. Provide receptions and parties that are open to everyone and nix invitation only events. (Research showed Gen X & Y don’t like exclusive parties.) Provide speakers and entertainers that attract younger generations. Neil Diamond is out. Black Eye Peas is in! Consider business lounges like those in airports that attendees can visit to do some work, connect with the office and call home. Provide Skype stations where attendees can call their family members and check-in with their loved ones.
5. Location, location, location!
Two-thirds of those that did not attend said their reason for not attending was convenience. Two out of ten said the location was a problem. Millennials who attended placed high importance on the fact that the exhibition must be held in a city they are interested in visiting.
Suggestion
Does this mean having your show in Vegas every year is a good or bad thing? Gen X and Y want event locations within walking distance of entertainment districts, night life and other local hot spots. Millennials are known to have a love affair with fine dining, food and wine. Make sure you’re location provides opportunities for their more sophisticated palates and breaking bread with their peers.
Did any of these points surprise you? What resonates with you about your attendees? What changes will you make to your next event to attract and retain young professionals?
Look for more research highlights and suggestions in an upcoming post. Also, CEIR’s Power of Exhibitions In the 21st Century Part 1 41 page report offers a wealth of insight on what Gen X and Gen Y want.
ICEEM (The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing) is hosting a soldout webinar on Wednesday February 17 entitled “Do Young Professionals Think Your Event Sucks?” IAEE and CEIR are providing an archived recording of this Webinar to members and nonmembers for a nominal fee.
Since 2007, people have gazed at Twitter and wondered how the Twittershpere developed into what it is today. It’s been the subject of much philosophical, religious and scientific discussion and debate.
People who have tried to uncover the mysteries of the Twitterville development include such famous researchers as Danah Boyd, Chris Brogan, Beth Kanter, Charlene Li, Brian Solis, and Dan Zarrella. Many of these researchers have developed their own Twitter birthing theories as they watched the tweeting continue to evolve.
Soon Twitter invaded conference, events and tradeshows. Albert Einstein, Steven Hubble and Stephen Hawking could not have predicted this social phenomenon. Yet, one of the most famous and widely accepted models for the Twitterdom’s development is The Big Tweet Theory.
Although The Big Tweet Theory is famous, it is often misunderstood. A common misperception is that Twitter, tweeting and the conference backchannel is mostly spread by geeks and Gen Y. That’s not quite right. It’s often some of the most influential thought leaders in your industry. People that can help make or break your conference.
Another misconception is that the Big Tweet Theory was a sudden explosion of blue bird tweets. Something that happens only in the wilderness by wild unruly Tweeps and that Twitter is unused by cosmopolitan, sophisticated conference attendees today. That’s not accurate either.
The Big Tweet Theory is an attempt to explain how it developed from the minds of some smart people and into many conference and tradeshow venues today.
Summing up The Big Tweet Theory is a challenge. It involves concepts that contradict the way we perceive traditional meetings and societal norms. It goes against the grain that attendees must sit passively in a ballroom, looking forward, listening to the presenter. The earliest stages of The Big Tweet Theory focus on a moment in which all the separate forces of the conference environment were part of a unified force. There, the attendees begin to experience similar emotions, feelings and thoughts. They turned to the backchannel to share those insights with others. They were dissatisfied with talking heads, script readers, no time for Q & A and boring lectures.
The Big Tweet Theory explains the various phases of what happens when people begin using Twitter for the conference backchannel.
Phase 1 – The Birthing Announcement: Hello Twitter. Look what I can do.
A conference attendee posts their first few tweets. The attendee experiences a range of emotions about using the backchannel. It seems new, odd, fearful, fun, stupid and exciting. People step into their first conference tweets with mixed feelings of apprehension and exhilaration. Many write their first tweets about their earliest impressions of using the tool. The Big Tweet Theory has begun.
Phase 2 – Sharing The Blue Bird’s Kitchen Sink: Here’s everything that’s happening.
As Tweeps become more comfortable with the Twitter tools and the backchannel, they post every detail of everything they hear and see. Their tweet flood overwhelms many that are following them. Tweets of conference foods, sights, smells and sounds along with word by word note taking of presenters may seem daunting to some. The Big Tweet Theory expands.
Phase 3 – Restraint And Insight: Communicating the good stuff
Tweeps have perfected the use of the backchannel and post bite-size highpoints from the conference. Often their tweets contain links to more detailed conference blog posts, additional resources and provocative thoughts. Followers begin to realize that their missing out on great education and networking. The Big Tweet Theory matures.
The Big Tweet Theory describes the development of the conference Tweep from the birthing announcement to a refined and eloquent communicator. It describes the development of conference Tweep as he or she came into existence in the Twittersphere and evolved into what it is today.
What’s your experience with The Big Tweet Theory? How have you seen conference attendees evolve into conference Tweeps today? Should we encourage or discourage The Big Tweet Theory?
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