Jessica Levin is a well known Engagement Expert, and since I am fascinated with the relevance of attendee engagement and innovation, I asked her to guest write this column. Hope you enjoy her thoughts as much as I did!
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Over the last few years there has been a strong movement to make events innovative. The rise of this movement was largely sparked by the fact that event professionals are connected by social media and that we now have vast platforms to discuss change. Like any movement, there are loud voices who tend to sway the masses in a specific direction. Topics such as educational design and adult learning theory; the infiltration of technology and events; and dietary evolution have largely filled the streams of Twitter and the pages of Facebook. As someone who is part of this active community, I have spearheaded some of these efforts. I have advocated for using social media to enhance communication. I have brought new program formats to events. I have sipped the event innovation Kool-aid. And now, I ask, do we really need innovation?
I have worked on almost every side of the events world. I have been producer, planner, educational designer, menu selector, sponsorship salesperson, marketing strategist, exhibitor, speaker and attendee. I am jaded. I have experienced some of the most creative conferences out there. I have snacked on culinary creations beyond imaginations. I have danced on stage with Vanilla Ice during a conference. If you want to impress me, it’s going to take a lot of work.
Attendees are not the same as Events People
But here is the thing, the majority of attendees are not event professionals like us. They go to one or two conferences a year. In general, they want a few simple things: Good Education (or enough to meet their professional certification requirements); Networking Opportunities; and to be served enough food so that they are not hungry and they don’t suffer an allergic reaction.
When we think about innovation, we need to think about how we impact these fundamental needs.
- Are we giving them the right amount of education so that they can actually take advantage of it in their lives outside of the event?
- Are we providing the right networking opportunities with the right people for the right amount of time?
- Are we asking the proper questions about dietary restrictions and then working with your venue to provide sustenance for our attendees?
- Are we selecting the right type of technology that enhances the attendee experience and doesn’t detract from it just because it’s the latest and greatest and has a wow factor?
Are we providing the WOW factor for the right audiences at the right time?
Innovation for the Right Reasons
Of course, we need to innovate. Every industry, every person does in order to evolve and grow. But, we need to do it in a way that is strategic and most relevant and important to our key stakeholders. Keeping in mind that this may include your exhibitors and not just your attendees. We need to have discussions with all departments of our organizations, with our advisory boards and with those who financially support our event. Only through ongoing communication and idea sharing can we accurately assess what type of innovation we need to make our events successful.
We don’t need to innovate for the sake of innovation. We need to innovate to meet the needs of our constituents who live in an ever changing world.
Jessica L. Levin, MBA, CMP, CAE is the President and Chief Connector of Seven Degrees Communications. With a background in marketing and event planning, Jessica has a passion for connecting people and creating experiences based on strategic goals. She is the author of Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People, to be published February 2015.