How Not to Engage Your Attendees
Many years ago, I was hired as a ‘secret shopper’ by a large conference company that did not feel it was ‘gelling’ with its audience at a particular event and sought help in figuring out why. What I discovered during that experience was a set of behaviors that showed me what not to do if […]
The Traits of an Indispensable Event Person
There’s been considerable discussion in recent years regarding the imminent replacement of many elements of the labor force with robots. The proposition got me thinking about times in the past when I managed a staff of seventeen people who executed four reasonably-sized events in a year. Now, I would have to do the same number […]
Six Factors That Will Kill Your Event
During my time in the events business I’ve seen a fair number of successful events, as well as witnessed some failures. In my experience, there are some key factors that, in some combination, will guarantee the failure of your event. Here’s what I believe are the critical mistakes that event organizers make. 1) Taking […]
The Four “Forks in the Road” of an Event
Recently a client asked how I would describe the lifecycle of an event. The question prompted me to ruminate that an event involves decisions that must be made at various stages, with its ongoing viability governed by those decisions. What are those stages? 1) Do you launch the event? You’ve got an idea and […]
No One Wants to Exhibit at Your Event
No one cares what you have to say It’s funny that in my 25+ years of working in this industry, I’ve come to anticipate that frequent demand that “you’ve got to get [fill in the blank exhibitor] to sign up. They must be there.” And for many years my quest was to find the perfect […]
Is Your Show Remarkable?
Unfortunately, the answer for most shows is ‘no’, which is not unlike the chicken or beef entrées served at the last ten wedding receptions you’ve attended. They’re entirely forgettable as soon as you leave the reception/event. Here is how it is from an event attendee’s perspective: You’ve certainly spent enough money to attend the […]
Five Elements of a Successful Event
I have been thinking about the elements that would, if all were present, make up a perfect event. Such speculation recognizes that only 5% of all events would ever fit within this category. So perhaps these events are more elusive ghosts than reality for most of us. Here are what come to mind: 1) […]
To Cancel or Not Cancel Your Struggling Event: That is the Question
Recently a number of my industry colleagues have had to make decisions about whether or not to cancel their events which were struggling. In my twenty-six years in this industry, I can count on one hand the events that I’ve had to cancel after launch, so I count myself lucky on mostly avoiding the scenario. […]
A Neat Trick to Ensure You’re On Top of Your Market
Pick up the phone and make 10 calls monthly to your customers. Or preferably, visit them in their offices. That’s it. And do this consistently – every month – not just occasionally. Why? I am guessing that, if you are a top executive, you sometimes become so focused on the running of your team, […]
How to Kill Your Competitor
For many of the events that I am brought in to launch, a key challenge is to create something that does not mimic others in that market segment. If you create a ‘me-too’ event – one that is not differentiated from everyone else in a substantive way – you are destined to fail. But how […]