Dan Rayburn is the Executive Vice President for StreamingMedia.com, and conference chairman for Streaming Media East and West which are conferences in the streaming and online video industry. The events attract over 5,000 attendees combined. I originally interviewed Dan in 2007 for the SISO newsletter. Since I feel the topic is even more relevant now, I reconnected with him to get an update on the subject.
Dan is one of the most passionate people with whom I have ever spoken about the value of content as an anchor for events. In my research over the years, there seems to be two camps regarding content:
- Those who believe that you can run events in multiple markets without having to live day-to-day in them, or
- Those like Dan who feel you need to be a stakeholder in the market for which you provide content, i.e. ‘a mover and shaker’ in that particular market.
We chatted about creating the foundation of a great event and here’s what we jointly concluded to be the most important guidelines:
- Don’t be greedy with attendance fees. This is particularly applicable at the early stages when you are trying to establish an event and build its audience. $1,500? Too much! Of course, this needs to make financial sense. So consider your business model and do your homework on what pricing your market will accommodate. Research with potential attendees is key here.
- Prioritize initial efforts on the quality of your attendees. When building events, as well as an ongoing component of a total event content strategy, concentrate on attracting higher quality attendees (the decision-makers who will attract sponsor and exhibitor interest) before addressing concerns about the absolute number of people. The right quality will deliver the sought-after quantity.
- Build other content vehicles around the subject matter of your event and use this for lead generation. Develop newsletters and blogs that go beyond just updates about the event itself. This is particularly important for activity on social media.
This effort will help position your organization as a high value content provider about the topic, rather than just an event organizer. Though this can become expensive, in the minds of many the value of ‘world class content’ makes it worth the investment. Make sure the costs to establish this works for your business model both in terms of opportunity cost. .
Dan actually offers free, on-demand conference content without a registration gateway. He often finds that people will ‘go viral’ with clips and session information, generating interest in attendance in the following year.
- Love your market. Unless you have a passion for what you are doing, you’re not going to put forth your best effort (something that’s true for anything, not just creating events.) Dan recommends selecting a market about which you are extremely passionate and starting an event, rather than being an events company that jumps on the hot topic(s) of the moment. He speaks of the pride that comes from helping a market grow through his efforts (and you’ll know he’s genuine after connecting with him.) That pride is evident in every interaction with his stakeholders, thus creating a ‘chain reaction’ of excitement.
- Understand your market. Assuming your passion for a market, it is likely that you will understand it, or learn it quickly. It is particularly important to know:
- How the buy-sell relationship in your market works;
- What content you need to attract the decision makers with whom the exhibitors and sponsors will want to interface;
- How you can make the event a ‘watering-hole’ that attracts all the market stakeholders.
- Put your cell phone number on your home page. This one is counterintuitive but I dare you to try it if you want to be an influencer in your market. When Dan initially mentioned this to me, I followed his suggestion for my contact page, as well as a number of other places.
Why does he do it? To establish that he’s immediately accessible for assistance with questions about the market – and to get immediate feedback. When asked if he answers the phone when it rings every time. And that’s 2 to 30 calls per day. When asked if that takes him ‘off the ball’, Dan responded that he said it was is job to cultivate more attendees and sponsors. And a prospect that feels he’s getting individual attention is far more likely to join him at one of his events.
When he first mentioned this to me in 2007, I secured a new client from someone who had read one of my articles and called me directly at the number I had included. So I can attest that it works.
For the record, my number is (781) 354- 0119.
- Spend money on event research. I previously mentioned ‘world class content.’ To provide a strong foundation for your event you’ll need a good grasp of what your audience will want to learn. This is one of the keys to developing a long term, sustainable event. This can be expensive, but it’s worth it. And remember it is not a one-time effort – you’ll need to do it frequently.
- Partner with competitors. This may not seem obvious until you think about it. Dan has worked with NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) and the CES (Consumer Electronics Show), among others. This is usually in the context of marketing partnerships even though, since their eco-systems overlap, they might be seen as competitors. This doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot.
I left my conversation with Dan feeling very energized and I can see why he’s driven a lot of success through his event. I think the underlying message is ‘take care of your content and your content will take care of you’!