How do you clearly communicate conference objectives?

It's important to note here, that the same conference may have a few target audiences. For example, a university-based summit may seek to engage students *and* faculty. Parents Weekend may seek to engage parents *and* students. If this is ever the case, it's important to use language that's inclusive of all audiences in your general/broader strategy AND specialize your strategy based on those target audiences. This specialized strategy might include outreach channels, messaging/language, and creative collateral that might differ from the broader strategy but are relevant to specific audiences. When done well, this can not only increase attendance but also lead to more enriching experiences for all attendees.

My input would be to pole the attendees. Find key words in their answers to help you clarify your objective and to speak their language. Communication starts with clear understanding of key terms that will be used in presentations. If you don't share the same definitions of these terms, presenters will be miscommunicating without even knowing it.

Doing this work is so foundational to the success of your conference as it determines the theme, ideal location, speakers, activities, and literally everything else your conference will be about. A thorough understanding of your audience will enable you to design an experience that will not only resonate with your audience but also make the most impact on them. This is the first step to creating a worthwhile and unforgettable experience that people will rave about for a long time

We communicate the objectives to our conference planning committee early in the process by including them in our Standard Operating Procedures, as well as through continuous conversations. We ask committee members to share how they've benefitted from the conferences in the past, which provides a reminder about the goals we are working to achieve. Testimonials that support the objectives are also shared as part of our marketing efforts to provide tangible examples.

?? In my experience, understanding and determining your target audience is critical to the overall success of your event! This should be identified in the beginning stages of planning. The more you know about your audience, the better you will be able to strategize and nail your event objectives. One key element is asking your audience questions and giving them an opportunity to engage and be interactive during the speak! Making your audience feel “seen” or understood, up to and including how the event is setup (location, logistics, seating arrangement, visuals, time duration etc) is vitally important! Lastly, always include a CTA so that your audience can stay connected including ways to work with you.

By all means, use SMART - but also recognize that an event of any type only has so many possible revenue streams. In the past, most events were able to gain sponsorships readily. That is not true of the current market. Furthermore it has become more difficult to sell vendor footprints or to retain vendors over the years at least in part due to on-line selling. Be sure that you need a dealer room before you plan to have one. Don't neglect entertainment in your event plan. Even if the objective is educational, make sure your keynote is engaging; the presentation is audio visual; et al. Consider a film showing

In my experience, this is something that is constantly changing. To convey the points in a medium that the audience will best take in is critical. When creating the key messages, make sure you work on communicating them through social media, email, videos, etc.

I think this is an especially salient point to consider in the planning stage. Engaging with attendee data from previous years related to communication satisfaction is a great starting point. Using that information as a means to determine ways to improve and adapt can often lead to creative solutions that are more cost and time efficient. Additionally, giving participants the choice to 'opt in' to various forms of conference related communication or select how they'd like to receive information can also enhance engagement and satisfaction.

The best advertising for events remains word of mouth. That means sending people to locations to discuss and promote the event directly. This is a better second year strategy and onward because it can be made to seem "organic" - while the first year it is certainly recruitment. The postcard is still an expected component of the advertising strategy, while posters are on the way out except for concerts. Keep in mind that your market probably identifies as environmentally conscious. Print materials are expensive and may be off-putting. Buying advertising on social media is probably the best bet to extend your reach - though you may be able to strike a deal with niche promoters that have a mailing list.

In my last conference, I asked an open-ended question. For example, How many of you found that change seemed more difficult after the pandemic? I want you to think about your life before and after and identify three changes that occurred because something changed. Once the wheels start turning, you find that people are more inclined to listen to your answer and find out what more you have to say to improve whatever state they are in, good or bad.

Keep in mind that your audience is hyper-aware that they are being advertised to. They themselves will have had to have applied these basic concepts of marketing at some point in their lives. Target "new converts" - people that have not attended events of the type you are offering in the past. Hopefully they will gain "loyalty" as a result of attending your event. To this end, it may be helpful to offer an annual T-shirt or other personal marker that identifies them as a person associated with said event. You want your brand to have one particular identity word associated with it - the people that attend this event are certainly... (noun). Look at what other similar events have to offer, and make sure you are providing something unique.

The "WIIFM" is super important when communicating the client's needs to all stakeholders involved, even themselves. Having an understanding of their needs is vital to making a critical connection. We all value something in resolving issues we may have. Testimonials are known to be effective for business in positive and negative ways. If you can effectively relay your experiences; that may be all you need to persuade your potential client(s).

Do not run a complaints session at your event. While this used to be recommended to organizers, in practice those that attended often had a personal ax to grind. They were able to use these offerings to undermine the authority of organizers. In some cases they were able to take over or destroy events - even long-running ones. They would present themselves as righteous activists up against the evil overlords that decided things for everyone, neglecting the realities of the difficulties involved in running such shows. If you must take feedback at the event, offer a comment card at the front desk, with assurances that organizers will review each one personally and respond with change if required.

Receiving honest feedback is the best way to improve. If the conference didn't convey the objectives you had in mind, it's important to figure out why. Offering incentives, such as money, might motivate people to complete a survey. It's best to collect feedback as soon as the conference ends while it's still fresh, but keep in mind that negative feedback can be really bad, while positive feedback can be really good. Therefore, it might be a good idea to follow up later with a poll for the next year to see if there were any gaps that people realized after having time to think about it.

'When' is the optimal time to seek and collect feedback is a question I often wrestle with myself. Depending on the layout and program design of the conference, there could be multiple opportunities. Using an conference app with capabilities to collect feedback can be a great tool in this case. Utilizing features like push notifications or reminders for attendees to complete a quick evaluation of a program or session could increase the amount of feedback received. Taking time to insure that surveys or evaluations are intentionally designed and aren't unnecessarily long can also increase engagement. Ask questions that you actually want answers to, and ask questions that will help make meaningful changes.

Create expectations When inviting participants to a conference, clearly write what the conference intends to achieve. Have the objectives screened in the conference room. This will remind the participants on what to expect. Ask the participants to write down what they expect from each objective. Have this somewhere and at the end of the conference ask them whether all their objectives were achieved.