MPI experiments with a virtual event

Congratulations to Meeting Professionals International for the leadership shown in extending their July World Education Congress (WEC) with a virtual event. Not only did it allow MPI to distribute access to some content and exhibitors to those who did not attend, or continued access to those who did, but, as an event organization, it provided information and an example to their membership.

The decisions they made in how they did this exemplify the issues we all face in facing this new opportunity. What to charge for? How much to charge? Will it cannibalize existing attendance? What to put online and what not to?

Similar questions marketers face with every new technology.

There are no perfect answers, and we should not wait for them. We’ll only figure out best practice by diving in,  making the best judgments we can, and comparing notes.

Some of MPI’s decisions:

• The full $625 access pass for the physical event includes the virtual event. (Good call.)
• The Virtual Access Pass was $299. (About half price.  Logical.)
• The General Assembly alone was $19. (Hm.  I’d be inclined to make this one free.)
• The virtual event is open for six months.  (I bet this is partly to allow a down time between ‘events’ to build interest for the following year.

I don’t have their attendance figures.  Generally the combo physical and online events this year have seen similar attendance figures to what they expected without a virtual event (down slightly from 2008), but a much higher total combined audience.

Did it cannibalize attendance?  No way to prove it one way or the other, but it certainly did not create a major dip in physical attendance that hurt the event.

Every survey says that people prefer the physical event: and some simply can’t make it whether you offer the alternative or not.

 

Audience segmentation within events

A lot of the attraction of industry events is that attendees can see everything under one roof. The umbrella event.  All things to all people.

Oops, maybe that last sentence goes too far…and a good thing becomes a bad thing.

Its important to frequently think about the event in terms of each audience that attends.  Maybe you cater a bit to the largest groups, or to the most qualified/most attractive to exhibitors.  But there’s gold in other segments as well.

Robin Raskin created a new show within a show at CES by targeting aging boomers with the Silver Summit.  As reported in Expo’s May 2009 issue, she promoted the concept to 25 companies that had products for people over 50, created specialized content, and partnered with AARP.  Audience tracking was woefully lacking, so unfortunately we cannot tell how many people came to the event (though it was packed), or how many people came to CES especially because of this new area (though half of the 1500 survey respondents said they did).

How many key segments can you identify within your event that deserve special programing and focus?  [Boomers aren't a bad place to start!]  The benefits are enormous:

• A segment of current attendees that are even more devoted to the event
• New attendees who come specifically because of the new area
• Incremental revenue, both from new exhibitors and from second booths from existing exhibitors
• New sponsor partnerships
• Keeping the event vital and recharged
• Extra press attention
• Eliminating one more opportunity for a competitor to create a show that leaches off your audience

 

What attendees want

HCEA (Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association) presented the findings of their 2009 study of what medical event attendees want from events at the Annual Meeting in June.  “How Physicians Would Design the Exhibit Hall of the Future.”

We get used to repeating what we did last year, but step back and re-think your program based on what the healthcare providerssay they want from your event.  (Most of these comments apply to any industry.)  Make the attendees happy and the exhibitors will keep coming back.

• Events serve a very important function
  • Opportunity to see everything related to their speciality under one roof
  • Hospitals and small practices need events more than ever, as they have less exposure to pharmaceutical reps in their normal practice than previously
• Organize the event by therapeutic area
  • Mixing all exhibitors up is confusing and difficult to navigate
• Navigation: Large signage, information desks, representatives
• Schedule: Extend hours and start early.  Drs are used to it!
• Multiple lounges and refreshment areas.  Wifi
• Exhibitors:
  • Put product experts in the booth: Clinical peers, not just sales reps
  • Educational approach
  • Interactive demos or virtual simulations
• See exhibit hall as
  • Providing a break from the dark lecture halls
  • Social time–interacting with peers while interacting with exhibitors
• Schedule meet the expert round tables

 

Put herd mentality to work for you

People care what others like them are doing.  Sometimes it is to get a sense of belonging.  Sometimes we compare ourselves to others to compete.  Sometimes it saves us time to know what others have tried or recommend.

In any case, this fact is really helpful to marketers.  Lots of exhibitors base a decision to enter your event based on whether their competitors are there…either consciously or unconsciously.  Your attendees do too, which is why many events let you see if not names, titles and company names of other registrants on their website or emails.

Look below for a great example of using information to change behavior as studied in the utility field.

Studies in Norway and Finland found that when customers received neighborhood comparisons, together with frequent electric bills and meter readings, they reduced their energy use by 5%-10%.

–Home Energy Magazine Online, May/June 1997

What if you received 10% more registrants because you announced who else was coming?  Or used audience segmentation to tell your CIOs what classes other CIOs signed up for, and to tell your purchasing department managers what other purchasing department managers did?

Having trouble getting people to travel?  Tell the prospects in California how many other Californians are planning to attend.

 

Attracting and engaging VIP attendees

The very most qualified attendees at our events are the ones invited by our sponsors: their customers and prospects.  Our sponsors have lists we don’t have access to, and a relationship that enhances response from them.

The trick has always been, “How do we entice, exhort, encourage, enlist our sponsors/exhibitors to invite their customers to our event?”

Certainly the first step is to create a comprehensive kit to make it easy for the exhibitor: banner ads of various sizes, email templates, “I’m exhibiting at” web and print ad tiles, postcards, etc.

I haven’t seen contests that reward this activity work (tell me if you have!).

The best I’ve done is provide my best offer to my sponsors/exhibitors, so that they are offering their customers something of value.  “Because I am inviting you, you get a better deal than anyone else.”  Make your client a hero.

But here is an even better idea, copied verbatim from Travis Stanton’s editorial in the June issue of Exhibitor Magazine:

TechTextil The highlight of this event for the industrial-textile industry was a VIP Buyer’s Lounge with refreshments, meeting spaces, etc. All of the show’s exhibitors are encouraged to nominate their top clients and prospects for this special status, and show management selects and alerts the VIPs of the amenities they are thereby entitled to at the show. What a great way to make big spenders feel extra special on site.

I would simply tweak TechTextil’s program into an attendee marketing promotion.  Simply include these benefits in the templates you give the exhibitors for their invitations.  Limit how many people each sponsor can bring into the program.  NOT because you want to be exclusive, though you might.  But because by appearing exclusive, you add value to the program, and more sponsors will participate.