There are plenty of ways to up the game of your member events, and they don’t necessarily mean spending huge amounts of money, using the latest technologies or securing the celebrity speaker in your industry. Here are five ideas to help you to reinvigorate your member event schedule and to see your attendance – and feedback – grow.
1. Pin down your target audience
The better you can identify your target audience, the better you can pinpoint your messaging and ensure that it resonates with them. To become a better presenter and host alike, you need to really know what your audience cares about and then you can communicate more effectively with them. Carry out a member survey to find out what your base wants – and then give it to them.
2. Use multimedia
Today’s tech doesn’t need to be hugely sophisticated or expensive to engage an audience. So throw away those slideshows and incorporate different ways to bring your content to life. This could range from a Twitter screen or video through to high-tech AI demonstrations or gamification, depending on what the purpose of your event is.
3. Use second screens
Expanding on the mention of social media screens above, remember that the smartphones your audience members carry can be extremely effective at promoting your event. Share an event hashtag beforehand so that your attendees can stream their comments, images and reactions. You can also use your membership management software from www.ofec.co.uk/web-and-software-development-services/membership-management-systems.aspx to send out follow up content.
4. Connect
The holy grail of an event is to create a sense of interaction and connection between speakers and members. Encourage your delegates to network, to share opinions, to meet your team and generally to feel as though they are being listened to, as well as hearing the messages that you have to share.
5. Think about accessibility
Some attendees may not be able to attend an event space which isn’t wheelchair accessible. Others may struggle to read the tiny font on your screen. Others will need transcripts to access your content. Make sure you think about accessibility so that you don’t lose out on valuable member sales.
Follow these five tips and you’ll see a return on the quality of your member events – and find them more enjoyable to host as well!
