Demonstrating Value to the Choosiest of Members

Technology Trends

Our president, Kim Harwood, teamed up with Event Garde’s founder and president, Aaron Wolowiec at the OSAE Annual Conference to present the session titled, “Demonstrating Value to the Choosiest of Members.” With a focus on engagement, attendees were asked to introduce themselves to someone nearby at the start of the session. Later on, audience polls were opened for attendees to respond and view real-time feedback. This feature allowed participants to see first-hand how new technologies can provide better ways to get attendees networking and involved at events. But what about when it comes to measuring your efforts?

Measuring Engagement

How to measure engagement at events was another hot topic for the session. Return on Investment (ROI) is a common performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment. Return on Learning, or ROL, is another performance measure but relates to the efficiency of an organization’s learning investments. So instead of comparing revenue against the investment, you measure the benefit against the cost. This is especially valuable for associations to understand the value of their events. Below is an ROL example case study relative to an event like an NSA Convention.

Traditional means of engagement measurement include membership, attendance, revenue, and surveys. Now, we can utilize interactive tools to determine an event’s engagement. These tools include social listening, feedback, forum/chat room, and tracking interactions. By quantifying the value of organization meetings and events, and then converting these outcomes into year-round membership lifecycle benefits, we transform first-time and at-risk members into lifetime association advocates.

If Events Could Talk

Before the education session, Wolowiec created a post of 10 strategies associations could implement to help boost the reputation of their signature  events. These strategies were presented for attendees with events suffering from stagnant or declining attendance, sponsors, or exhibitors. Ensuring your brand is uniform, posting to multiple communication channels, and offering sample content are just a few tips event professionals can use for effective event marketing. To view the full post on these 10 strategies, go the the Event Garde blog.

Visit slidesha.re/1qLpdhX to view the slideshow presentation hosted by Harwood and Wolowiec and share your thoughts in our discussion forum below!