The Engagement Valley

Simplifying meetings and events executionThe Engagement Valley:

How to Maintain Engagement Following Your Events

Suzanne Carawan, VP Global Marketing

GLOBAL VIEWPOINTSWhat’s Happening Around the World

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Global Trends in Events•Out of denial

•General agreement that events need to include “something more” & evolve

•Associations looking towards the addition of technology as the “more”

•Increase in event expenditure

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Global Trends: Technology•Top technologies being added by associations:

– Better event registration & member management systems– Better event website tools – Better email marketing capabilities– Twitter– Private social networks– Mobile component for use around event schedule– QR codes– Mobile audience response/polling features– Mobile gaming features– Video capture, streaming & archiving– Automated matchmaking– Better reporting across tools & investment in understanding how to

use technology tools

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Global Trends: Event Technology •Organizations making decisions on different critiera…getting far more sophisticated:

• Integrations with AMS & Accounting systems• Looking at APIs• Looking at partnerships amongst

technology vendors• Viewing technology vendors as partners• Focus on roadmaps and not just

feature/function• Focus on who is delivering more value • Focus on user adoption of technology

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Global Trends: Event Programs• Blending.Results are now achieved through blending all elements of the event experience (F&B, education, networking activities, business/governance functions)

• Viewpoints.Key is thinking through the event from different attendee viewpoints and providing a multitude of ways to learn, connect with one another and interact

• Facilitation.Organizational shift to take on the role of facilitator-- allowing attendees to self-create “sub-events” that allow for more meaningful conversations and connections in more informal settings

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Global Trends: Event Programs•Discussion now centers around engagement

– Challenges:• What is engagement?

• Requires cross-functional and cross-disciplinary team

• Greater emphasis on differentiating the event and designing around the user experience

• Heavy emphasis on understanding event participants (customer and prospect base)

• Much greater emphasis on demand creation and brand management principles of marketing

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Last Global Trend

•Organizations are still trying to find the right combination

•Still in the process of changing & experimentation

•Few examples of organizations that have changed their approach to events

ENGAGEMENTLet’s Talk About Event

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Engagement• Current Definition:

– Mystical idea to connote how involved someone is in a relationship with your product or organization

• Current Stage of Maturation:– Infancy, at Most: Toddlerhood

• Current Measurements:– Involve counts of attention-based or “like” activity

• Current Demand Creation:– “Gameshow”, Low-End, Bargain Basement Quality Contests, Games &

Promos

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Typical Engagement Factors

• # Comments • Times Attended• # Posts to

discussions/blogs• # Referrals• # Click throughs• # Opens• # Submitted help

tickets

• # Forwards• # Likes• # Shares• # Direct links• # Visits & # Check-Ins• # Calls• # Views• # Retweets

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Today’s Engagement Scores

• Comprehensive, often weighted score, that is used to determine which individuals are most active in your organization or product or event

• Transactions ($, frequency, duration, periodicity) = engagement score

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Graphing Engagement

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Graphing Engagement

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Improved Engagement

• Behavioral-based

• How you act, quality of actions

• Level of impact

• Level of energy, enthusiasm

• Level of advocacy/belief

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Creating Behavioral Engagement Scores

• Greater weight based on:•Monetary criteria• Clout/ level of influence• Number of connections/followers/years

of service• Source of engagement

• Decide what is the right engagement score mix for your organization

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Future Engagement Scores

• Comprehensive, often weighted score, that is used to determine which individuals are most invested/attentive to your brand/product/offerings

• Transactions ($, frequency, duration, periodicity) + behavioral metrics = engagement score

ORGANIZATIONAL REALITIESWhat’s Happening With Associations

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Truth About Events

• Wild frontier of measurement

• Not used within context of greater campaigns

• Not seen as strategic

•Hidden, untapped power!

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Truth About Events

•Events are hot again! Increases as a marketing and sales tool are on the rise and projections just getting bigger

• Mocial increases demand for events

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Truth About Events

•Marketers’ dream:• Content• Demographics, psychographics• Transactions• Isolated population to study• Multichannel opportunities• Actionable• Measurable• Multi-touchpoint

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Truth About Events

From MPI’s FutureWatch 2011 Study

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Truth About Events

From MPI’s FutureWatch 2011 Study

FORECASTSWhat Do We Expect Associations to Do?

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Event Email Forecast

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Event Email Forecast

• Move from paper to email-based daily news during event• Increase in banner ad placement & sponsor inclusion with tracking mechanisms• Completely tied into social media outlets• Content!

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Social Media Event Forecast

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Social Media Event Forecast

• Not an after-thought! Central to event design

•Move from generic community to program-focused or topic-focused

• Adding communities around events year-over-year

• People that care will be recognized and rewarded

•UX-Design Rules!

THE ENGAGEMENT VALLEYAssociation Event Realities & the Behavioral Effect on Members

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The Engagement Valley Effect

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Valley Effects

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Why the Valley?

• No time• No plan• No call-to-action• No continuity• No emotional reinforcement

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Valley Effects

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Minimize the Valley Effect

• Start earlier• Continuous touchpoints• “Mini” events to build demand• More creative, more content• More mocial• Increased touchpoints/visibility for groups that wish to reach your target audience• More points to analyze & adjust

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Minimize the Valley Effect•Starting to move beyond tactics/logistics:

– Don’t just have a hashtag, set up a series of TweetChats prior to and post event

– Offer an interactive attendee directory before the event to allow event participants to find one another and schedule appointments

– Offer a year-round social site to allow event participants to start/continue discussions that originated at the event

•Focus now on comprehensive attendee experience (year-round) and blending event topics/goals into an overall program of the association

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Example: Pre-Event

• Event groups on topics• Industry roundtables• Contests• Images on badges• Tweetchats & Meetups•Speaker-based discussions and blogs•Past presentation libraries and commentary•Janus Approach & Discussion

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Example:During Event

• Physical space for meetups, working groups•Special VIP parties, cocktails, rewards•Icebreakers based on social media contests/inquiries/discussions•“Tweetbody” for keynotes•Scribes per industry, topic, etc•Meet the speakers, authors, keynotes•Matchmaking & appointments

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Example: Post Event

• Webinars• Tweetchats• Blogs• Photo Galleries• Video Testimonials• Monthly topic discussions and calls• Guest bloggers•“Meet the Attendee”: First Timer’s View, etc.

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Minimizing the Engagement Valley

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Simplifying meetings and events execution

Minimizing the Engagement Valley

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Simplifying meetings and events execution

Related Resources> Recorded Webinars:• “eSocial: The Original Social”• “The Right Mix: Creating Event Plans that Work”• “From Simmer to Sensational: How to Create Sponsor

Programs that Work”• “The Event Experience: Designing for the End User”• “Getting the Most Out of Your Conference Attendee

Experience”

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Contact Information

Suzanne CarawanVice President of Global Marketingscarawan@etouches.com203.403.9013Li, Fb, Twitter, Slideshare & Quora: @suzannecarawan