Crafting a memorable event starts when the attendee first learns about the
event. Your event website sets the tone for their experience. If it is clear, concise, complete
and easy to use, then the impression they have of the conference is positive right from the start.

Before you begin to craft the content and design of your event’s website, make sure you are
clear on the marketing objectives for the site. Know what you want someone to do as a result of
their visit to your site: register as an attendee, buy a sponsorship, download information, etc.
And, define how your event website will work with other event marketing tools like advertising,
promotion, invitations. Armed with clear objectives, you are in the best position to create a
compelling and effective tool for marketing your successful event.

We’ve asked some experience event marketers and event planners for their input on what makes an effective event website, and identified the top seven characteristics.  Here’s the first one:

2. USABLE
Some first-time visitors to your event website will take the time to browse the whole site. Most,
however, want a specific piece of information, and have a limited amount of time they are
willing to spend to find it. Make the navigation simple and straightforward. Put the key
information – what, where, when and how much – right up front. Remember, your event
website is a sales tool; make the calls to action clear. When your visitor is ready to register to
become an attendee, it needs to be obvious to her or him how to register. Don’t forget about
mobile devices: before you launch your site, view it on a smartphone interface and make sure
the key information and link to register are clear visible and working.

Want to read more: download the full whitepaper, “Seven Characteristics of Effective Event Websites“.

I found this post on industrythoughts.net, and thought it was so good that I would share it with you.  I know it is off the topic of event registration and event marketing, but still … great content!

http://www.industrythoughts.net/2010/06/what-is-in-my-meeting-planner-supply-kit.html

Crafting a memorable event starts when the attendee first learns about the
event. Your event website sets the tone for their experience. If it is clear, concise, complete
and easy to use, then the impression they have of the conference is positive right from the start.

Before you begin to craft the content and design of your event’s website, make sure you are
clear on the marketing objectives for the site. Know what you want someone to do as a result of
their visit to your site: register as an attendee, buy a sponsorship, download information, etc.
And, define how your event website will work with other event marketing tools like advertising,
promotion, invitations. Armed with clear objectives, you are in the best position to create a
compelling and effective tool for marketing your successful event.

We’ve asked some experience event marketers and event planners for their input on what makes an effective event website, and identified the top seven characteristics.  Here’s the first one:

1. ENGAGING
People want similar information to what they would find in a brochure, but they expect the
information to be delivered in a more engaging manner.
Your event website is a sales tool, so deliver a great, easily identified business case for your
event. Take advantage of technology, for example by regularly adding extras such as speaker
video-clips. Encourage people to remain engaged with the event as it draws near by updating
the content on the website on a regular basis.

Want to read more: download the full whitepaper, “Seven Characteristics of Effective Event Websites“.

You asked for more automation in scheduling 1-on-1 meetings and with our latest release, you get it!

Now with one click you can schedule all of an attendee’s meeting requests.  It doesn’t get much easier than that.

MeetMax builds the schedule based on a few variables:  availability, preferences, request rankings.  And if you need to reschedule a meeting, MeetMax makes it easy to keep track of how an individual attendee’s schedule changes over time.

Are you new to coordinating 1-on-1 meetings?  Our MeetMax customer support specialists can offer suggestions on how to go about managing the 1-on-1 process, and can train you on how to use the MeetMax 1-on-1 scheduling tool.

Click here to read more about MeetMax’s latest release.

We are pleased to announce that MeetMax now includes event website templates designed by San Francisco-based designer, John Shern, Duotone Online (www.duotoneonline.com).  These new templates present a polished, professional image for your events.  Unlike competitive products that allow you to build only a limited event website, with MeetMax you can have up to 10 pages on your site, and with our easy content management tools you don’t need additional resources to keep your site up to date.  Click on the images below to take a peak the new layouts.

We are seeing more clients than ever looking for ways to reduce the paper used at their conferences.

How many times have you gone to a conference or a day-long seminar and carefully collected copies of all of the presentations and handouts, put them in your briefcase or tote bag, brought them home to the office and then?  They sit in a stack on your desk until you decide you need room for some new stack of information.  In paper form, the information embodied in this stack of materials is difficult to access and so its use is limited as a library of useful information.

And yet, as conference organizers we know that speakers want to bring handouts and attendees do want to bring materials home with them.  How can you reduce the amount of paper and still provide the benefit of a take-away materials?

The answer for an increasing number of MeetMax clients is the MeetMax document kiosk.  At the MeetMax document kiosk, the conference attendee selects the speakers/sessions for which he or she wants materials, and downloads the materials on to a flash drive.  The materials are indexed by session and because they are electronic, they are easily searched and easily shared with colleagues.   And, the conference organizer can pre-load sponsor materials onto the library so that all downloads include the sponsor’s information — which is a great way to extend the value of a sponsorship.

MeetMax’s speaker registration process allows presenters to upload materials — documents, powerpoints, videos.  MeetMax client support builds your document library and compiles the Document Kiosk software for you into an easy to install package.

If you happen to attend one of RBC’s conferences this month, or Needham’s or Lazard Capital Markets’, you will have a chance to see for yourself how the meeting planning teams for these conferences are using technology to make their meetings more green.  How are you greening up your conferences?

MPI released their annual Future Watch report this week and it had good news for event planners.  Overall survey respondents expect to see about a 3% increase in the number of events being planned for 2010.  I recently polled event planners on LinkedIn to see what their forecast is for event marketing in 2010.  Though an admittedly small sample size, the results were similarly positive  with 83% forecasting that event marketing will play a greater part in their overall marketing plans for 2010.

·          Call for Papers/Presentations:  50 10-page papers submitted, 5 review copies each: 2500 sheets
·          Save the Date Post Cards: 2000 cards, 4 to a sheet: 500 sheets
·          Conference Invitations: 3 pages, 2000 copies: 6000 sheets
·          Conference Materials: 10 presenters, 12 pages per presenter, 200 copies: 24,000 sheets
·          Total: 33,000 sheets of paper.

Paper is a significant line item in your budget.  If it cost $0.25 per sheet to copy/print those 33,000 pages, that’s over $8,000.  And that doesn’t account for the cost of mailing or shipping.   Reducing the amount of paper used is not just good for the environment; it is also good for your bottom line.  And that’s why we see more and more meeting planners looking for ways to “Go Green”.

If you are interested in adopting a “Go Green” strategy for your conferences and meetings, what can you do to move towards a paperless event?

·          Invite potential speakers to submit their proposals electronically and distribute them to reviewers electronically.  Saves 7%
·          Use electronic marketing to get the word out about your event. Saves 20%
·          Require that your speakers upload their bios, presentations, hand-outs etc. to a central repository.  Saves 70%

What are some of the technology options to explore?

·          Marketing: Create a compelling event website and use electronic invitations.  Even for closed or invite-only events, you can market effectively online.
·          Registration: Online registration for speakers, as well as attendees, using a system that allows them to upload documents for you, and/or your attendees, to download.
·          Memory Sticks: Here’s where you can get a huge paper savings.  Provide document kiosks in the registration area where attendees can download, onto a memory stick, all of the conference materials, organized by speaker or session.  For more information on MeetMax Conference Software and how we can help you implement a green meetings strategy, go to www.meetmax.com

What is the best event you have ever attended?  And why?

For me, it was the PopTech conference held each year in Camden, Maine (www.poptech.org).  Here’s why:

• Outstanding, motivational speakers I would not have had access to at any other event
• Innovative ideas that got me thinking and inventing
• Entertaining and engaging, as well as intellectually stimulating
• Compelling topics

Social networking has always been one of the key reasons people attend events.  And while nothing can replace the value of one-on-one meetings between potential business partners, social media is increasingly a good option for facilititating networking at your event — also a great way to promote your events.  Here’s an interesting list of 8 innovative ways to incorporate social media networking into your events.

http://ow.ly/QJYl