There is nothing I dread more, when I am the customer, than when I have to get into a call queue to get a question answered or a problem solved.  Actually, what I might dread more is not being able to get into a call queue and only having access to a wiki or faq to try to solve my problem myself.  Turns out I’m not the only one who feels strongly on this point, and we heard from event planners how much their customers valued the ability to reach a real person for help in registering.

This leads me to number 6 in our list of insider tips of great event websites.

6. LET THEM KNOW THAT HELP IS AVAILABLE
We all love that technology makes it possible for us to communicate with people all over the world on-line. But, we also want to be able to reach someone knowledgeable to get our questions answered right away.   Include contact information for more information or assistance and assign someone on your team to be responsible for answering the emails and phone calls in a timely manner.   It’s not necessarily critical that someone staff the phone line around the clock, but they have to respond within a reasonable time.   What’s at stake if you miss the opportunity to answer someone’s question?   You may not get them as an attendee.    So, if you want to maximize the number of registrations you get, make sure you have a way for people to contact you with questions.  

By the way, here at MeetMax we do things a little differently than other software vendors.  Each of our MeetMax team of client support specialists works closely with her or his clients to customize their registration site, troubleshoot and answer questions along the way.    If we can help you with online event registration software, please give us a shout at meetings @twst.com.

Continuing our series on what makes a great marketing website for events.  Today’s tip is to make sure that the site has complete information.  Different types of visitors will want different kinds of information.  For example, potential exhibitors will want to know the show floor layout, while potential attendees are probably not as interested in that information, but would want to know more about the keynote speakers.

We’ve summarized for you what information you must have, and what information is nice to have, for different types of visitors.

ATTENDEES

Must Have:

• Topic and Theme of the Event
• Audience Description so I know what’s in it for me
• Agenda (that is up to date)
• Speaker information including their bios (again, up to date)
• Session descriptions that actually match the content of the session.
• On-line Registration Form with ability to accept credit card payments, along with other forms like P.O.’s or checks.
• Logistics – Where to stay, Travel options, Driving directions, Where to Park and How Much it will cost, Meals
• Frequently Asked Questions – these won’t eliminate all of the phone calls you receive, but it will cut down the volume of calls you have to handle.

Nice to Have

• Dress Code
• Spouse/Guest Information – either your guest program or some ideas of sights to see and things to do while the attendee is at the conference
• Directory of Attendees (only the ones who have given you permission to publish their information)
• Links to Exhibitors and Sponsors
• Means to pre-schedule meetings with exhibitors, sponsors and speakers
• Video Snippets from the prior year’s conference - perhaps the keynote speaker, or an awards presentation

EXHIBITORS

Must Haves

•  Show Floor and/or Booth Options, with pricing
• Ability to purchase booth online
• Attendee demographics, including background, interests etc.
• Ability to register exhibitor attendees online, as part of the booth package

Nice to Haves

•  Ability to upload logo for signage, ad for program book etc.
• Ability to connect with prospective attendees with exhibitor’s content - microsite
• Ability to pre-schedule appointments with registered attendees

SPONSORS
Must Haves:

• Sponsor Package descriptions and pricing
• Ability to purchase sponsorship online
• Conference Data - past year attendance, demographics etc.
• Ability to register sponsor attendees online, as part of the sponsor package

Nice to Haves

•  Ability to upload logo for signage, ad for program book etc.
• Ability to connect with prospective attendees with exhibitor’s content - microsite
• Ability to pre-schedule appointments with registered attendees

Because it is so important to keep the content on your event website current, content management tools built into MeetMax make it easy for you to create an information-rich website and keep it up to date.

After a brief hiatus for vacation, we continue the series on insider secrets to great event websites –

4. FACILITATE NETWORKING
Much of the value attendees get at a conference comes from the conversations they have
outside of the meeting rooms. If you want a truly successful event, you need to facilitate
opportunities for your attendees to network/talk with one another. A great way to do this
is to offer the ability to set appointments with exhibitors, sponsors or speakers in advance.
Post a directory on the event website and offer the opportunity to request meetings as a
function of registering for the conference.

Want to read the whole white paper? Click here to download.

Continuing our list of insider tips to create effective event websites … here’s number 3

3. REGISTER ONLINE
Once a visitor has decided s/he wants to attend, provide a simple means to register on-line (and make it easy).
Simple forms with clear instructions for completing the registration process are key here. If you are hosting
a global or multi-national event, offer the visitor the opportunity to register in their national language.

Want to read the entire list? Download our latest white paper “Seven Characteristics of Effective Event Websites”.

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“.

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“.

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.

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