I had a call yesterday from an event planner in the UK asking about how flexible MeetMax is, really.  He has looked at a lot of different online registration systems, and his complaint is that they are all flexible, but only to a point. “This one lets you have just 4 pages; that one lets you have more but the page design/layout can’t be changed.”  I offered to put together a set of screen shots illustrating a few of the many variations you can do with MeetMax.  I thought you all might be interested as well — so click here to view.

If we can be of help to you with software for marketing/registration for your next event, please give us a shout – www.meetmax.com or meetings@twst.com

I recently found an article on Forbes.com that speaks to the business case for face to face meetings.  In their study of 750 business executives, Forbes reports that “executives expressed an overwhelming preference or face-to-face meetings, with more than eight out of ten saying they like in-person contact more than virtual. Asked why, those that prefer face-to-face meetings cited how they build stronger, more meaningful relationships (85%), the ability to “read” another person (77%), and greater social interaction (75%).”

Here at MeetMax, we specialize in working with corporations for which conferences are a key part of how they provide value to their clients.   At their conferences, they feature 1-on-1 meetings so that attendees can connect, in private pre-scheduled meetings, with companies with whom they may invest or otherwise do business together.  Just a sample of some of the events our clients have held this summer –

• China Conference: 451 registered. 119 Attendees have 1-on-1 meetings. There are 1062 meetings in total
• Healthcare Conference: 478 registered. 92 Attendees have 1-on-1 meetings. There are 542 meetings in total.
• Automotive/Transportation Conference: 304 registered. 228 Attendees have 1-on-1 meetings. There are 2387 meetings in total.
• Energy Conference: 775 registered. 311 Attendees have 1-on-1 meetings. There are 1212 meetings in total.

At these events, attendees had on average between 4 and 10 meetings.  These are meetings that are scheduled for them before they even show up at the conference — so they know in advance the value that they will get from attending.  And the conference sponsor/organizer can make a strong case for attending – because they can guarantee some minimum number of private meetings.   With travel budgets being slashed, conference organizers need to be able to demonstrate why attending their conference is going to provide a return on investment.  And as the Forbes article points out, for the majority of business executives, face to face business development meetings provide a strong return on investment.

So that’s the case for including 1-on-1 meetings as part of your conference.  But, imagine scheduling 2387 meetings on a spreadsheet!  It hurts my head to think about how complex and time-consuming a task that would be, if you tried to do the scheduling without good tools.

At MeetMax, we provide you with the tools that meeting planners need to successfully manage a 1-on-1 meeting program within a conference.  By integrating 1-on-1 requests with online registration, you can streamline the requests process.  Our one-click scheduling tools make it simple to build the meeting schedules for each participant.  And, built-in communications tools make it easy to email schedules to all participants in advance.  On-site tools help you keep track of what’s going on throughout the day, and make sure that people are notified of any changes in their schedule as the day progresses.

When you are planning your 2011 user group conference, or trade association annual meeting, or industry conference – think about how 1-on-1 meetings can help you increase the ROI for your attendees and your company.  If we can be of help to you, please give us a shout – meetings@twst.com.

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.

The article below from the Wall Street Journal identifies very significant changes in the IPO league tables in 2010. Specifically strong gains from mid size investment banks. We have seen strong interest by investment banks in using the corporate access data set (buy side meetings with corporates) as part of the ongoing dialogue with a corporate issuer. The Wall Street Transcript software is able to generate detailed reports for these discussions.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954804575381221139138074.html

Read the rest of this entry »

I came across a great posting from Anne Thornley-Brown, Executive Oasis International, on her blog Energize Your Meetings and Events.  Anne reviews all of the reasons why team building retreats / events add to a company’s bottom line, and provides tried-and-true suggestions for how to put together and execute a successful one.   At MeetMax, we have a number of clients who run incentive events / team building retreats throughout the year, so we know how complex they can be.  Hopefully, you’ll find Anne’s posting as informative as I did.  Read on …

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“.

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