The Hallway Track by BusyConf

How to Plan a Conference in Spite of COVID-19 Uncertainty

2020-08-24T00:00:00Z

There can be no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of trouble for people interested in running conferences in 2020. Conferences typically require indoor spaces and necessitate a large number of people sitting in a room together to learn more about a subject from a speaker.

With social distancing rules still in effect, traditional means of running conferences simply aren’t possible to carry out safely. However, as the world comes to terms with the coronavirus, it is becoming more apparent that this is something that we made to live with for a long time - and this means making adjustments, at least in the short term.

Here we take a look at some of the best ways that you can plan a conference in spite of all of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

Understand government guidelines

The first thing to say is that government advice surrounding COVID-19 and what businesses, organisations and events are allowed to do is extremely changeable. Under the current regulations, conferences will be able to resume from 1st October with a number of restrictions in place surrounding how they are run.

Of course, it is important to mention that government advice is changeable - just because conferences can go ahead under current plans does not mean things can’t change. It is important to stay up-to-date with the latest government advice to ensure that you understand the guidelines properly.

Consider hosting it outdoors

Currently, indoor conferences can go ahead from the specified date. However, doing so creates a number of challenges for the organisers, specifically surrounding social distancing. One of the most effective ways to overcome these challenges will be through hosting your conference outdoors. Social distancing still applies outdoors, when proper precautions are taken, the rules are more lenient, which could give conferences that would have otherwise been impossible, the chance to run.

But of course, if you are choosing to have an outdoor conference, it is always best to look into ways you can protect attendees against inclement weather.

“Since the pandemic, we have a had a lot of interest from conferences looking to use our large marquees,” says Katherine Hudson of The Pearl Tent Company “our tents allow conferences to be safer out in the open air but protected from the unpredictability of the elements - we even offer a bespoke 3D CAD modelling service to show clients how it is all going to look, making the whole thing much easier to plan”.

Go digital

An important caveat set down by the government regulations is the importance of adopting a ‘digital first’ approach to your conference. That remains removing some infrastructure that has previously been considered a vital element of conferences - badges and lanyards, as well as gift bags and paper handouts.

Attendees can make use of their own smart devices to access any required information about the conference. And all elements of registration and entry must be contactless.

Safety and controlling movement is a much larger priority

It is certainly the case that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a situation in which conference planner must think much more about health, safety, and following government guidelines on social distancing.

A key quote in the government guidelines states that “events will be planned around one way systems for visitors.” This means more than ever, conferences have to take into account things like directions of movement, proper spacing between individuals, and putting safety precautions in place.

This means that for your conference you might need to work with specialists that you have never considered before. Maltaward is a civil engineering specialist company that provides concrete barriers and other security devices. Through COVID-19 these have become important for conferences.

“Our concrete barriers have always been used for managing crowd flow at events,” says Jim Treacy, Operations Manager at Maltaward “we are now seeing events that would have previously taken place indoors, that now need barriers and pedestrian guards to ensure all movement is one-way.”

Final thoughts

As with any business or indoor event, all conferences need to prioritise additional cleaning measures and ensure that spacing is in place. There is no reason that conferences can’t run safely, but everyone has a responsibility to do what they can make sure everything is as safe as possible.

COVID-19: The Best Video Software To Host An Online Conference

2020-06-08T00:00:00Z

As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, hundreds of businesses across the globe have had no choice but to cancel the conferences and conventions they had been planning on either hosting or attending.

From small business-focused conferences to large consumer-based events, a huge number of events have succumbed to the COVID-19 outbreak over the past few months, forcing them to move from their typical environments to virtual online chats.

While for now, at least, the days of conferences being held in stunning worldly locations, bespoke marquee tents and large business centres are over, having the flexibility to network online has proved incredibly beneficial in light of the pandemic.

But which are the best forms of video conferencing software to use? This article looks at answering this exact question, separating the best from the rest in the world of video calling platforms.

1. Zoom

While Zoom may have been around for a while now, its popularity has soared over recent weeks as more and more people have turned to it to arrange meetings, huddles and conference calls.

The free software originally came with a 40-minute time limit on all its video conversations, which was later scrapped to enable calls to last longer if required.

Now one of the most popular forms of video conferencing software out there, the free version of Zoom enables users to host up to 100 participants and access free one-to-one meetings whenever they need.

2. Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is another form of video conferencing software that has seen its popularity soar in recent weeks. While its free version has been available for a while now, this originally didn’t offer many of the enterprise-level tools that modern businesses typically demand.

In response to this though, the company announced that it was giving free access to the advanced features on its Hangouts Meet platform until the first of July. This, in turn, enables users to host meetings with up to 10,000 viewers, or 250 visitors, in a single domain for free.

As an added extra, using Google Hangouts also enables businesses to record and save meetings to their Google Drive, meaning they can listen back to anything they may have missed the first time around.

3. Microsoft Teams

After announcing back in 2018 that they were making Microsoft Teams free for smaller companies to use, Microsoft delighted SME business owners all around the globe.

Now, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and the growing demand for remote working, they have extended that honour to larger companies as well, announcing a free six month trial for the premium tier of Teams.

Originally, this trial was only available to hospitals, businesses, and schools struggling in China, where the outbreak began. But, as the virus has grown and spread worldwide, Microsoft has now decided to make its technology available throughout the globe.

4. Whereby

Whereby is a video conferencing tool that has been designed with one thing in mind: ease of use. It appears they’ve delivered on that as well, providing smaller businesses with a highly effective form of video software that enables chats to be set up seamlessly and joined even easier.

The only downside with the system is the lack of participants it can handle; on the free plan, only four people can join at one time, while the Pro plan offers a still fairly limited capacity of 12.

These numbers are certainly a lot lower than the other forms of software listed here, suggesting Whereby aim for more of a quality over quantity approach.

5. Skype

No list of video conferencing software would be complete without one of the originals itself: Skype.

Formerly known as Lync, this software has been around forever and is much-loved by many business owners. However, over the years, its technical prowess has unfortunately been surpassed, and the software has gained a reputation for connectivity issues, freezing up and having a ‘clunky interface’.

It isn’t all bad though, as the software also offers a number of helpful additional features. Whether it be whiteboarding, posting polls, sharing documents, using instant messenger, making international calls or hosting Q&A sessions, Skype can certainly still hold its own in the world of video conferencing tools for business.

Conference Tips Every Event Organizer Should Know

2020-03-06T00:00:00Z

If you know anything about operating a successful event, you will know that doing so extends further than booking a venue and hoping people attend. There are a ton of businesses looking for conferences to attend, whether that be to meet others in the industry or to get their name out there. Conferences come with a number of fantastic benefits for those who attend, but only if the conference is a successful one. Even with a great deal of experience in event organizing, organizing a conference can be a struggle unless you pay attention to helpful tips and tricks. If you want your conference to be the one people are desperate to attend, you need to ensure it’s well organized and runs well from beginning to end.

Top Tips When Organizing a Conference

Use Signage and Banners to Direct Attendees - If you are organizing a big and busy conference, it’s important for attendees to know where they are going. Not only does this make the entire conference experience an enjoyable one for them, but it reduces the chances of confusion surrounding directions and people finding themselves lost. There are a lot of different ways to use signage, but roll up banners continue to be one of the most popular. You can use banners to highlight an area, to point people in a certain direction and to advise what’s on offer.
Advertise the Conference Beforehand - Though you may have a fantastically organized conference, it’s a waste of time and money if people don’t attend. In order to attract businesses and attendees to a conference, you need to advertise it beforehand. This means posting about it on social media platforms, emailing contacts to let them know about the conference and having news about it featured on the website. There are a lot of other conferences to contend with and therefore yours needs to stand out. If someone is only planning to attend one conference, you want them to see yours and pick it.
Continually Remind People About the Conference - It’s not enough to simply attract attendees when the conference is first announced, you need to continually remind people that it’s coming up. A lot of people book conferences months in advance, which means that there’s always a risk of it being forgotten about nearer the time. This is why it’s important to provide updates, news and reminders. These reminders could also attract people who weren’t planning to attend the conference to begin with, but have now changed their minds. You should aim for the conference to be one that people know the name, date and location of off the top of their heads.
Offer More than the Average Conference - When you are organizing a conference, it’s important to go above and beyond what others are doing. There’s no shortage of conferences out there, which means everyone has a choice on which they want to attend. If you want people to choose yours, you need to offer something extra. Think about what else you could offer, such as incentives or special guests, and find a way to ensure your conference stands out. You don’t want the conference that you have organized to be known as one that’s standard, generic or boring.

It’s safe to say that organizing a conference takes a lot of hard work and energy, but there are ways to ensure the process is a smooth and straightforward one. When you are organizing any event, plan ahead and give yourself enough time to put everything into action. You don’t want to be left leaving anything until the last minute.

So You Want To Be an Event Planner...

2020-01-30T00:00:00Z

Are you thinking of setting up as an events planner? It’s a vibrant industry to work in but before you go ahead and register your business domain name, ask yourself if you’ve got what it takes. Whether you’re a student looking for careers advice on how to break into the events planning business, or you’re an experienced professional ready for a new challenge, here are some useful pointers.

Which skills do you need?

A recent survey named “event coordinator” as the 5th most stressful job in the world. It’s a fast-paced, demanding job that requires a certain set of vital skills and personality traits which are worth knowing about before you commit to a career in this sector.

Relationship builder

Excellent people skills are a non-negotiable pre-requisite that every event manager should bring to the table. You need to be equally comfortable connecting with suppliers and customers, senior executives, attendees and staff, be a confident yet charming negotiator and able to resolve conflicts calmly but resolutely, all while maintaining your sense of humour. Whether you’re working in a team or on your own, a good event planner will stay calm under pressure, treating everyone with respect.

Project manager

Organisational and project management skills are key requirements to ensure a smooth workflow from the first briefing to the event itself. From venue bookings to supplier contracts, setting up your marketing and talking to sponsors, ticket sales and RSVPs, not to mention the logistics on the day, your to-do list will be huge. The best planners are highly accomplished multi-taskers with fool-proof systems, set-by-step checklists and tools, making sure that nothing falls through the cracks.

Problem solver

With event planning, the devil is in the detail, and you should always expect something not to go according to plan. The skill is to focus on the big picture while keeping track of the little things and find solutions to the challenges that arise. “What if you’ve booked an outdoor event and it rains? What if a keynote speaker is running late or the live band is a no show? What if your computer fails or the venue has a power cut? Do you have a Plan B? A good event planner thinks ahead, assesses the risks of what could go wrong and always puts contingencies in place.”

Commercial operator

Whether you’re planning private birthday parties, organising charity events or hosting corporate conferences, never forget that you are operating within the confines of a commercial environment. From securing quality sponsors to booking stunning venues, sourcing the right suppliers and a long list of other things, you need to make clear decisions on the most suitable options available, using your commercial acumen to negotiate the best deals to bring your event in on budget.

How to get experience?

You don’t need a university degree to become an event planner although events management degrees are available, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, for those who prefer to get an academic grounding. There are also professional certifications that you can pursue at any time, including those offered by specialist providers Event Academy and The Event School London.

Having said that, the only real preparation for working in the industry is on-the-job experience. Some skills simply cannot be taught, and are best learnt on the ground while helping to run real-life events. The UK events industry is a complex sector, worth billions of pounds. If you want to be a successful events planner, it’s essential to gain a clear understanding of the industry – and there is no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in.

If you are starting out, look out for volunteer positions to obtain valuable real-life experience as the first step on the career ladder. Contact local events directly to see if they need an extra hand, and get in touch with professional event organisers and your favourite charities to ask for volunteering opportunities.

Internships are a good way to gain hands-on experience as an events planner, giving you a realistic taste of what the job would be like. Or you can apply for administrative/marketing assistant, event/meeting coordinator and similar entry-level jobs and prove yourself in the commercial environment.

Starting your own business

Once you’ve got the industry experience, the contacts and the proven drive to succeed in this competitive industry, you may feel ready to strike out on your own. But where to go? The events sector has several distinct niches – vertical markets such as corporate events, weddings, art/sports events and so on, as well as horizontal sub specialisms such as catering or venue finding. Think carefully about your existing industry contacts and experience, and your passions, and find the niche that best suits your skillset.

Setting up on your own requires a sound business plan and sufficient funding, plus compliance with industry regulations and any licences or permits you may require. You should also have a sound knowledge of legal issues such as public liability and professional indemnity insurance, written contracts, health & safety regulations, alcohol and entertainments licences and employers’ liability insurance.

You will need to register your business with HMRC for tax purposes, and find a suitable company name that captures the attention of your clients, establishes your brand and clarifies what your business is all about. Register the domain name and think about building a website to help with your marketing, while setting up social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to widen your reach.

The quality and quantity of good relationships with suppliers is the backbone of your event planning service. From wedding cake designers to comedians, AV solutions to post-event surveys, suppliers are hugely important for your business, and it’s vitally important to build lasting relationships on the right terms.

Finally, identify your key marketing channels to help you win clients. While digital marketing around your website should be optimised, don’t forget that events and hospitality are people industries and your most successful marketing strategy will be using the human connection.

Six Things Event Planners Often Overlook

2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

If you are planning an event it can often be hectic and challenging attempting to keep on top of everything. This can lead to planners missing out crucial details that can seriously affect the end result. In this article we take a look at six things that event planners often overlook, leading to frustrating issues. Make sure that you remember these issues for your next event.

1.Traffic control

If you are running an event that requires vehicle access anywhere near pedestrians, then it is essential that you put measures in place to defend people against the possibility of being struck by a moving vehicle. This is something that many event planners forget to factor into their operation, but it can be a crucial aspect of health and safety.

It may be necessary to have fencing or concrete barriers installed to create a barrier between pedestrians and vehicles or equipment.

“Concrete barriers and blocks are a fast and effective way to manage traffic, preventing unauthorized access to your event site and securing unmonitored premises” - Maltaward

It is advisable to discuss the potential options with a health and safety specialist who can provide you with advice and insight into how to best manage the vehicles on your event site.

2. Digital access

It can be something that gets overlooked simply because it’s such as obvious necessity in the modern world that we all take it for granted – but it very common to find events that don’t provide access to Wi-Fi. Many event locations are in areas where signal is limited, and while this might be a pain for attendees, it can make the job of managing the event impossible for staff. It is essential that you distribute Wi-Fi passwords and make them easily accessible.

It is also a great idea to offer charging stations around the event. Once again, these may be useful for attendees, but they can be essential for staff who may need to have a working phone charged all day.

3. Music permits

Putting on background music at an event might be a little might complicated that you imagine. You might assume that it is fine to play music through a streaming service such as Spotify that you pay for, but actually, this generally is not the case. These services (and even songs that you have purchased through iStore or on CDs) are only licensed for personal use, and when you are playing the music at an event it is considered to be a public performance, which is not covered by a personal use licencs.

In general, you need to purchase a licence to play recorded songs that are owned by someone else. Additionally, if you are having live music played at your event then you’ll need a permit for that. The cost can vary, but if you are discovered to be playing music at an event without an appropriate license you can be heavily fined.

4. Diets and allergies

If you are providing catering at your event then you need to ensure that you are putting the correct procedures in place to deal with different dietary preferences, and uphold allergy advice. It can be a good idea to understand the numbers involved beforehand – if you have a booking process for your event, ensure that people have the opportunity to state their allergies issues and dietary preferences. Doing so can help you to manage food and drink effectively.

5. Capacity

This one has meant that many events have come unstuck and had to turn away visitors – in some cases paying customers. Do you know the capacity of your event venue? It may well be the case that you don’t assume that you will reach the capacity, but nevertheless, it is important to limit ticket sales so that you cannot go overcapacity, as this breaches health and safety laws.

Also, remember that if your event is spread across the whole day, there will be peak times. You need to ensure that your venue has the capacity to deal with these peaks.

6. Alcohol license

This is something that it is important to sort out sooner rather than later. If you want to serve alcohol at your event then it is vital that you should get an alcohol license, which can take some time to get approved. You might have some unhappy visitors if they turn up at your event expecting to drink, and finds that alcohol is prohibited.

Saving the Best Until Last: How to Speak Late at a Conference

2020-01-10T00:00:00Z

In the opening hours of a conference, audiences are naturally full of energy and enthusiasm – interested in what they are about to learn and engaged with the day. But after a day of listening to talks, it can leave just about everyone tired and drained.

So, if you are speaking last, you might worry that this means that you talk is going to get lost. Thankfully there are plenty of things that you can do to make the most of your presentation. Here we offer practical tips for speaking last.

Don’t use this session to pitch your product

As a conference is drawing to end you have to accept that you audience has had a long day where they will have had to listen to a large number of talks. Their attention span will be at its natural limit, and the last thing that they are going to want to hear is little more than a sales pitch for your product. They will switch off, zone out, and your session will be wasted.

If you are due to go on last at a conference you are going to need to make sure that you are being as engaging and interesting as possible. And you aren’t going to do this with a lengthy diatribe about the advantages of using your product over another.

Give them a hook instead – provide something interesting to re-awaken their senses. You can then allow your product or service to come up naturally rather than trying to spoon feed it to an audience that really won’t be hungry.

Use new technologies to keep your session fresh

It is essential that your final session stands out in the minds of attendees. Your audience will be going into your talk with the preference that you don’t drag on. They will have already been supplied with lots of ideas and things to think about; they don’t want to be listening to a presentation that is a lot of talking.

This means you need to keep your session fresh and engaging. And one of the best ways to do this is to incorporate new technologies which can then stick in their minds as they leave. A great example for a conference would be something like an audience response system (ARS). These are voting keypads which allow for easy audience participation.

Using modern tools like these means that you’re also more likely to gather honest reactions from your audience. “With more traditional methods for gaining audience feedback, such as asking for a show of hands, research has shown there can be a tendency to follow the crowd”, CLiCKAPAD.

They can be used to survey the audience or even turn your talk into a quiz of sorts. This can be a great way to break up your session and keep them engaged.

Don’t be concerned by what happened before

It can be a real disadvantage to go on last at a conference, because you will have naturally watched a large number of speakers come and go. You will have therefore seen successes and failures, and this can leave you with a perfectly natural feeling that your talk isn’t what has succeeded in the past during this conference.

If you are comparing your talk to others that have come before you it can then result in your losing confidence in what you are going to talk about. This can be disastrous.

The important thing to note is that you should always focus on your own presentation – there is a good reason you are here, and all you need to do is ensure that your talk is as good as it can be. Different presenter will have their own style or topics, but audiences enjoy variation. Do not, under any circumstances, consider radically altering your talk because of another talk that you have seen that day.

Present in your own style

On the same note, it can be easy to watch a great presenter and then think to yourself; mine talk is nowhere near as good, and I need to more like them. You might think that this is your best shot at engaging with the audience. In fact, this is a very bad idea and you must avoid it.

You won’t be doing yourself or your audience any favours by changing the way that you conduct your talks. In fact, if you come across as fake it will have the opposite effect. Play to your own strengths and stick to what you are good at. This is the best way to keep your audience as engaged as possible throughout your talk. And it will give you the best chance of getting your message across.

Conference Giveaways: Why They Are Important and How to Use Them to Reach Your Goals

2019-09-26T00:00:00Z

According to experienced corporate event planners, the most important aspects of conference planning are:

setting result-focused goals;
starting early with promotion;
having the tools for exchanging information;
establishing connections quickly.

However, while those aspects are important, you still need a way to get people to your booth or area.

Standing out from the crowd in a conference can be difficult. So, experienced conference organisers know that using conference giveaways to incentivize attendees can be very useful.

But how exactly can conference giveaways help?

Well, there are many reasons why it is a powerful tool if used the right way. Let’s explore some of them below.

Benefits of Conference Giveaways

A well-executed conference giveaways campaign can draw attention and leave a lasting impression for your audience.

But how exactly can they be beneficial?

Below, we’ll go over some of the most important advantages.

Increase Interest in Your Company

The primary goal of corporate event planners is to drive attendance and increase interest in the company. Corporate giveaways can help you drive traffic to your booth and reach and engagement goals for the conference.

The reason why giveaways work so well in driving traffic to your booth or section is that they are the most powerful incentive.

People love getting free stuff, especially if it’s something relevant and useful to them.

If you have promotional products that draw attention and get people talking, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the centre of attention in the conference.

Help with Brand Recognition

During trade shows and conferences, one of the main goals for any company is to get their brand remembered in the eyes of the target audience.

Growing your company can be difficult if your brand isn’t recognized in your marketplace. Therefore, you must use conferences as the perfect place to draw attention to your brand and become more visible.

If you can put together an effective conference giveaway campaign, you can draw attention to your company during the event. You can also generate a response on social media, as people start sharing the promotional products that they received.

This way, you can reach an audience much bigger than the one attending the conference itself and propel your company’s growth.

Positive Experience for Your Audience

Finally, you can’t underestimate the power of sharing positive experiences with the people that you want to reach.

Even if it’s a relatively simple conference giveaway, you are still offering a gift to your prospects. That will help them remember you in a positive light and might also have a reciprocal effect in the future.

Instead of being a company that the prospect has never heard of, now he will not only be familiar with your brand but will also remember the nice gesture.

He might even keep the gift for a long time if it’s useful and relevant to him.

How to Create an Effective Corporate Giveaway Strategy

We’ve gone through the main reasons why conference giveaways are so effective.

So now, let’s explore some of the more effective strategies that experienced conference organizers use in their campaigns.

Figure Out Who You Want to Reach

The first step of putting together a giveaway campaign is determining your target audience.

It won’t matter how expensive or impressive your promotion is if:

the products that you choose aren’t relevant to the people that you want to reach; they don’t make sense for the environment that you are engaging them in.

Take the time to understand who you’re dealing with and think about how you can match the theme and mood of the conference with what your brand can offer.

That way, you can create a cost-effective giveaway campaign that will draw attention to your brand and help your booth or section stand out.

Think About Your Goals

Once you know who you are dealing with, the next step is establishing your goals.

You need to specify what reaction you are trying to entice from your audience and then base your decisions on making that happen.

Companies often like to dream big with their giveaways, but that’s not always the right approach. Sure, it would be nice to give away something that the prospect will use for months or even years. But that’s not very realistic if you’re operating on a limited budget.

However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t leave a lasting impression.

The main goals of a giveaway campaign are:

to draw attention to your company;
cause an initial positive reaction;
make sure that the prospect remembers your brand, even if they don’t use the giveaway that often.

Even if the giveaway gets thrown out in a few days, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the campaign is a failure. After all, you already made an impression by getting the prospect to take it.

Prioritize Quality

Once you know who you want to reach and have established your goals, it’s time to figure out the exact product that you’re going to give away.

We already discussed the importance of choosing something that:

fits with the theme of the event;
is useful or has a perceived value.

But another crucial aspect is ensuring that the product is of high quality.

Obviously, the biggest issue when thinking of products is the budget. You don’t want to overspend on a free giveaway, as it’s tough to measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

However, you still need to ensure that the products you use in the campaign are reliable and do not break easily. Otherwise, it could form negative associations with your brand, even if the giveaway didn’t directly relate to what you can offer.

It’s always a better idea to go with a smaller and simpler product that you know is of high quality. If you become over-ambitious, you may leave a bigger initial impression but end up disappointing your prospect later on.

How to Host Your Own Music Festival

2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

Music festivals are a real staple of the British way of life. However, with ticket prices on the rise for some of the more major festivals, many people are being either priced out of attending or are opting to spend their money elsewhere. Running your own music festival can be an incredibly fun and rewarding venture. Not only will you have control over literally everything – from the line up to the venue – but you will also provide your friends, family and locals with a fantastic event that could live long in their memory. If you’re not sure where to get started with planning and hosting your own festival, don’t worry – using our helpful guide, we will point you in the direction. Follow these six simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to hosting your own music event.

Step 1: Nail the Venue

The venue you choose can make a big difference to how successful your event is. Think about your target audience and find a venue to match the numbers that you expect to attend. Also, consider the transport arrangements – ask yourself, for example, is there a car park available or a train station nearby? Are you wanting your guests to camp, or will it be a one-day festival? And how will your venue guard against any potential weather issues?

Once you know the answer to each of these questions, you will then be able to move forward with the venue choice. One popular option is a marquee tent, which can be erected more or less anywhere – whether it be in a field or at the back of a stately home. Choosing this type of venue can also be highly cost-effective, as many providers will fully decorate their interior, taking the stress out of needing to do it yourself. You could even think about hiring a few of them if you wanted to have multiple stages for artists to play on simultaneously.

Step 2: Nail the Music

Probably the most important part of a music festival, the line-up has to be great. However, deciding on who you want to play will depend on a number of things. From your budget to the genre of music, you will also need to think about how many artists you want to book in total, and calculate how long you would like each of them to play for. Likewise, you’ll want to make sure you don’t overpay your artists – think about your attendance and operational costs when working out which acts you can and can’t afford.

Once you’ve chosen your acts, you’ll need to think about the running order you want them to play in. Generally speaking, acoustic acts fit better earlier on in the day, whereas DJs and more well-known bands are better off saved until later on in the evening. Also, headliner acts should be booked as soon as possible so that the event can be marketed towards a wider audience. Find your perfect acts using websites like ReverbNation and The Unsigned Guide.

Step 3: Nail the Marketing

Organizing the perfect festival is one thing, but attracting people to it is another. In order to get people through the doors, you need to rely on marketing – whether that be handing out paper flyers in the street, or through an effective search ad campaign.

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes – what would attract you to a festival? Utilize social media channels to reach a wider audience and keep interested attendees regularly updated using videos, photos, line-up announcements, accommodation details, and so on.

Also, consider using a targeted advertising campaign, but make sure you use your budget effectively. If your festival is only going to be a local event, for example, there’s not much point advertising to audience members across the globe – think about the best ways to reach your target audience specifically.

Step 4: Nail the Décor

OK, so you’ve got the venue, line up and marketing nailed – now it’s time for the event itself. As we’ve already mentioned, some venue hire places may do the decorating for you themselves but, if not, it’ll be up to you to think about how you want the festival to look. This will very much depend on the style of event you are running, the location it’s based in, how sustainable you want it to be, and what time of day it’s taking place.

For example, if you are organizing a more general festival with marquee tents in a field somewhere in Devon, decorating your venue with solar-powered fairy lights, comfy seating options, and a neutral color theme could work well. Similarly, if you’re running a day-long death metal music event in a Shropshire-based town hall, a darker theme with innovative lighting options and more standing space could be a better fit.

Step 5: Nail the Event

When it comes to the day of the festival, you will need to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible – otherwise, it could affect how well your guests enjoy their time at your event.

Take it step-by-step: first, make sure that the transport and car parking arrangements are clearly signposted and well-organized. Second, make the check-in process as streamlined as possible, using a dedicated security team to organize queues and check bags. Third, ensure the line-up order runs successfully and that you and your team are well-equipped to deal with any last-minute changes.

Also, consider your event’s health and safety protocol. Ask yourself questions like, how do I want my guests to respond in an emergency situation? Or, what procedures and personnel do I need in place if a guest suddenly falls ill? Having a risk assessment and emergency plan is vital to ensuring your attendees stay safe during the festival, and will also reassure them that you’ve got everything under control.

Step 6: Do it all Again!

Once the festival is over and the dust has settled, it’s time to think about doing it all over again! While the event is still fresh in people’s minds, utilize social media to post relevant video highlights and photos to ensure it lives long in their memory. That way, when you come to marketing a follow up festival, your previous guests will respond favorably.

The more you build up a relationship with your guests, the more likely they will be to want to attend your festival. Analyze what went right and wrong at your previous festivals, and learn from them for the future. If certain acts went down better than others, for instance, think about getting them back again in the future. Or, if you spent a large portion of your budget on bespoke seating options, but found via a feedback form that nobody used them, save money on them next time around by implementing less of them.

How to Infuse Comedy Into New Areas of Your Conference

2019-09-22T00:00:00Z

Conferences and comedy are made for one another. It is the perfect symbiosis of engrossing content and engaged crowds. Hilarious keynote speakers and breakout session leaders are a frequent highlight of the conferences I’ve attended. But while their speeches and presentations are the traditional and dependable method of humor delivery, there are many other outside-the-box areas that can be mined for jokes. Funny speakers enhance your event no doubt, but here are 9 additional areas to elevate your programming from funny contributors to funny conference.

1. Email Marketing

A date is set and it’s time to pack the house. One of the major ways you’ll do this is through your nurturing list, and nothing nurtures an audience like strategically placed email humor. I recommend starting as early as your subject lines:

Ex: Get your ticket now for our nutrition conference - Your order takes just 2 minutes and burns 3 calories!

This one is more obvious, but important to include. Tweets, grams, snaps, and any other short form marketing content is your best friend in getting your word out. Easy to create, these tiny posts can be “the little engine that could” when it comes to exposure for your event. Punch these posts up!

Ex: How will we make this year’s yoga conference the best yet? By bending over backwards!

3. Hashtags

Within social media, hashtags in particular help build your community and can be built stronger with comedy. Like any memorable content, a funny hashtag will see greater engagement by your participants.

Ex: Can’t wait to see you at our upcoming carpentry conference. #IfYouBuildItYOUWillCome

4. Conference App

Unless it’s a convening for World War II Veterans, it’s likely you’ll have a conference app! Menus, push notifications, chat features, all of it can be enhanced with laughter-inducing language.

Ex: Attention attendees, please take a moment to locate your emergency exits. To make this memorable for you, we have marked each one with a keg.

5. Badges and Titles

Whether an employee or an attendee, everyone has to wear one of those self-identifying lanyards. All eyes will be on these everywhere you go, which makes them the perfect medium for a one-liner or gag.

Examples:

(title): Logistics Legend
(gag): Make your employee badges MASSIVE. What’s more hilarious than a sandwich board name tag?!

6. Signage/Area Names

Your conference has a lot going on in many different locations. These places all need names. These names are ripe for riffs!

Examples:

Dining Hall -> Hunger Haters Haven
Main Ballroom -> Keynote Cave
Coffee Station- > The People’s Republic of Caffeine

7. Food

Don’t just name the dining hall, what about all of the signage within this space? There are a lot of restrictions out there, which means a lot of material to work with!

Examples:

Gluten Free -> No Gluten, No Cry
Dairy-Free -> Wary O’ Dairy
Nut-Free -> No Nuts (sane items only)
Vegetarian -> Plant Slaughterers

Your conference program often starts very early and runs well into the night with many social activities. Just because these are formal, does not mean their descriptions can’t be funny!

Ex: Tonight’s group dinner is sponsored by the Networkers Association of America, and tomorrow’s breakfast is sponsored by Networkers Anonymous.

9. Awards

Peer recognition is a fulfilling and important practice in any sector. Prestigious awards may frequently culminate at your yearly conference(s). Spice up those accolades with some fun new names!

Examples:

Top Performer -> The ‘Serena Williams of Sales’ Award
Lifetime Achievement -> The ‘Goldtimer’ Award
Outstanding Leader -> The ‘Actually Likeable’ Award

3 Key Ways To Promote Your Conference

2019-09-06T00:00:00Z

Running a successful conference comes down to two key things: planning and promotion.

Without thinking about your marketing strategy before the event starts, you could leave yourself doomed to fail – after all, how are you going to get people through the doors if they don’t know the conference is even on?

The best way to get people interested and booked to attend is by utilizing promotion channels. In essence, the more people hear about your conference, the more likely they will be to come along. Here are three keys promotion methods to think about:

1. Start early

A bit of a no-brainer really but make sure you don’t leave your conference promotion until the very last minute. You need to ensure that people have time to come across the event, so the earlier you start implementing your promotion strategy, the better.

One great way of getting guests on board early is through an early bird ticketing system – offering a cut price ticket to those attendees who book in advance. Doing so will not only help keep track of your guest numbers in advance but, through word of mouth, could lead to an increase in numbers as well.

Similarly, old-fashioned print-based methods can be equally effective at advertising your event. By designing, printing and distributing bespoke adverts, such as flyers, event leaflets or posters, this will help ensure your event is seen by as many people as possible. Many printing specialists, such as YouLovePrint, offer free online software which automatically checks for areas of concern in your design and will warn you if the picture quality is low before printing. Just make sure that each advert you print has a call-to-action on it – make it easy for potential attendees to know how they can pick up a ticket.

Social media should be your best friend when it comes to promoting your event. With the world becoming more and more technology-obsessed and interconnected than ever before, the way in which people find out about events has forever been changed. If your event isn’t published and promoted on social media, you could miss out on A LOT of potential attendees.

Here are some of the main ways to utilize social media in your promotion strategy:

Facebook

One of the easiest and best ways to promote your conference comes via Facebook. To do so, there are two key methods to think about: first, create an event through your business’ page and promote it to your followers. Second, set a budget for a Facebook advertising campaign, so that you can target and attract interested people to your event, who may not have necessarily known about your business before.

Video Marketing

One of the most powerful content tools out there, video marketing is predicted to drive 82% of the global internet by 2021. Therefore, utilizing it as part of your promotion strategy can make a huge difference, by greatly increasing your event’s exposure. Whether you produce a teaser video before the event, a Q&A session with the main speaker, or something else entirely, videos have the potential to connect with people on an emotional level and make it easier to understand who your event is aimed at.

Create a #hashtag

By creating a hashtag for your event, your conference will receive more and more exposure each time somebody Tweets, shares a post, or uploads an event-related video. However, to do this effectively, there are a few golden rules you need to follow. These include:

Keep the hashtag short and memorable.
Make it fun.
Don’t overthink it.
Use acronyms (where possible).
Encourage people to use it!

3. Blog, blog, blog

Another sure-fire way of promoting your conference is by blogging about it before, during and after the event has happened. Not only will this help keep your attendees updated, but it will also validate your expertise in the industry you work in, which could encourage more people to come along.

For each speaker you book, blog about it. For any updates related to timetable changes, blog about it. To express an opinion on industry-related matters, blog about it. In general, the more you can blog, the more likely it’ll be for your event to be seen by somebody. It all comes down to three things: exposure, exposure, exposure.

Summary

So, there you have it – three fantastic ways of ensuring your event gets seen and, hopefully, attended by the masses. The key things to remember are to plan early and utilize the heck out of social media – Facebook in particular. Blogging can also be a fantastic way of keeping attendee’s updated and ensuring your conference gets the exposure it deserves.

Don’t let those months of planning for your event go to waste – nail your promotion strategy and help ensure you get those guests through the doors.

Common Event Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

2019-08-11T00:00:00Z

It is no secret that planning an event, regardless of the type of event or the size of the event, is incredibly stressful.

Not only are there plenty of things that you can get wrong, but there are also of things that you are going to need to think about and keep in mind. Making a mistake can not only make things a lot more stressful and challenging for you, but it can also have a huge impact on the success of your event too.

So, to help to make sure that your event is as successful as it can be, we have put together some of our top tips on the most common event management mistakes and how you can try your best to avoid being trapped in them.

Not being prepared for everything

It is great to think positively about your event, and try to keep in mind that everything is going to go just the way that you want it to. But of course, it is never a good idea to ignore the possible risks and issues that can pop over during the course of planning and running an event. Things can and do go wrong at any stage of the process, so preparation for this to happen is key. Not only will it help you to identify areas that could have an issue (especially those that you might not have already thought of) but it will also help you to figure out what to do should those things go wrong.

Not estimating the size of the event right

Whilst you never know what is going to happen on the day itself, any event planner will know that estimating the size of your event is one of the key parts of the process. You might think it is better to be modest than to be over the top on the amount of people that are going to attend, but this really isn’t the case. It is much better to think big when it comes to your event. Think about the best case scenario when it comes to numbers and that way you can be prepared for any chances of overcrowding that could occur.

Not being aware of the changes (or making others aware)

Despite your best planning, there is always a good chance that in the run up to any event, things will change. These changes may seem minor, but if they are not dealt with, or if no-one else in the planning team is made aware of them, then this could cause a problem. Any changes, no matter how small they are, need to be shared with the team.

Not having the right equipment

It is all too easy to forget about important things like equipment when it comes to planning an event. However, forgetting something as simple as pens and paper could have a much bigger impact on the event then you realise. Have a checklist of all the things that you are going to need on the day and make sure that you have plenty of it all.

A great way to signpost for your event has to be roll-up banners. Make sure that you get your roller banners right and you won’t have to worry about your event again!

5 Comedians that Make Great Celebrity Speakers

2019-08-05T00:00:00Z

The celebrity speaker can often be the highlight of an event, therefore, when choosing your speaker, you want to make sure that they are going to make an impression and have people talking for ages after the event.

A good keynote speaker will, lighten the mood, have excellent public speaking skills, be engaging and entertaining and have the audience laughing. So, who better to have at your event than an acclaimed comedian?

If you want to add a little funny to your event there are a range of comedians that are known for their sketches on Saturday Night Live or their famous standup routines that are ready to inject some humor into your event. Here are just five celebrity comedians that you should consider:

James Acaster

James Acaster’s popularity has soared in recent years. Since 2008, when James first started performing standup comedy, he has made multiple appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has featured on BBC’s Mock The Week and other TV Comedy shows countless times. His most recent show won him the most outstanding show award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award 2019.

As well as being one of the finest UK standup comedians he’s also hugely popular at events with his whimsical wit winning over all audience types.

Chris Addison

If you’re looking for a comedian with a huge amount of experience, then you should consider Chris Addison. He has appeared as a panelist on shows such as Would I Lie To You, Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You numerous times. He has performed his solo shows at theaters all over the country and has been a headliner at some of the most prestigious comedy clubs.

He’s a comedian adored by many and his confidence, intelligence and comedy mean he’s the perfect entertainment for any sort of event. If you want to bag Chris for your event though, you’ll have to be quick as he’s a man in demand.

Alexander Armstrong

If you want a familiar face to host your event then comedian, actor and television presenter Alexander Armstrong would be an ideal choice. He’s often a guest host on BBC’s Have I Got News For You, he presents the popular BBC game show Pointless and has appeared in a number of films.

His recognizable face puts everyone at ease and his versatile, amusing and relaxed character makes him the perfect event presenter.

Jo Brand

She may have started off in psychiatric nursing but she’s now one of the best female comics in Britain as well as an established author with lots of awards under her belt. She’s made appearances on many prime time comedy shows and even hosted The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, all contributing to her popularity.

Her unique style makes her highly sought after and she’s been dubbed an outstanding corporate speaker and fantastic event host.

Jimmy Carr

Take your event to the next level and invite one of the biggest selling live acts in UK comedy, Jimmy Carr. He’s the host of a range of television shows including 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and his solo standup shows are constantly sold out.

He’s an extremely versatile presenter and can adapt easily whether it’s hosting, presenting or giving awards. His charismatic and ultra-cool character will be sure to win over the crowd. He’s a busy guy so if you want to invite him to speak at your special event make sure you book far in advance.

So, why not spice your event up with a comedian celebrity speaker to inspire, motivate and entertain your audience?

How Technology is Changing Event Security

2019-07-14T00:00:00Z

Both large and small events and event venues that involve gatherings of people are increasingly vulnerable, which means that event planners and organisers need to take great care in terms of issues relating to safety and security. Thankfully it is becoming easier for organisers thanks to the use of new forms of technology.

No matter whether you are organising a summer fete, a sporting event, a concert, or a market, any event that involves multiple members of the public needs to be planned adequately. Here we take a look at how technology is changing the way that we look at event security and safety.

Conducting risk assessments

Whenever you consider any aspect of event security you should first consider a risk assessment. Carrying out a risk assessment should be the first priority in the safety and security of your event, and any decisions should be made by consulting the assessment.

It is much easier to carry out an assessment (and easier to access the results) if it is created and stored digitally. Evaluating threats and weaknesses can be most easily done when utilising a wide range of technologies. It may even be necessary to work with external specialists in risk assessment to ensure that you are carrying out the work properly.

Brief your attendees with an app

If you are looking to prioritise safety and security at your event then the most important thing that you need to is to distribute information. If you create an app for your event and then encourage attendees to use it, you can provide them with information about how to keep safe while attending your event. This could include details such as acceptable items to take into the event, as well as maps and other details.

Security checkpoints

Bag and body searches have become common practice at events to ensure that no-one is bringing in any forbidden substances or anything else banned by the organisers. This undoubtedly has contributed to events becoming safer. But one of the challenges that this brings is the amount of time that it takes to search each person and bag individually.

Thankfully this is one area that the events sector can learn and benefit from the advances in the air travel industry. Airport security has been consistently ramped up in recent years, and this has led to the development of many fast security scanning technologies. There are now devices such as walkthrough scanners and handheld metal detectors that can be used by event staff to speed up the process.

Provide emergency plans and procedures to staff

It is vital for event organisers to come up with detailed security and safety plans, and contingencies in the event of an emergency. Of course, it is also necessary to provide staff with training on what to do if any kind of emergency situation was to occur. However, technology has made this easier as it is now possible for all members of staff to have immediate access to the plans via any device.

This can either be achieved by using an event management app that all staff will be logged into, or simply by distributing plans to individuals.

Have traffic management plans distributed

At larger events it is often necessary to plan for traffic management. If your event requires access for vehicles, these vehicles can pose a danger to any pedestrians at the site. This means that you need to have a plan in place.

When you have created a traffic management plan you should ensure that it is available in the form of digital document so that it can be shared across devices with any parties that need it.

“We have provided concrete barriers for traffic management at many events,” said Jim Treacy, General Manager at civil engineering contractors Maltaward “and the operation always runs most effectively when the event organisers can provide us with detailed plans for the placement of barriers.”

Monitoring cameras

To provide the best possible security for your attendees and staff it can be very valuable to have CCTV cameras in place. Better still, these cameras can be monitoring from applications on smart devices – this can be easily managed now that these devices and applications are so easily accessible on smart phones and tablets.

10 Useful Tips for Event Managers

2019-06-30T00:00:00Z

Managing an event successfully can be an extremely stressful task, even when you’re at the top of your game and things are going swimmingly. The difficulty can lie in the uniqueness of each event—they’re all so different and require fresh thinking every time. A great deal of flexibility is needed to be successful in this field. You also need a reliable set of contacts and places to source from, like Expocart, if you’re after quality banners for your stand. Let’s take a look at 10 tips you will not want to miss when organizing a terrific event. 

1. Begin Planning Early

It’s never too early to start. If you can confirm the event date and venue early, the better it will be. Even calling a year in advance is a good idea if it seals the venue. You may not have exact details on participants at this stage, though there should be some flexibility. There is a chance you may save some money too, by booking early. Getting your stands to look the part is key; here are another two sites which are reliable and will help immensely.

2. Make Lists for Everything

Keep a record of absolutely everything that needs to be done and organized for the event. Create checklists with actionable items, and dates on when items need to be finalised. This also makes things clear when delegating work within your team. Any overdue items should be flagged up as early as possible.

3. Find a Trustworthy Venue

The venue you find could have a huge impact on how smooth or stressful the whole process is. Even though you may be always on the lookout for a unique venue that will give participants something to remember; you also want one that will be dependable and not give you the hassle. If a place already comes with lighting and seating, won’t that make your job a lot easier? 

4. Be Clear on Your Objectives

Be sure to work with your event planner or client on the concrete goals for the upcoming event. The objectives should be specific and try to work with numbers where possible. Such as how many awards are being presented, or the number of questions you can fit in at the end of a session.

5. All Contracts Should Be Clear and Detailed

To avoid any misunderstanding or unexpected alterations, make certain that the initial contracts contain as much information as possible; whether the contracts are drawn up by you or partners. The small print should always be read, no matter how time-consuming.

6. Attract People With a “Green” Event

Organizing an eco-friendly event will be a massive selling point. It’s our collective responsibility to do good for the environment. If you can organize an event with green event programs and other sustainable alternatives, it’s a real win-win for your event and the world. Make sure you promote your idea of a green event.

The great thing about social media is the participants can help promote your event by spreading the word. It doesn’t mean you can just sit back and let it happen, however; you need to be proactive with this approach. Each social media platform can be used strategically to post clever pictures, videos and messages. Hopefully, the public will get sharing—a massive help with your marketing.

8. Do a Practice Run

Every event you organize should be put through its paces prior to the real thing. No matter the size of the event; a practice run is always a good idea. It should include as many of the people who will be involved in the real thing as possible. This gives you a great chance to see if anything is not up to scratch, so you can put it right.

9. Ask Those Who Attended

By talking to people, seeing their reactions and using feedback surveys, you get a good picture of what it’s like being in their shoes. What did they like about it? Was there anything commonly disliked? A lot can be learnt from this.

10. Make Changes That Count

After all the feedback from the last event, there should always be lessons learnt. No event is perfect, and your job is to constantly make changes for the better. You should make it a point to change something in a positive way after each occasion. Examples can be to axe any overly expensive vendors or juggle your teams around to rectify inefficiencies.

Keep Learning, Improving, and Enjoying

As you can see, there is a lot that goes into organizing a successful event. Although it can be hugely demanding; you will feel an immense sense of pride and satisfaction when the last guests have left and you’ve reflected on your achievements. Whether you’re still new to managing events or have many under your belt already, there are always ways to keep improving and take your reputation as an events organizer to new heights. By following the advice given above and some hard work, you will get there soon enough. Stay organized, plan well and learn from every occasion.

6 Social Media Tips to Sell More Event Tickets

2016-06-22T00:00:00Z

So you got an impending conference to plan; where do you start? Social media is a good place to begin to start selling some tickets. Your social network channels, in fact, are a more valuable resource than you realize. If used right, you just might be able to fill every seat. That means more awareness and consumer conversion for your brand.

1. Facebook Ads

Sure, Facebook ads cost money, but as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. Facebook Ads is one of the best places to start. For best results, really take advantage of the “interest” setting, which is a great way to confine your ads to your demographic.

Your ads can be further confined based on factors like work, language, gender, and so on. The narrower you can tighten your demographic the better. It also means you are more likely to get more clicks that result in a conversion. This is very important since you are being charged by the click or by the impression depending on the option you choose.

2. Create a Memorable Hashtag

Why use hashtags at all? First of all, they ensure your tweets and other social media posts become a trend. Those unfamiliar with the hashtag can also click on it to see all other posts containing the same hashtag, thus learn about your event.

Your hashtag needs to meet two requirements: it has to be clear and short. A bit of compromise might be required to strike a fine balance between clarity and brevity.

Take the hashtag #MalibuRealEstateConference2016. Is it clear? You bet. Just by looking at it, you know immediately that it’s a conference about real estate in Malibu. However, the hashtag is also awfully long. How might you shorten it?

How about #MREConf? It’s just the right length, but it’s not clear, is it? Most people won’t be able to determine what it is just by looking at it. So how about #MalibuRealEstateConf? It’s just right. Find the middle ground between length and being concise.

3. Start a Contest

Start some form of social media contest with plenty of giveaways. Contests are effective because they promote engagement through a fun activity. There are various social media contests you can hold, though it’s recommended that you keep it simple. Here are a few ideas:

Supply an existing pic related to your event and have participants come up with a funny and promotional caption.
Have participants submit their own selfies, which they will then edit using a number of company and event-related images.
Word jumbles using phrases pertaining to your event
A short response contest. If your company is a hotel, for example, then participants can, in 100 words or less, explain why they would choose your lodging over the competitors.

Be sure that everyone who participates gets a prize, such as a higher value swag item available for pickup at the event. Winners and top performers, though, should be awarded with a free ticket or two.

4. Get Your Sponsors Involved

No, it’s not out of the way to request your sponsors to get involved in the marketing. Sponsors, after all, benefit just as much as you do from a successful event. Sponsors also likely have a larger social media following than you do. Make it a joint effort.

Consider collaboration work, such as guest posting for each other’s blogs and extending the same offers to one another’s social network followers. Consider, for instance, extending the same early bird sales offers, buy-2-get-1-free deals, or whatever special offer you have for your own followers.

5. Implement Referral-Based Rewards

Why do all the ticket selling yourself when you have an army of followers that can help you along the way? It doesn’t have to be a one-man job. Your followers will be happy to help along if there’s something in it for them. This is why you should have an affiliate program with a reward system in place. Utilize a tier-based system to encourage participants to reach higher milestones.

An example of a tier-based rewards program may include:

5 referrals – free 6-month magazine subscription
10 referrals – free 1-year magazine subscription
20 referrals – free VIP ticket for you and three members of your party

6. Use the Scarcity Tactic

Emphasize that tickets are limited and can be sold out any minute. Also point out that it’s a first-come-first-serve basis, so attendees should immediately purchase their tickets right away to guarantee their spot.

To really make your point, add a widget on your main social media event page that shows the number of remaining tickets, which changes in real time whenever a ticket is sold. You can also routinely send out tweets letting followers know the number of tickets sold and how many remains.

This will convey a sense of urgency especially for procrastinators. You should also encourage sponsors and affiliates to push the same scarcity narrative in their posts.

Social media provides a wealth of tools for selling your tickets. You just have to take advantage of these diverse resources rather than just treat social networks as a place for reading and exchanging short posts.

5 Tips for Organizing a Successful Interactive Conference

2016-05-22T00:00:00Z

The conference is basically the bread and butter of the whole event. The conference is what most of the attendees came for. If the presentation or lecture bombs, then you can expect negative feedback and potentially a decreased turnout the next time you have an event.

For a successful conference, you have to make it interactive rather than just having the speaker talk the whole time. Here’s 5 ways to ensure the audience becomes active participants rather than passive listeners.

1. Don’t Leave Out the Q&A

Lectures hardly end as scheduled. It’s common for speakers to go a few minutes over, resulting in the Q&A session being curtailed or canceled altogether. It’s very important that the speaker takes questions from the audience. This gives attendees the sense that the presenter is accessible and not just some speaker that’s just doing what he’s paid to do.

Set aside at least 15 minutes to take questions from the audience. If the conference is being streamed, and it should be, then you should also answer questions from a remote audience submitting enquiries via social media.

Also keep in mind that Q&As don’t necessarily have to be held off until the end. In fact, it’s recommended that you divide the Q&A into two sessions. If the lecture is particularly long, like an hour or more, then have a 10-minute Q&A at the 30-minute mark and another at the end.

2. Make It an Edutainment Session

Photo: McMaster

Who says learning moments can’t also be fun? Even if you have a charismatic speaker, if the conference drags on for hours, then even the most attentive listeners are going to zone out. A good way to keep the audience engaged is through a comedic speaker that can provide educational material while also eliciting laughter.

It can be tricky to find a speaker that is knowledgeable in your field that also has a propensity for making people laugh, but it’s worth the effort to find such a person. When an audience is engaged, they’ll be more inclined to ask questions, volunteer for demonstrations, etc.

Here’s a video of business speaker and edutainer Mark Sanborn during one of his leadership conferences.

3. Hire a Professional Moderator

There should be a moderator to keep the speaker on track. The moderator’s role is more important than most people realize. The person assigned this role has big responsibilities that include but not limited to:

Introducing the speaker
Making sure the speaker stays on schedule
Informs the speaker to move onto the next topic
Facilitates the Q&A
Collects questions asked via social media
Announces intermissions

A good moderator also interjects when audience members are speaking over one another, or calls for a brief break if the audience appears listless. The person needs to be cognizant of attendee reaction and act accordingly.

The role of moderator is tougher than it looks, which is why you should consider hiring a professional rather than designating the job to a staffer.

4. Incorporate Technology

Technology is always a good way to encourage participation in more ways than one. One way is to incorporate an event app where the audience can take a poll, in which the results will show up on a slide as it’s presented in real time.

Another method is to add a social media wall. Encourage the audience to tweet their questions, which will appear on the wall. There will likely be some questions that come up more than once. These are the questions that can be taken and answered in detail.

If the conference is being streamed, then you can ask those watching remotely to submit their questions in the form of a video. This adds a bit more depth to the Q&A as you can associate a face with the question.

5. Campfire Sessions

Campfire sessions are ideal for smaller groups and is recommended if there’s less than 20 people. These are more informal with the speaker taking more of a facilitating role rather than that of a lecturer. These can also be set in a more laid-back environment like a lounge or outside the venue. With these type of sessions, the speaker kick starts the topic to get the ball rolling. Others will then freely jump in to add their own input. Even if you have a large audience, you can opt to hold multiple campfire sessions divided into smaller groups.

Alternatively, if multiple presenters are available, and there’s enough venue space, then you can eschew the conference altogether and instead hold the campfire sessions in a workshop setting. If the session is being live-streamed, then you can even have several members join the discussion through a tool like Google Hangouts. Just be sure that the total number of attendees – both live and remote – doesn’t become too large.

Make It a Two-Way Interaction

There will be a sense of separation between speaker and audience if all the former does is speak nonstop. There has to be an outlet for the attendees to become active participants in some shape or form.

7 Last Minute Conference Event Promotion Strategies

2016-04-25T00:00:00Z

Obviously, you want to get a head start on the marketing for your upcoming conference. Even so, you can change things up last minute if ticket sales are faring poorly.

Even with only a week or two left before the event, you can still put together a sound strategy that elevates your brand.

1. Create a Special Offer

If tickets are still aplenty as the conference date nears, you can try putting into place a special offer of some kind. There are your typical buy-2-get-1-free or buy-1-get-one-half-off type of offers. Of course, you’ll lose some revenue since some tickets are being sold at a fraction of the price or given for free.

However, it should increase overall sales. It also ensures more seats are filled at the event, which also equals more attendees to cater your latest offerings to.

These deals should also be extended to those who already purchased their ticket. If you’re offering a buy-2-get-one-free special, for instance, then those who already bought two tickets weeks prior will receive a free ticket. Those who already purchased their ticket shouldn’t feel like they are being penalized for being an early bird buyer.

2. Create a Contest

Host some type of contest with a ticket as the winning prize. Common social network contests include a picture that you submit that participants then have to edit in some way, such as by adding a caption or photo shopping it to make it funny.

Another idea is to hold a “fastest answer” contest via Twitter. This is especially a good idea if you’re hosting some form of live webinar, which by the way, is another great last minute promotion idea in itself. After the webinar, begin asking questions to test whether listeners have been listening. Have participants tweet the answer; the person to answer the most questions first and correctly is the winner.

If you want to keep it simple yet effective, then just make the contest a sweepstakes. Have participants do something for you, such as like your conference event page or use the event hashtag a certain number of times to be entered into a random drawing for a free ticket.

3. Give the Ticket More Value

Make the ticket really worth its weight. Instead of just being good for entry to your conference, you can also give it value in some other shape or form. You can, for instance, include a serial number on the stub, which is good for an online discount purchase after the event.

Similarly, the ticket can also be good for a teleseminar held before or after the event, which ticket buyers can access by entering their ticket’s registration number. Add some type of complementary material or benefit both before and after the event to give attendees the most bang for their buck.

This one is so obvious that it shouldn’t even have to be mentioned. However, social media is so underutilized. Too many people only use social media for sending posts, and they only stick to the primary ones like Facebook and Twitter.

You have to be more diverse than that. Expand your social network presence by also including lesser utilized sites like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google Plus. There are also a number of niche-specific social networks as well, not to mention numerous blogs where you might be able to submit a post as a guest contributor.

You should also get your own followers to help you along the way. Encourage them to use the event hashtag as much as possible and to get the word out.

5. Employ the Scarcity Tactic

When hosting an event on Facebook, invitees can click an icon to mark their status, namely whether they’re attending, not attending, or “maybe.” The people in the “maybe” category is a segment you really want to target when selling last minute tickets. These people are still on the fences. The scarcity tactic may help them make up their mind.

Include in your event page that tickets are scarce and that only a few remain. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. You can even embed a counter showing the number of ticket remaining, with that number ticking down whenever a ticket is sold.

When people realize that there is a possibility of missing out by procrastinating, then they would be more likely to immediately purchase a ticket even if still debating to themselves about attending.

6. Get Sponsors Involved

Some event planners are hesitant about asking sponsors for promotional help. They have this idea that doing so would somehow rub the sponsors the wrong way.

Remember, though, that sponsors want the event to be successful just as much as you do because it means more exposure for them.

Sponsors also likely have a larger client base than you do, so they can reach out to a larger audience than you can. Whatever specials you have for your followers, be sure to extend it to your sponsor’s followers. This includes invites for social media contests, webinars, and so on.

7. Get Active on Discussion Forums

Are forums considered social media? That’s up for debate, and it really doesn’t matter. What’s important is that they are an excellent hub for reaching out to an untapped audience. While it’s true that discussion forums are kind of dying out, there are still plenty of people who participate in them on a daily basis. Just do a Google search to find forums within your niche.

Becoming a member, though, doesn’t give you a license to start promoting your conference right off the bat. If the forum is being moderated, there is a good chance you will be immediately barred. Contribute first by starting your own threads or replying to existing ones where you have an answer or can lend valuable input. Once you become a familiar member, then you may mention your upcoming conference in passing.

It’s Never Too Late

There’s always time to promote your conference even if you only have weeks or days as opposed to months. You might have to modify your methods a bit, but doing so will mean selling a few extra tickets that otherwise would have gone unused.

BusyConf Partners with InGo to Integrate Advocate Marketing Into Its Platform

2015-09-08T00:00:00Z

Louisville, CO/Arlington, VA/London, UK - (September 9, 2015) - Ryan McGeary, Founder of BusyConf and Michael Barnett, CEO of InGo announced today that they have signed an agreement making BusyConf an official InGo Growth Partner. BusyConf, the simple conference management software platform, will now offer InGo’s social media advocate marketing software suite as a fully integrated option on their conference management system.

INGO’S SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING SOLUTION TO BE OFFERED ON THE BUSYCONF CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

This partnership will mean that BusyConf customers will be able to seamlessly install the InGo widgets for their events with a simple cut and paste ID entry; no code installation required.

“Integrating InGo into our platform will allow our clients to tap into the power of social media to grow their events through the most effective kind of marketing: word-of-mouth buzz created by Advocates,” said McGeary. “We are so pleased to add this ground-breaking tool to the BusyConf tool box for event planners.”

“BusyConf is our first advanced integration Growth Partner,” said Barnett. “InGo is so pleased to be entering a partnership that is driving innovation forward in the events industry.”

You can now experience the power of InGo on BusyConf with a demo integration event. Check it out here.

About BusyConf - BusyConf is the only application with its unique set of conference workflows that makes conference planning easy. We aim to empower both organizers and attendees to make the most out of the limited time they have. We do this by making it easy for organizers to collect the information they need from speakers and easier for attendees to access this information. From finding speakers by issuing a call for proposals to selling tickets and creating a schedule that works for all attendees, BusyConf helps organizers make their conferences better; better for themselves and better for attendees.

About InGo – InGo is a social media advocate marketing company that empowers event organizers and attendees. InGo serves the largest event companies in the world such as Reed Exhibitions, Emerald Expositions, Messe Frankfurt, Fiera Milano and UBM. InGo provides event marketing solutions for varied industries such as tech, fashion, construction, media, film and more across the globe. It has been in business since 2013 and has served over 200 events of all sizes in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Columbia, Nigeria, Turkey, Japan, China and Russia. Discover how InGo can grow your event at http://regdemo.ingo.me.

Contact
Ryan McGeary
sales@busyconf.com
https://busyconf.com

Source
BusyConf
###

Conference Planning: 4 Things You Need to Know about Ticket Pricing

2014-08-11T00:00:00Z

Knowing how to price event tickets is one of the hardest, and most important, parts of planning an event. Aim too high and you can end up with an empty venue. Too low, and your event might not be able to cover costs. Pricing strategy is very complicated, but at its most basic, good pricing is affordable, sustainable, and justifiable.

Here are 4 things you need to know about ticket pricing.

1. Sponsorships for profit

Most large events use proceeds from ticket sales to cover costs, and then use sponsorship money to make a profit.

Corporate sponsors are willing to pay a lot of money to get in front of the right audience. If your event sells a sponsorship for 5 thousand dollars, not an unusual price for a sponsorship, and your average ticket costs 50 dollars, you would have to sell 100 tickets to make as much as you would from one sponsorship.

It is considerably easier to sell your event to a handful of sponsors than to hundreds of attendees. Price your event based on costs and the number of tickets available, then rely on sponsorships to make your event profitable.

Learn how to create a sponsorship prospectus that works.

2. Who is paying for the tickets?

Many large conferences and events sell tickets for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. While it may seem like people are willing to pay that much to attend events, this is usually not the case.

Event organizers for events such as TechMentor, an annual technology conference, know that their attendees are not the ones paying for their tickets, their employers are. Large companies are willing to pay high prices to send their employees to events because they have a sizable budget allocated to employee education.

If you know that most attendees at your event have their expenses paid by their employers, then you can charge higher prices for tickets. If not, try and keep your ticket prices affordable.

3. Price anchoring

Price anchoring is the psychological tactic of placing higher priced items next to similar, but lower priced, items in order to increase sales of the lower priced item.

For events, price anchoring can come in the form of tiered ticketing, discounting, and time sensitive pricing.

Having tiered ticketing can increase revenue from events by allowing you to sell high priced tickets to those who want them, while still keeping ticket prices affordable for everyone else. Besides a regular ticket, you can have a premium ticket that includes things like a recording of the event, access to workshops, and other benefits.

Discounts for students, academics, members of the military, and other special groups can help your event cover costs while still remaining affordable. Give discount codes to attendees that add value to your event, but might not be able to pay full price for tickets.

A time sensitive pricing strategy can be used to sell more tickets from the start Conference management software like BusyConf allows event organizers to price tickets based on purchase date. Create early bird tickets for people who register before a certain day to encourage early registrations and create late registration tickets for price anchoring to make buying regular tickets more appealing.

Social proof is a psychological term for when people look at the actions and opinions of others, especially those who hold influence, in order to decide their own actions.

Social proof can be used to justify your event’s ticket prices and show potential attendees that your event is credible. Gather testimonials from past attendees by emailing them or through social media and add it to your website. If your event’s speakers are influential, use their names as social proof by name dropping them on your registration page. Using sponsor logos can also help your event gain credibility.

5 Ways to Apply Lean Startup Principles to Conference Planning

2014-08-04T00:00:00Z

Startups, small businesses designed to grow extraordinarily fast, are known for making a lot happen with very little resources. Facebook, now a public company worth over 100 billion dollars, began in a college dorm room, while SnapChat, also started by college students, is now worth almost 10 billion dollars.

Many startups follow the Lean Startup philosophy, a business methodology focused on experimentation. By applying lean startup principles to conference planning, organizers can save money, move fast, and make a big impact.

Here are 5 ways to apply lean startup principles to conference planning.

1. Start small

Startups often start as nothing more than websites with some text. These websites are known as pre-launch landing pages and are used to measure interest in the startup and gain early customers before they have a product.

Event planners can do the same by creating pre-launch landing pages for their events even before finding speakers, a venue, or sponsors. Services like LaunchRock allow you to set up a basic pre-launch landing page in very little time with no technical skills.

Once startups have a basic product ready, they often start testing it with a small group of early customers. This is known as beta testing. The beta version of a startup is oftentimes low quality. Betas are used to test new ideas and get feedback from real people.

For conference planners, a beta can be a smaller event like a Meetup or even a small virtual event. The goal of a conference is to bring people together for the purposes of learning and networking. Blog posts, videos, and social networks can be used to accomplish the same goal, so conference planners can use these tools to create a beta version of their conference.

2. Stick to the essentials

Startups are known for being scrappy and efficient. If a company like Facebook can start in a dorm room, then your event probably does not need all the bells and whistles that conferences are known for.

People attend events to learn and network. If you have high quality speakers and an environment that facilitates attendee interaction and learning, everything else is unessential. Things like conference swag, goodie bags for attendees, and cool technology can certainly enhance your attendees’ experience at your event, but unless you have a big budget or are expecting a lot of revenue, stick to the essentials.

3. Talk to your attendees

Customer development is a Lean Startup strategy that helps startups build something that people actually want. By constantly talking to their customers and asking them for feedback, startups can ensure that they are on the right path.

By talking to either your attendees from a previous event or anyone who expressed interest in your event, you too can unlock valuable insights. Talk to attendees about their expectations for your event, what they liked and did not like about previous events they have attended, and more. Try to involve attendees in the conference planning process as much as you can.

4. Be innovative

It is very clear that startups are not afraid to be innovative and do things differently.

Constant innovation is what helped Facebook stand out from other social networks like MySpace and FriendFeed. Facebook’s initial strategy of opening up their social network to students at specific colleges, one at a time, was considered crazy. What kind of social network would intentionally limit the number of users they can acquire?

This strategy proved to be one of Facebook’s smartest moves during their early years. By launching only in specific colleges, their small team was able to focus more and the exclusivity of the social network led to a lot of word-of-mouth.

If you want to organize a conference or plan an event that is better than average, then you too will have to embrace innovation. Most conferences follow a similar format and never deviate from the norm. Trying new things can help your event stand out. Embrace new technologies such as live streaming. Use Twitter to live tweet your conference. Record your entire event and put it online for free, or sell it as an extra source of revenue. There are endless possibilities for conference organizers trying to innovate.

5. Measure everything

Facebook tracks every single interaction you have with their social network. Facebook knows how much time you spent on their website, what days and times you are most active, who you talk to the most, and they can even predict major life events like buying a home.

Facebook uses the data to make better decisions with their product. By understanding how people use Facebook, they can find ways to make the experience better.

As a conference organizer, you too can start collecting data and put it to use to make your event better. Use survey tools like TypeForm to get qualitative feedback on things like your event’s format, its speakers, the venue, and more. Then use this data to improve next year’s event. You can also use your event registration tool to ask attendees for information like job title and location. This information can be used to find relevant speakers and a good venue location.

Do You Make These Conference Mistakes?

2014-07-23T00:00:00Z

For someone who has never planned a conference, it might seem like a pretty easy task – book a venue, invite the guests, make sure there’s entertainment, food and you’re all good, right?

Well, as soon as you start to actually taking steps to organizing the event, you will probably see just how many hurdles need to be overcome in order for the event to go smoothly – for someone without the necessary experience it might even turn out to be a task too difficult to accomplish.

But even those who plan events for a living often find themselves making mistakes that can even ruin the entire conference. Some of these mistakes might not even seem that bad, but when they do occur they can even ruin the event. So here are some of the often overlooked mistakes that should be avoided:

1. Not Enough Space

It’s no secret just how competitive the event planning industry is, and so event planners try to squeeze as much out of every dollar in their budget as possible, which sometimes means they’ll try to cram the event into a venue that is not sufficient in space.

This, of course, leads to a lot of problems – when big crowds of people gather to one place, every detail must be planned for the event to remain orderly and organized. And when there’s not sufficient space for fitting the audience comfortably, feeding, registering and seating them, then you can be certain that you’re setting yourself up for disastrous outcomes.

Make sure there’s plenty of space for everyone – the venue is usually the cornerstone of the entire event, so it’s wise to plan a little extra space, just in case.

2. Poor Communication with Client

It’s a constant striving for the optimum balance when consulting with your client about the event – on one hand, it’s his event so you need to make sure you plan it to his preferences, but on the other hand you are the professional and you hold the responsibility for the events’ success, so you must sometimes take a stand where you think that the clients’ vision is not in the best interests of the event.

A good idea is to maintain constant contact and discuss the options before making any final decisions – this way compromises can be found and the event will both represent the clients’ wants and be successful.

3. No Wi-Fi

Now this might seem like not that big a deal, but in todays’ world that is so reliant on the web, not having internet available for all the guests can have a very negative impact. And especially for a business event, it’s crucial to have Wi-Fi – whether it’s for video presentations, communications or one of many other reasons.

Also, most people nowadays have phones on which they also like to surf the web, Tweet about the event or share pictures through social media. All of these activities can play a significant role in the perceived success of the event, so for the sake of your reputation as an event planner, take the little time needed to ensure that the venue has a proper internet connection.

4. Not Giving Credit to Others

Just as in any profession, you will most likely not be doing everything yourself – there’s just so much that comes into event planning, all the way from finding new clients to the finishing touches on the event itself, that there’s probably always plenty of people that deserve a proper thank you for their help. Do not forget the people that play a role in your success – even a simple call or card thanking them for the assistance can go a long way to establishing a lasting relationship which can reap you benefits for years.

All the suppliers, event staff, advertisers and anyone else who contributed deserve appreciation – remember, they are all also professionals in their field, so if you have a chance, help them out as well. A strong net of mutually beneficial relationships can help you stand out from your competition in the event planning market,which can ultimately be the deciding factor for the growth and success of your event planning business.

Returning to BusyConf for another Summer

2014-06-02T00:00:00Z

The day after I stopped working for BusyConf last summer, I was on the road to college. Since then, something has been missing. Even if I didn’t make any entrepreneurial decisions at BusyConf, I missed the ambitious, competitive, high-tech atmosphere. At school, I had to create my own passion for success, and keep up my programming skills with daily practice. In contrast, that was a given by just arriving at work before. At BusyConf, I was given the opportunity to challenge myself and improve myself with useful technology skills, but at school, I was graded on my ability to regurgitate words from my textbooks.

Although I allowed for some of the programming skills I learned at BusyConf to slide, many of them made my life at school easier. The skills I gained with the Mac, and software suggestions from Ryan (such as Evernote), allowed me to power through my classes easily. Advantageously, I have archived notes from all of my classes. My programming classes were somewhat boring at times, but towards the end of my second semester, I saw a chance to effectively use GitHub on a final project. My roommate (Richard) and I built a visual binary search tree program in Java. Ryan indirectly taught me about formatting a GitHub page, and working in a team last summer. If Ryan had not shown me how to use GitHub last summer, I would not have been able to build a project nearly as complex. The project was such a success that our professor, Dr. Siochi, asked if he could use it next year to teach students about binary search trees.

College hasn’t been all that bad, but I think it was the absence of BusyConf from my week that made it seem mundane. This summer I am looking forward to working on more inherently interesting projects for BusyConf. I think I will accomplish more in the next 3 months than the last 9. My goal for this summer is to understand web development enough that I can start building websites. My new found confidence with the command line, general knowledge of Ruby, a little bit more web know-how, and of course working at BusyConf, will all help me to achieve my goal.

How to Plan a Conference - The Big List of Conference Planning Resources

2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

Planning a conference is hard. There’s no doubt about it.

Being a part of BusyConf and helping conference organizers take their event from idea to launch has shown me that this is true. One of the difficult parts of planning a conference is finding resources to help you organize your event that are affordable, or even free. To save you time when searching for resources, we have compiled a list of conference planning resources that can help you find a venue, book speakers, promote your event, and more.

Finding a Venue

Finding and booking a venue can be a stressful experience, especially for first-time conference organizers. Renting a venue is often the biggest cost involved when planning a conference. These tools make finding and booking venues in your area simpler and cheaper.

Meetings.com - A venue search engine where most venues are hotels, convention centers, and other large venues for professional meetings.
EventUp - Unlike Meetings.com, EventUp consists of venues ranging from hotels to private residences and small businesses.
VenueSpot - VenueSpot is a venue directory that lets event organizers submit requests based on the number of attendees they expect, venue type, and other attributes. Local venues can then send you offers based on your event details.
#tagvenue - The UK’s fastest growing venue search engine.
Local college venues

Booking Speakers

Speakers can make or break your event. Finding speakers starts with your own network, but these tools help you find speakers on any topic and in any location. Read our other blog post on finding speakers for a more in-depth guide.

National Speakers Association Directory - Find professional speakers who are members of the National Speakers Association or it’s local chapters.
SpeakerMatch - A search engine for event speakers. Find speakers based on area of expertise, budget, and location. You can also post speaker jobs.
Leading Authorities Speaker List - A directory of keynote speakers for specific topics.
Lanyrd Speaker Directory - A directory of speakers, both professionals and hobbyists, who have spoken at conferences in the past. You can even view information about talks they delivered at other conferences.
WikiCFP - An open directory of open conference call for papers. Submit your conference’s CFP to people interested in speaking.
eSpeakers - A marketplace for professional speakers. Submit jobs or browse speakers to find the right one.

Promoting your Event

Promoting your event can be difficult, especially on a budget. These directories and search engines are used by potential attendees to find events worth attending. Submit your event for exposure and free promotion.

Lanyrd - A social conference directory. Submit your conference for people to find.
AllConferences - A comprehensive directory of conferences spanning many topics and locations.
BusyConf Booster - A service we offer that helps conferences increase attendance through targeted marketing. Marketing can be a major challenge for conference organizers. The BusyConf Booster package can help eliminate your fears of empty seats and save you time and money when trying to promote your event.
Confevent - Another conference directory that offers advertising spots to conferences.
10Times Conference Directory - A conference search engine for finding conferences based on industry and location.
Conference Hound - A tool for finding the best conferences and conference speakers.
Nature Events Directory - A directory of science and nature events.
Conference Alerts - An open database of conferences.
Bvents - A large database of business events, venues, and organizers.

Event Sponsorship, Fundraising, and Budgeting

Events are expensive, and without enough sponsorship money and a thorough budget, your plans might just fail due to a lack of funds. Finding sponsors is something that a lot of first time organizers struggle with. These resources will help you raise money for your event, find sponsors, and create a budget.

Booster - Sell t-shirts at no cost to you and raise money for your event.
How to Create a Sponsorship Prospectus - A guide to creating a sponsorship prospectus for your conference.
Sellvent - Resources such as email templates for organizing events and getting sponsors.
Event Budget Calculator - A helpful online calculator that gives you an estimate on how much your conference will cost.
How to Find Sponsors Presentation - A presentation we created on
10 Sponorship Ideas for your Next Event - 10 creative ideas for offering more sponsorship slots for your conference.

Social media should be a big part of your event marketing and event engagement strategy. These tools help you use social media to engage attendees, find influencers, and make your event more memorable.

TintUp - A tool for creating Twitter walls and social feeds.
Tweet-tag - Monitor your conference’s hashtag in real-time and find influencers.
Tweetbe.at ListManager - An easy way to create and manage Twitter lists. Create lists of attendees, speakers, and organizers.
Canva - A super simple tool for creating good looking graphics without being a professional designer.
Storify - Create social media stories from posts on Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks.
Eventifier - Archive event media from social media posts.

Beginners and seasoned event planners alike can always benefit from more information, especially as it pertains to social media for event promotion. Learn the tricks-of-the-trade so that you are ahead of the fray as you plan that next event or conference for your company or client. Let this Complete Guide to Social Media Promotion for Events be your bible as you seek to generate interest and hype using the latest tools available on the most popular social network channels.

Event Equipment

Equipment rentals are almost as stressful as finding a venue. Renting equipment is often expensive and time consuming. If your event needs complex audio and visual equipment, renting and setting it up can be difficult. these services help event organizers find and set up equipment.

Restin Chairs - Rent lounge equipment for your event, including branded experiences like mobile charging stations and social media centers.
LBI A/V - Experienced in building audio/visual solutions for events and conferences.
Alliant Events - Rent audio, visual, and lighting equipment for your event.

An #EventTech Chat with the Qrious Crew

2014-04-18T00:00:00Z

I was fortunate enough to have the guys from Qrious, John Federico (@gadgetboy) and John Wall (@johnjwall), interview me yesterday during their live #EventTech Chat. We talked about BusyConf’s past, present, and future!

Here’s the transcript…

OpenSSL Heartbleed Update

2014-04-15T00:00:00Z

Last week was tricky for any web service that used a version of the OpenSSL library vulnerable to CVE-2014-0160. The Heartbleed SSL vulnerability shocked the world and was probably the Internet’s worst wide-spread security flaw to date.

BusyConf’s Response to Heartbleed

BusyConf was using a version of OpenSSL that was vulnerable to Heartbleed at the time of the announcement. The affected systems at BusyConf were protected immediately with mitigation steps and later patched with new SSL keys and certificates deployed as soon as it was safe to do so.

April 7, 2014 10:24 UTC: BusyConf learned of Heartbleed vulnerability affecting all OpenSSL v1.0.1a-f installations.
April 8, 2014 01:31 UTC: Our hosting provider (Heroku/AWS) recognized and started to implement mitigation steps to recognize and block the exploit vector exposed by Heartbleed. This helped prevent attacks until further security measures could take place.
April 8, 2014 11:30 UTC: BusyConf requested re-issuance of our SSL certificate. SSL Certificate authorities were overwhelmed with requests and set expectations for delays.
April 8, 2014 14:20 UTC: All of our hosting provider’s SSL endpoints were fully patched to protect against the exploit.
April 9, 2014 12:12 UTC: BusyConf received our new SSL certificate from the certificate authority.
April 9, 2014 13:45 UTC: BusyConf deployed our new SSL key and certificate to all servers closing all known vulnerabilities originally exposed by Heartbleed.

When each of our third party service providers announced that they also patched the vulnerabiliity, just to be safe, BusyConf also changed all relevant passwords and rolled all relevant API keys with each service provider.

What You Should Do as an Event Organizer

While we have no evidence that the exploit affected any of our customer’s data, to be safe, we recommend that customers update passwords with all secure services that they use, including BusyConf. We recommend that everyone change their BusyConf management passwords.

What You Should Do as a Conference Attendee

Because attendees do not store passwords with BusyConf, no action is necessary for any attendees of conferences that use BusyConf to help manage their events.

It’s worth noting that sensitive credit card information is never passed to BusyConf’s servers. All sensitive data is passed directly to our payment processor. This helps us ensure the highest levels of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard to keep your information as safe as possible.

We use several third party services to help manage the BusyConf platform. They all have also made official Heartbleed announcements:

Heroku’s Official Response (our direct hosting provider)
Amazon Web Service’s Official Response (our indirect hosting provider)
Braintree’s Official Response (our credit card payment processor)
MongoHQ’s Official Response (our database provider)
SendGrid’s Official Response (our email provider)
DNSimple’s Official Response (our DNS and SSL certificate provider)
Comodo’s Official Response (our SSL certificate authority)
GitHub’s Official Response (our source code hosting provider)
OpenSSL’s Security Advisory
The Heartbleed Bug

How to Find Speakers for Your Event: 12 Actionable Tips

2014-04-08T00:00:00Z

Planning your event can be stressful. Coordinating the budget, finding the venue and hiring an expert speaker are all important in the planning process.

If you are planning a conference soon, you may need to find guest speakers. Here are some resources to help you find the perfect speaker for your next event.

1. Surf through your LinkedIn network contacts.

There is no shortage of professionals on this site, which is one of the most popular social networking sites online. Review profiles, participate in groups and read the content of your contacts to identify potential speakers for your next upcoming event. These professionals are often more than willing to consider speaking engagements.

2. Use the National Speakers Association website for professional speakers.

This organization trains professional speakers and can connect you with professionals who specialize in public speaking. Booking a speaker can be done through their published directory. There are also local chapters of the National Speakers Association.

3. Speaker Match is another great resource for finding speakers.

This site allows you to post a request for a speaker at your upcoming event. The site has thousands of speakers with completed profiles online for you to reach out to for your next event.

4. Look for certified speakers from leading organizations.

Organizations like Toastmasters, Certified Speakers Organizations and similar groups provide advanced certification training to their members. Consider learning more about local chapters in your area and look for available speakers.

5. Issue a call for proposals.

A call for proposals, also known as a call for abstracts, gives potential speakers the chance to directly submit their ideas for talks. This gives you a large pool of qualified speakers interested in speaking at your event. You can then assemble a review panel to review the proposals that are submitted.

Our tool, BusyConf allows organizers to set up a call for proposals and start receiving speaker proposals in less than 15 minutes.

Once speaker proposals are in, you can start rating and reviewing them to choose the best.

6. Reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce.

Business owners join these organizations to increase visibility for their brand or business in their area. The chamber may be another resources worth tapping into for your event.

7. Check niche professional organizations.

Regardless of the industry you are in, any professionals join industry organizations to build on their expertise. Members ofthese organizations often join these groups to take their careers to new heights, and are always looking for new opportunities, such as speaking at your event. Connect with these organizations to find knowledgable speakers.

These organizations sometimes use LinkedIn Groups to organize.

8. Use industry publications, both online and offline.

Guest bloggers are often looking for opportunities to expand their web presence and establish a reputation as an expert in a field. These guest bloggers showcase their expertise in their work. Sending an inquiry letter to a contributor may be an opportunity for you to connect with a speaker.

Use BuzzSumo to find influential publications in your industry and reach out to them.

9. Participate in online forums.

Forums are online communities designed to help people get information. In participating in these forums, you not only get the chance to learn and have questions answered, you also get more an opportunity to identify a potential speaker for your upcoming event.

Use Forum Finder to find forums in your industry to participate in.

10. Check your local university.

These institutions are often the first point of contact for finding an expert to weigh in on a subject or new study. Professors can also be ideal guest speakers in that they are skilled communicators and educators.

Many universities have a speakers bureau that connect conference and event organizers like you with professionals interested in speaking opportunities.

11. Look to nonprofits in your area.

Leaders in these organizations are often very active in the community and are comfortable speaking in front of audiences. Consider a local nonprofit as a potential resource for a speaker. This can also be a chance to add a chartiable component to your event.

12. Use your own network.

Your friends or colleagues may have recently attended a conference or community event. They may be able to refer you to a guest speaker that they have personally seen in action. This would be a great approach in that your referrer can tell you firsthand how they felt as an audience member at that event.

Once you have great speakers lined up for your event, check out our blog post on essential conference planning tips - speakers.

7 Essential Conference Planning Tips: Speakers

2014-03-17T00:00:00Z

1. Use Speakers to Promote Your Conference.

Conference speakers usually have a following in their field of expertise. This is a chance for you as a conference organizer to promote your conference. The easiest way to do this is to simply ask speakers to publish information about the event on their social media pages.

Publishing your speaker list on your website is also a simple method of promoting your conference through your speakers.

If you are using BusyConf’s conference management system, make sure attendees know that they can link directly to their session within the conference agenda. Here’s an example:

http://modeveast2013.busyconf.com/schedule#activity_52938921fe5bc100170000bf

By empowering speakers to promote their own sessions, you also help them promote your conference. This also helps conference attendees engage with speakers before and after the event.

2. Organize a Conference with Multiple Tracks

If your event includes a mix of sessions on different topics, or sessions targeted at different skill levels, then organizing a multitrack conference might be a good idea.

Multi-track conferences allow you to have more speakers and give attendees more options as to what sessions to attend. Event engagement is also increased when attendees have the option of attending the session most relevant to them.

Another benefit of organizing a conference with multiple tracks is that your conference can provide a greater level of expertise.

Instead of having a single track on one broad topic, your conference can include multiple tracks that are more in-depth. For technical and academic conference, having relevant and in-depth sessions is a must.

3. Know What Equipment Speakers Need

One issue that a lot of events have to deal with is not having equipment that is compatible with speaker’s computers. Avoid the last minute scramble for cables or software by asking speakers what equipment and software they will need for their talks. You can do this by emailing speakers, asking speakers to fill out a survey, or by adding a custom form to BusyConf’s speaker proposal pages. Different venues have different audio/visual equipment, so ensure that your speakers know how their slides will be presented.

4. Appreciate Your Speakers

Speakers can make or break your event.

Whether your conference has good speakers or bad speakers, people will decide if your event is worthy of attending based on your speaker list.

Planning an event is hard work, and so is speaking in front of a large audience. These are all reasons why you should appreciate your speakers.

Appreciating your speakers simply means acknowledging their contributions to your event and having respect for their time.

While giving speakers free tickets for their colleagues, and reimbursing travel costs are common and expected ways of acknowledging speakers, another idea for showing speakers your appreciation is organizing a pre-conference meet up for speakers. This allows speakers to network with each other and even give each other tips for their presentations. At the conference, try and give speakers a great introduction to help them give their talk a good start.

5. Organize a Review Committee for Speaker Submissions

Handling a large number of incoming speaker proposals can get overwhelming, especially if you are using email or surveys to college session proposals.

To organize speaker proposals, use an abstract management tool like BusyConf to collect, rate, and review speaker proposals.

For larger conferences, try inviting reviewers with domain knowledge to help review speaker proposals and abstract submissions.

With BusyConf, you can invite reviewers and collaborate with them to choose the best speakers for your conference. Domain knowledge helps reviewers choose submissions based on their relevance to the conference’s topic.

6. Collect Speaker Information Early

As the conference planning process continues, you will eventually need speaker information and materials such as head shots, biographies, website links, and social media profiles.

Trying to get in contact with speakers at the last minute to collect this sort of information is a hassle, and a lot of the time, speakers are too busy to gather and send it to you.

Collecting speaker information and collateral early helps you with critical conference planning tasks such as creating a conference agenda and website.

You can follow up with accepted speakers to request collateral from them via email attachments, or use a conference speaker management tool to collect this information as speakers submit their talk proposals and abstracts. Collecting information such as job title, honors, company, website, and social media links is essential.

7. Help Speakers Succeed

While seasoned and professional speakers should have no trouble delivering a high quality presentation in front of a large audience, public speaking is still a daunting task for others.

Before the conference, send speakers resources such as videos or articles on becoming a great public speaker. They will appreciate this and your conference will benefit from better speakers.

Other options for ensuring the success of your speakers include sending speakers presentation templates or information about the conference attendees.

Event Marketing Best Practices

2014-01-28T00:00:00Z

Event marketing is one method for promoting products and services. By following a few best practices, a company can organize an event with a successful return on investment. The point of event marketing is to bring the right people together who want to hear your company messages. This ensures that the event leads to future sales.

1. Determine the Business Goal

When planning an event, it’s important to know what you want the outcome to be. High attendance can no longer be the main goal. Instead, companies need to aim for a smaller, but targeted audience. You know who your target market is after you decide on the topic and program for the event.

2. Market the Event

The only way to get the right audience is with advertising and marketing about 40 to 60 days before the event. Direct mail works well for those you know, but social media helps you to attract others who fit your profile of the ideal customer. You have to announce the upcoming event in press releases, through Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and with emails. Using social media is a good way to being talking to attendees about the event. Another way to advertise is by contacting influential bloggersand other social media experts who write about your industry. Inviting these people to the event will ensure coverage on popular blogs.

3. Focus on Engagement

At the event, the focus should be on engaging with people on a personal level. The event allows for face-to-face meetings with customers and prospects. Connection, engagement and interaction are the best ways to achieve your event goals. One new trend in event marketing is having current customers share their experiences with potential customers. These peer-to-peer conversations have more meaning for prospects than receiving messages from the company itself. The trick is recruiting customers willing to share their positive experiences with people at events. Another important part of engagement is having the sales people at the event to answer questions, qualify leads, and sell the company’s products and services.

4. Following-up After the Event

It’s important to contact attendees after the event via emails, phone calls or any other communication methods you feel are appropriate. It’s also vital to continue the conversations about products and services using social media. Companies need to stay in touch with event attendees to increase sales. During follow-up conversations you need to make it clear that you are available to help with purchases.

Event planning, whether it’s a convention, conference, or trade show, is an effective way to meet with prospects, talk about company products or services, and find qualified leads. Although marketing is essential for a successful event, it takes place before, during, and, especially, after the event. It’s is no longer just about advertising an event to get a huge crowd. It’s now about the benefits an event offers a target audience in order to achieve goals.

Why You Should Choose an Event Planner

2014-01-21T00:00:00Z

Planning an event whether it is organizing for a conference, seminar or trade show involves many hours and varying degrees of skillsets to get the job done successfully. Attempting to put together an event without the necessary skills, time and resources, can cause the total cost of your event to go over-budget. Hiring a professional event planner will leave you with peace of mind knowing that the event will be highly organized and well run.

Equipment

If your event will feature speakers, they will need equipment to enhance their presentations. The list of available equipment is numerous and setting up the equipment will be difficult if you are not familiar with them. Planners can reach out to vendors and technicians they work with to arrange for such things as hand and table microphones, projectors, video recorders, dimming lighting systems and PA systems. If your event has teleconferencing options, they can organize the necessary communication links.

Dining and Catering

It’s important to work closely with your caterer so they know what your plans are for the event.The caterer will be familiar with the location of the event and can plan an organized seating arrangement and layout of the food. Chairs, tables, tablecloths, dishes and cutlery can all be taken care of by the caterer, relieving you of all those stressful decisions. Dietary needs will need to be taken care for vegetarian guests, and food allergies will need to be taken into consideration when planning the menu.

Overnight Guests

If you are planning a multi-day conference or trade show, out of town guests will need a place to stay. An event planner can arrange accommodations with local hotels or student housing at nearby campuses. Planners are experienced in negotiating special rates for your attendees and can block off rooms at hotels to ensure that no one is left without somewhere to stay. They can also organize transportation of guests to and from the event, especially if they are unfamiliar with the transportation options in your area.

Conclusion

Event planners are very detail oriented and live by their to-do lists. They can draw on their networking system and call upon contractors, vendors and suppliers to make your event successful. And most importantly, your guests will have a better event experience overall.

Sources:

http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/meals/food/food_catering_what_do_you_need_to_know_about_food_catering.html
http://events.duke.edu/index.php
http://www.entrepreneur.com/downloads/guides/1313_Event_Planning_ch1.pdf

The #EventTech Podcast Interviews our CEO & Founder, Ryan McGeary

2014-01-18T00:00:00Z

In this episode, we talk with Ryan McGeary CEO & Founder of BusyConf about conference registration, mobile event apps, HTML vs. native event apps and more.

Check out pThe EventTeEch Podcast](http://eventtech.co/) for more.

4 Great Event Marketing Ideas Using Social Media

2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

In today’s digital world, there’s no better means of marketing than the internet. From webpage advertising to banners in apps, the internet has revolutionized the way we get word about new ideas, products and events. One of the best ways to market via the Internet is social media. If you are running an event or show that you need to spread the word about, social media can be a great outlet to reach people and fast. (Users of social media essentially do the marketing for you with a click of the share button and it’s free, too!) If you want to learn more about marketing your event on social media, then check out the list below. It contains 4 great ways to harness social media platforms in order to promote your event.

Some of the most popular social media sites today are photo and video sharing apps like Instagram and Vine. Instagram, owned by Facebook, allows you to share photos and videos with friends who follow you, and Vine, owned by Twitter, allows you to share videos with friends. Both Instagram and Vine are a great way to build excitement about your event by sharing visual sneak peaks of what attendees can expect. Show a clip of speakers rehearsing or photos of the decoration and setup. Giving potential attendees a glimpse into what they might get if they come will make them even more motivated to show up.

2. Tweet with your own hashtag.

Long before your event, create a specific Twitter hashtag for it. Include the hashtag in marketing materials and original promotional material, and you can start generating buzz around Twitter about it. Tweet regularly about the event with the hashtag, and people will start checking Twitter to get updates and learn more. Retweets and favorites on Twitter can also help spread the word to more people as friends of those tweeting find out about your event.

3. Use LinkedIn

Particularly if you’re hosting a corporate or professional event (or an online webinar), LinkedIn can be a great resource for spreading the word about an event. Experts suggest posting event details and a link to RSVP on your company’s page. Then, people that check your company’s page can find out about the event or choose to come, or they can share it with people they’re connected to who they think will find relevant. You can also share info about the event with related groups on LinkedIn; they are groups of professionals with common interests, and will most likely all be drawn to the same event.

4. Meetup.com

It might not be as popular as Facebook or Twitter, but Meetup.com is a great way to promote an event especially because everyone who is on it is looking for things to do and people to meet. Connect with pre-existing groups of people and communities on Meetup, and share your relevant event with them. Chances are they will be interested in going, and many times you’ll be able to entice an entire group that knows or attends events together.

Sources

https://socialtimes.com/5-ways-to-promote-live-events-using-social-media_b136864
http://socialtimes.com/5-tips-to-promote-online-events-using-social-media_b136873
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-event-planning_b40689
http://www.digitalmarketingdepartment.com/5-ways-to-use-social-media-to-promote-your-nonprofit-event/

Creating a Sponsorship Prospectus for Your Event

2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Congratulations. Your event just went from being an idea to a real thing. You have a planning committee set up, maybe a few speakers and activities in mind, and a general overview of what you want your event to be.

You start looking into venues, equipment rentals, tools you need to plan your event, event marketing costs, and the dozens of other costs involved with planning an event.

You come to a realization: you need sponsors.

Sure, you can cut costs and go lean, maybe skip a few unnecessary items, but the reality is, most people are bombarded with a variety of different events they can attend. To put on a quality event that is worth attending, you need a sizable budget, and one of the most common sources of funding for events is sponsorship revenue.

What is a sponsorship prospectus?

The first step to courting sponsors for your event is to create a sponsorship prospectus, also known as a conference concept document.

The purpose of a sponsorship prospectus is to effectively communicate the value of sponsoring you event.

For sponsors, the value of sponsoring your event can come in the form of more customers, increased brand awareness, and/or an increase in community engagement. A potential sponsor’s goal when reading your sponsorship prospectus is to gauge whether your audience is relevant, large, and active enough to invest in it.

Having a good sponsorship prospectus is essential for any event trying to find sponsors.

Getting started

The first page of your sponsorship prospectus should be a high level overview of your event with metrics on the event and the demographics of its attendees.

The statistics you should include depends on whether or not this is the first year the event has been held. If your event recurs annually, then you can use statistics from past events. The number of attendees, and demographics of those attendees, such as careers, age, education level, and geographic location, should be considered.

Metrics about the event, or the organization or team behind the event, are also important. Metrics that potential sponsors may be interested in include social media activity surrounding the event and the social media reach or popularity of the event organizers.

Use graphs and charts to communicate these metrics visually.

Showing off your event

The next page consists of the qualitative aspects of the event – how long the event has been running, the format of the event, topics covered, the target market of the event, and more information or short biographies of the event organizers.

It is important to frame the event description to appeal to sponsors. Show sponsors the opportunities they have to reach a certain demographic or target market, to influence a community, or be a part of something big.

It is also recommended that you include pictures of past events.

Closing sponsors

The final few pages of your sponsorship prospectus should communicate specific sponsorship information such as sponsorship levels and slots, along with pricing.

You can use sponsorship tiers, such as bronze, silver, and gold, where each tier includes a certain amount of sponsorship perks, such as free tickets, sponsor logos on banners, or sponsoring an after party.

Alternatively, you can present this information as à la carte sponsorship slots, where each sponsorship opportunity is sold separately. For example, sponsoring a talk would cost a certain amount, while sponsoring a drink-up would cost more. Having sponsorship slots allows sponsors to choose which aspects of the event they want to sponsor and allows the event organizers to have more sponsors.

Remember that the sponsorship prospectus is effectively a sales pitch, so it is important to include the reach of each sponsorship level or slot. For a sponsorship slot on the event website, this might be the number of visits the website receives.

Finishing touches

After editing, reviewing, and maybe a few changes, your sponsorship prospectus is done. Except for one thing.

Sponsors need a way to pay you. You can have sponsors send a check by mail, or use event management software like BusyConf to sell sponsorships online.

P.S: If you’re looking for a way to make your event better and increase sponsorship revenue at the same time, BusyConf’s mobile event schedules have a banner that you can sell as a sponsorship slot. Contact us for more information at .

How to Promote Your Event on Your Business Blog

2013-12-17T00:00:00Z

When you’re caught up in paying for advertising, handling your social network accounts, and setting up an event, some marketing channels get overlooked. Don’t forget about the on-site marketing tools you have, such as your business blog. When an interested party finds out about your event and wants more information than a tweet or Facebook update provides, they head to your website. If you aren’t sure how to effectively promote your event through your business blog, use a few of these pointers to get you on your way.

1. Provide frequent updates on your event. Write about topics such as the latest speakers you have lined up, the event venue, important registration dates and reminders, behind the scenes information, and related topics. Mix up the topics and space the posts out so you have a steady stream of content directly relating to your event. You don’t want to post three updates at once, then go a few days without anything at all.

2. Invite your readers to commentand give their input on your event. Use a blogging script that makes it easy for readers to give you feedback. You may be surprised at how useful the comments are, especially in fixing problems you may have overlooked when you’re in the middle of organizing your event.

3. Build authority for your event by posting about related industry news and developments. You want to give your readers a reason to trust that your event is worthwhile, so setting yourself up as an authority figure in the field is important. Talk about current events and the movers and shakers in your industry. This also gives you content not directly related to your event, so you build a long term following on your business blog.

4. Set your business blog up so it auto-posts to social networks with each blog post. This not only automates the process, but also gives you more content to work with on your social networking sites so you’re killing two birds with one stone. If you’re using a popular blogging script such as WordPress, you have several plugins available that take care of this need. You may need a third-party app or custom solution if you’re using a different type of content management system.

Don’t let your business blog languish when you’re preparing for an event. Give your readers the information they need about the event, and provide sticky and relevant industry content so they build trust in you and are likely to have multiple visits to your site.

5 Ways to Plan an Event on a Tight Budget

2013-12-09T00:00:00Z

Although we all dream about planning events with a huge budget to work with, that’s rarely going to be the case. Occasionally, there is only a limited budget available, and as such, we must make the best of what is at our disposal.

Here are 5 ways in which to plan an event on a tight budget.

1. Establish the event type and then select the venue.

When it comes to choice of venue, you should stick very closely to your overall budget. The venue may well be your greatest expense, and therefore, you should make the final decision early within the planning process.

2. Do not be afraid to negotiate.

The art of negotiation is an integral part of your overall itinerary when you are planning an event. Never be afraid to try to negotiate, because the worst case scenario would be a simple “no.” Vendors tend to prefer working with clients who prove to be honest about their budget at the outset, so be upfront with them and do not shy away from full budget disclosure. It’s also possible that you might be able to avail lower rates with the site vendor by offering to advertise the venue during the actual event.

3. Seek the assistance an event planning expert.

By seeking the help of a colleague or a team that plans events professionally, you may be able to benefit from prices that would not have been available to you otherwise. After all, this could be their particular area of expertise, and they may well be familiar with vendors and other professionals who are able to provide goods and services that are within your pricing structure.

4. Utilize the resources you have to hand.

Using your team’s skills can be key to success. If you are unable to afford a professional event planner, do not shy away from soliciting help from fellow friends and co-workers. There’s a lot of work involved in planning an event, so requesting help from your team can prove to be particularly 5.

When appropriate, use social media to spread the word about your event. Use Twitter, Facebook and/or LinkedIn to gain free advertising. If your company has a list of subscribers, send out an email about your event. The more the word gets out there, the less pressure there will be on dealing with other marketing initiatives. Get inventive by using resources like Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Publisher, or Word) in order to create flyers and invitations. Alternatively, outsource this to a local printing company that will offer to work within the confines of your budget.

Conclusion

When planning an event on a tight budget, the key to success is to stick rigidly to the account, and try to utilize any help which is freely available to you. Do not be afraid to negotiate on price, and consider hiring an expert event planner. Expert event planners may be costly, but they will radically cut your workload and may even save money overall.

Planning Formal and Informal Events: What is Required?

2013-12-04T00:00:00Z

The first step in planning an event is determining the type of event you’ll hold. Are you planning on a formal or informal event? For most events, including weddings and parties, you have the option of making it formal or informal, depending on your preference and event theme. So, what exactly is the difference between formal and informal events? What is required in planning and hosting them?

Formal events are what you would expect in a ceremonial environment–people dressed in formal wear following a specific official event protocol. Only invited individuals are expected to attend such events. Informal events, on the other hand, are the events which do not adhere to the standard mode of formal dressing and event protocols. They are flexible and can incorporate many elements without paying attention to whether they are formally acceptable or not.

Because of their strictness, many people would only associate professional event planning with formal events. Event planning, however, is also critical to informal events since they also require adequate preparation to make them successful. Here are some of the most critical considerations you need to make in planning formal and informal events:

Timing

Formal and informal events are held on different days at different times. Most formal events, like executive dinner parties, conferences and exhibitions, are held on weekdays while informal ones are scheduled on weekends. This rule, however, does not apply to all types of events. Some formal weddings for example, are held on weekends when everyone is away from work.

Dress Code

The main perceptible difference between formal and informal events is the dress code. Men in a formal events are expected to dress in tuxes, suits, blazers, bow ties and formal shoes while ladies in gowns, formal dresses and lady suits. Informal events on the other hand, allow their guests to dress as they please. To make your event colorful, you should choose a dress code which corresponds to the theme. Guests at a formal event for example, could be requested to dress in a smart-casual wear with colors corresponding to the theme.

Entertainment

Music significantly dictates the ambiance in an event. If you’re in a formal dinner party with your work mates, you’d expect to have some soft music like jazz playing on the background. Some formal events like conferences don’t even need any music at all. The informal events on the other hand, are characterized with blaring music like rock, electro, house and dance to set the mood for partying and dancing.

Because of the significant differences between these two types of events, it’s important to adjust the planning process according to the event. Finally, make sure that everything is put in place 24 to 36 hours before the event regardless of whether it is formal or informal.

5 Tips on Successful Workshop and Class Scheduling

2013-12-02T00:00:00Z

You secured an amazing venue, have enough discounted hotel rooms to accommodate every attendee, and now all that’s left is to figure out the convention schedule. Much of your time in convention planning involves balancing the schedule in a way that makes the event feel full at all times, while facilitating meal break times, set up and tear down times, and other matters that concern your class and workshop presenters.

Establish how much time you have for workshops and classes. Once you know exactly how large the time blocks are, you can start to work in what the main draws are with workshops and classes, and how much programming you need to fill up all of the schedule blocks.
Physically examine all of the spaces for workshops and classes to determine the size and any special features of the room. For example, rooms with windows, centrally located rooms, and those with special architecture features which may cause a problem, such as pillars.
Send a survey to all of your presenters to determine how much equipment they need in their spaces, whether they have any special room requirements, and their preferred time. This way you avoid having a lot of grumpy presenters in the morning, who simply aren’t morning people in the least.
Use a scheduling tool instead of scheduling by hand. Balancing a convention schedule is as much of an art as a science, and getting help from a tool set takes some of the pain out of the process. BusyConf.com allows you to balance out the workshops that are going to form the keystone of your programming with smaller classes throughout, giving your schedule a mix of must-see workshops and downtime that keeps all of your attendees happy. Another advantage to using BusyConf is its ability to streamline the review committee process, automatic mobile schedule creation, and easy-to-use registration.
Don’t overload the schedule. You want to put breaks around the standard lunch and dinner hours to give your attendees time to grab food. Work with the hotel or local restaurants for the best hours for these breaks, so they aren’t getting overloaded during their normal lunch and dinner rush hours. By putting breaks in the schedule, you also give attendees time to network and socialize, instead of making them feel as though there is always pressure to attend the next session.

Conventions require a great deal of time, energy, and effort in order to be successful. You can have the best venue and attendance in the world, but if your scheduling is problematic you’re going to alienate presenters and attendees alike. Use all of the tools at your disposal to create a schedule that makes everyone talk about how excited they are about the next time the convention comes into town.

Free Brainstorming for Your Next Event

2013-11-27T00:00:00Z

Want great booth ideas, speakers or activities that people will actually enjoy at your next event? There is one free, fool-proof way to get all the ideas you need without a focus group. Here is how you can plan the perfect event using an unusual brainstorming technique.

Go to the People

The number one best way to get killer ideas for your event is to go to the people that will be attending it and ask them, point blank, what they want. There’s no need to go door to door or to send out surveys, though.

If you have a Facebook page or Twitter account for your business, you already have people ready and willing to give you their opinion. Recently, a fundraising event planner decided to expand their Zombie Walk into an all-day festival, but they needed ideas for events that people would actually want to attend to fill the day’s itinerary. So, he went to their Facebook page with a few ideas and pitched them to the page’s followers. Within a few hours, the event planner had hundreds of opinions and many new ideas. With just a few minutes worth of time, he was able to ascertain which ideas where hits, which ones needed some work, and he also had a list of new ideas. That’s a clear win.

The Anti-Social Media Alternative

What if you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter following that is big enough to offer any value? Well, there are plenty of places online where you can reap opinions from very passionate people. The best places to go are forums that target the people that will be coming to your event.

For example, if you are having a small conference for work at home mothers, and you wanted to know what kind of classes or speakers work at home mothers would find interesting and valuable, hit the WAHM forums and ask them. People are on forums because they want to share. You may be surprised at how many replies you get.

Remember, though. Be friendly and be courteous when visiting a forum for the first time. Of course, it is always best to approach forums in which you are a long-time member for the best results.

If you don’t have money for focus groups and don’t have time to send out surveys, these methods are ideal for finding great event planning ideas that will please your attendees.

How To Minimize Event Budget Through Comprehensive Planning

2013-11-25T00:00:00Z

The most critical requirement in hosting an event is finance. Additionally, you’ll need a well-structured budget to manage the funds and ensure that they are distributed accordingly. Unfortunately, most people do not stick to their budgets. They end up spending more than they hoped they would. The major reason behind this is poor event planning. Unless you have professional event planners organizing your party and managing your funds, you’ll probably end up spending more than you had budgeted for.

Event planners are very reliable in managing and minimizing event budget. Although you will pay some fees when hiring a planner, his/her services will help you a lot of finances. It should therefore be considered as a worthy investment.

There are many ways that event planners can minimize your budget. To begin with, they are very knowledgeable and experienced in managing event budgets. This helps in aligning the budget according to the type of event, host’s preferences and number of guests. Additionally, it prevents the cropping up of costs which are not accounted for in the budget.

People who host events without the help of professional planners always hire caterers to prepare food and drinks for the guests. Although this may not be such a bad idea, it is more expensive than hiring professional planners. That’s because planners also provide catering under an affordable event package.

Apart from catering, another costly element is equipment hiring. Most people do not have the equipment required to host an event. They therefore hire chairs, address systems, cooking equipment, tables, cutlery, tents and decorative items any time they host one. Unfortunately, hiring these items separately is very costly. The only way to minimize the costs is hiring an event planning company which additionally provides the hosts with the necessary equipment.

Some event planners also provide transport to event hosts and guests. They connect the hosts to transport companies with luxury vehicles for events. This helps hosts spend much less than they would have if they hired the cars separately.

Ultimately, event hosts end up saving more money than they would without event planners. Professional planners are therefore not only effective in the actual planning, but also in minimizing the event budgets.

Sources:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/37892
http://mashable.com/2010/10/04/event-planning-social-media/
http://www.wildapricot.com/membership-articles/eg-how-to-plan-an-event
http://eventplanning.about.com/
http://eventplanning.about.com/od/eventcareers/f/eventplanneris.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Certified-Event-Planner
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2011/10/27/make-it-work-the-zen-of-event-planning/
http://career.opcd.wfu.edu/explore-careers/event-planning/

9 Essential Elements of a Great Event Website

2013-11-20T00:00:00Z

Your event’s website is often the only chance you get to convert visitors into attendees. It is also a resource for attendees who need access to event information, schedules, and instructions. Unfortunately, event planners often overlook their website and do not take advantage of the opportunity to showcase their event to potential attendees. For those who are interested in creating an event website that will serve as a valuable event marketing tool and a tool for attendees, this is an easy to follow guide on optimizing your event website for attendee happiness.

Download the Perfect Event Website Checklist!

1) Dates of the Event

This one is simple enough, but unfortunately it is something that many event and conference organizers forget to add. The dates of your event should be the single most visible thing on your website. Visitors should not have to scroll down to see the dates. If you want to go even further, use an “add to calendar link” to make it easy for visitors to add the dates to whatever online calendar you’re using. The date should be “above-the-fold”, meaning visitors should not have to scroll down to find it.

3) Venue and Relevant Addresses

The event’s venue and all addresses relevant to the event such as after parties and hotels should be easy to find on your event’s website. It is crucial that the address be displayed in large and clear font. Attendees will often go on your website for quick access to the event address. With Google Maps, you can even create a small map to embed on your website that shows visitors the location along with important areas nearby.

2) Speakers and Activities

People want to know what they’re in for. Having pictures and short biographies of speakers can help promote your event and your speakers. A bio should include what the speaker is known for, social media links, and a little information on what they will be talking about. We recommend asking speakers to submit a short bio along with their talk proposal.

4) Link to the Event Schedule

For your attendees’ sake, do not make your schedule hard to find. A link to your schedule should be on your website and all social network profiles. Attendees need to have access to the schedule at all times so they know what is happening at your event. if you’re using a mobile schedule, and you definitely should be, instruct visitors how to use it. Sometimes that means installing a third party app and then entering a code for that specific event. If you’re using a BusyConf schedule, attendees simply save the schedule to their home screens. Avoid friction and instruct users how to access the schedule, regardless of how simple it may seem.

5) Registration/Attendance Page

If people want to attend your event, make it easy for them to do so! Include a link to the event registration page on your website and every social network profile with a clear call to action such as “Register Here”. Again, have clear instructions on how to register for your event. You do not want to lose attendees because they did not know how to register for your event.

6) Contact Information

If you are organizing an event, then it is a given that someone will need to contact you at some point. Whether that be an attendee, press, or anyone else, make it easy for them to find your contact information. Having a basic email such as “info@yourevent.com” is not enough. Include the personal contact information of the event organizers, including phone numbers and emails. If an emergency happens, you want people to have access to the organizers. Having contact information also helps build trust, because it shows that the organizers of the event are accessible.

###7) Media from Past Event

If your event is an annual one, including images, video, and information on last year’s event is always a good idea. It will help show attendees that your event is worth attending and gives them an idea of how this year’s event will be. Embed slides from past talks, videos of the event, and statistics on the event such as the number of attendees, speakers, and things that happened at the event. If you’re using BusyConf, your schedule is archived so you can link to it to show visitors to your website how last year’s event went.

Social media is an important part of your event marketing strategy and can help you update attendees with time sensitive information. To ensure that attendees follow you on Twitter and like your page on Facebook, have social media buttons or links with call to actions. Share buttons are also a good way to encourage visitors to share the event website with their friends and followers.

9) Mobile Ready

Every website should be optimized for viewing on mobile devices, especially event websites. Attendees need to access your website while they’re at the event and away from their computers. Many Wordpress themes are mobile ready and BusyConf schedules are responsive to whatever device is being used. With tools like these available, there is no excuse for not having a mobile ready website.

How Professional Planning Affects Events

2013-11-18T00:00:00Z

Most corporate and social events are set up with the help of professional event planners. These are professionals who are exceptionally qualified in planning and integrating all aspects of an event regardless of its size and purpose. Some of the events which planners major in include weddings, parties, seminars, funerals, fundraisers, dinners, tradeshows and conferences.

People have always been recommended to consult the experts before holding any event. So, how relevant are they? How does professional planning affect events?

Budget

One of the most critical aspects about event planning is the budget. Of course you will not be able to hold an event unless you have the relevant funds to meet all costs. Unfortunately, most people are not knowledgeable on how to effectively manage their budgets to host successful events. That is exactly where planners come in.

Professional planners are experienced in event budget management. That means they can efficaciously plan your event according to the budget to meet your expectations. They are also knowledgeable on the affordable party packages which will help you set up a successful event under a limited budget.

Attendance

It would definitely be embarrassing if your guests failed to show up for an event. That’s why it’s very important to send out invitations to all the guests you expect at your event. Unfortunately, sending them out is not enough to guarantee a good attendance.

For an event to attract all the targeted guests, you need to not only invite them, but also make them feel wanted. Professional planners are particularly good in doing this. In addition to sending customized invitations, they follow up on the guests to make them feel appreciated, welcomed and wanted.

Catering

All your guests will need food and drinks. Since it is cumbersome to prepare it for a large crowd, the only way that you can effectively do this is leaving the planning and implementation to event planners. They are exceptionally good in preparing different cuisines depending on your preferences and the type of event you are hosting.

Sources

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/37892
http://mashable.com/2010/10/04/event-planning-social-media/
http://www.wildapricot.com/membership-articles/eg-how-to-plan-an-event
http://eventplanning.about.com/
http://eventplanning.about.com/od/eventcareers/f/eventplanneris.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Certified-Event-Planner
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2011/10/27/make-it-work-the-zen-of-event-planning/
http://career.opcd.wfu.edu/explore-careers/event-planning/

Reverse Engineering Your Way to a Better Event

2013-11-13T00:00:00Z

In the military, they call it backwards planning. Planning out your event, your proposal, or your duties with the end result in mind. What is the desired end result of a conference? Most likely you want to see your attendees leaving with a smile on their face, a sense of determination and enthusiasm, and a guarantee that they will be back next year! Let’s start at the end of the conference, and backwards plan to make sure everything is set up and ready for action!

#10 Get Them Coming Back: Sell tickets to next year’s event during the event. You may not have all the details in place, but hopefully, you have a date and a venue. Sell discounted tickets to attendees for next years event so they walk away knowing they are coming back again next year.

#9 Departing Gifts: What are your attendees leaving with? Make sure they are leaving with something valuable and memorable. An item with your logo and the conference name would be ideal. A shirt, pen, or mug are all something that your attendees can use throughout the year, and it is continued advertising for the event.

#8 Closing Speaker: How will you close the conference? Will you have a dynamic keynote to close out the conference and get everyone fired up for next year? Will you end with a reception and dance? Leave a lasting impression, and make the last hour of your event spectacular!

#7 Dynamic Speakers: Speaking of speakers, do you have a great line up of speakers? Have you heard them speak before? Do they have solid reputations? Are they all relevant to your industry and the conference theme?

#6 Good Food and Lots of Coffee: If your event is taking place at a hotel or conference center, the food is probably being provided by the venue. If it is being catered from another establishment, make sure that you have plenty of food and that it is tasty and easy to eat. Stocking up on water, tea, and especially coffee, will ensure your attendees are well taken care of.

#5 Signs and Direction: Make it easy for your attendees to find their next session or where to go for lunch. Have signs made and start place them before attendees enter the building. Attendees want to know they are in the right place. A welcome banner with your name, logo, and the name of the conference assures people they are headed in the right direction.

#4 Decorations: Table cloths and flowers are an easy and inexpensive way to decorate a large room. Add some simple centerpieces to the tables and you are good to go.

#3 Parking/Transportation: If this is a destination conference, allow ample time for attendees to get to the event. Shuttles to and from the airport are helpful as are ample parking once attendees have arrived. Give them a list of ideas for transportation, and have someone available to answer questions as they arise.

#2 Marketing: Start your marketing early with social media, your website, and print materials around town. It is never too early to start marketing your event. Continue to market your event during and after the conference.

#1 BusyConf: Ready to plan your conference? Contact BusyConf and make it a seamless and effortless ordeal. BusyConf is a one-stop platform that allows you to collect speaker proposals, build schedules, and handle ticket registration.

Backwards planning helps you see your conference or event in a different light. It allows you to look at every step and prepare for the unexpected. Ask yourself what your ultimate take away will be and backwards plan from there.

How to Increase Ticket Sales at Your Next Event

2013-11-10T00:00:00Z

Every event planner wants to sell more tickets. Selling more tickets not only increases your revenue and helps to pay for supplies, meeting space, food, etc., but it also builds morale for the attendees and speakers. Attendees want to be at a full and busy conference. You, as a conference planner, want as many people as possible. No one wants a small crowd. How do you fill that room and increase your ticket sales? Here are a few action items that you can take:

Popular Venue: Find a venue that is well known and popular in your industry or your town. Perhaps there is a fancy hotel and conference center or a local college. Attendees like recognizable venues or exotic destinations with opporuntities for new experiences. A warehouse by the airport probably isn’t going to attract many new attendees.

Social Media: Social media is a free and easy way to promote your event. Create a Facebook business page for your event, and let people know that you are on Facebook. From your business page you can entice followers to go to your conference. It is a great platform for creating conversation and engaging with your attendees. You can also connect your website to your Facebook page and vice versus. This will create more traffic and more opportunity for people to see your event.

Press Release: Write a press release 6 months before your event and then a few more times leading up to your event. Capitalize on your amazing venue, the dynamic speakers, and all of the ways they can learn more about the event (Facebook, Twitter, your website, etc). Send it to all major news outlets. Many news channels also have free online community calendars where you can promote your event. Go to their website and see if you can add your event to their calendar.

Email Blasts: By now you should have a solid list of email addresses from your customers. Create an email blast to send out to your contact list with details of the event. Include a link to buy tickets and make it as easy as possible. You may even want to include an incentive for your contacts. For example, get two friends to purchase tickets to our event and receive 40% off your ticket! People love a discount and word of mouth is great for you!

How to Use Content Marketing to Create a Successful Event

2013-11-06T00:00:00Z

Content marketing is ideal for promoting an event. Creating tailored content for your event helps to build awareness and gets people talking. Generating buzz is critical because most attendees are unlikely to purchase tickets on the strength of an invitation alone. People are also more likely to respond favorably to content marketing than traditional advertising. 80% of business people prefer to get information in the form of articles than an ad, according to a recent poll by the Content Marketing Institute. Below you can learn some specific content marketing tactics to promote your next event.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging can be an effective tactic to get attention from targeted audiences. With guest blogging, you post on popular blogs in your industry. There are two approaches you can take with guest blogging to promote your event. Firsty, you can ask speakers if they would like to contribute a guest blog post and then arrange for it to appear on a related blog. Alternatively, you can choose to create the content yourself.

Most blogs will not want to share content that is overly promotional with their readers. This means that you can’t write a blog post about the event itself. Instead, choose a topic that will be covered at the event, and write a blog post centered around it. Try to choose a topic that is likely to stir up interest or a little controversy. Bloggers like to see comments on posts, and if it is successful, you may be asked to write for the blog again. You can use your byline at the bottom of the guest post to include the event details and a link to your website.

One of these easiest ways to find blogs to guest post on is use Google. Use the following format for your Google search

[Industry] “Guest Post”

So for example, if we were promoting an event for the healthcare industry we would enter a search for -

Healthcare “Guest Post”

This should produce a list of blogs that are already allowing guest posts. Reach out to each of the blogs and pitch them your idea for a guest post.

Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts are an excellent way to build buzz for an event. They also give potential attendees an advance taste of a speakers content, so they can decide whether it is something they want to watch at the event.

To use Google Hangouts, arrange an interview with a speaker from your event. Invite people to attend and ask them to provide questions for the speaker. These questions will form the basis of the interview. You can also use the video recorded from the hangout to promote your event.

Use Video Marketing

Video can attract a lot of eyeballs for your event. On YouTube alone, more than 1 billion hours of video are consumed every single month. Unless you already have a lot of subscribers, consider starting a specific channel to promote your event. This will allow you to release a series of videos which steadily builds up buzz for the event. People who want to receive more video content, can choose to follow the channel. You can use videos from previous events as well as post event footage. Video content can include interviews with speakers, footage from the event, and summaries of what is going to be covered. Don’t forget to include a link in the video description to the landing page on your event website.

Every time that you upload new content, you should share it through your social networks. Share a link to your video on Twitter and make sure to uses an appropriate hashtag so that it is easy for other people to discover. Facebook is another great place to share video content. Studies show that Facebook members are more likely to share, like and comment posts which have video footage in it. You can also set up a dedicated Facebook Fanpage for your event.

Finally, use the “YouTube Insight” function to gain a deeper understanding of your video marketing. This tool will give you an overview of the demographics which are viewing your video content and where traffic is coming from. If a social network is producing better quality traffic, you should focus your promotional efforts there.

Promoting your event with content marketing requires creativity, networking, and a little bit of hustle. However, when it is used properly it is one of the best ways to build awareness and improve attendance for your event.

Shape the Legacy Your Event Leaves Behind

2013-11-04T00:00:00Z

Your event may seem like a momentary thing. It comes. It goes. It’s done. But if that were true, why invest in an event at all? According to Forbes, the event industry is growing faster than the economy, because every event is an opportunity to build your brand. If you don’t shape the legacy of your event, then you’re wasting a significant portion of your investment.

Before Your Event

Even if you’ve never heard “building buzz” before, you’ve seen it in action. You’ve seen how trailers tease viewers and actors appear on talk shows before a movie comes out. If they create enough buzz, the theaters will be packed the day the movie opens.

You have to build buzz over your event to make it a success. By tipping off your target audience prior to your event, you can build their excitement and engagement. Tease them with hints and clues about what to expect. Surprise and delight them. Build their expectations. Then, deliver something even better during your event.

During Your Event

While your event is taking place, you need to take steps to make it memorable, appropriate, and appreciated. Whatever the purpose of your event, you need to engage your visitors in the moment to achieve your objectives.

Inc. offers up some great suggestions, some of which will work for an event of any size:

Create an event within your event to engage directly with your audience.
Use social marketing to create an atmosphere of exclusivity and to encourage participants with in-event reporting.
Get honest, real-time feedback from event participants.
Combine technologies to enhance your event.

Keep your marketing objectives in mind throughout your event. It’s not enough to make it memorable–a drunken lout knocking over your displays would be memorable. You want to leave a brand-building memory in the minds of your event participants.

After Your Event

Once your event is over, it doesn’t have to die. Keep your event alive on social media sites. Get participants to talk about it. If your event is successful, they won’t need much encouragement. Forbes says, “The objective is to create an experience that is so engaging and relevant that brand loyalists talk about it on social media, post photos, and assume some of the brandwork of creating a consistent presence.”

You want participants engaged. You want them to look forward to your next event. You want the people who missed your event to know they missed out. You want your event to have a lasting legacy that keeps your business and your brand in the minds of your customers. You can do all of that if you use your marketing creativity to shape your event’s legacy.

5 Tips for Promoting Your Next Event with Linkedin

2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

LinkedIn is one of the best places to promote your next event. This social network has over 238 million members in 200 countries who are looking to network and educate themselves about their industry. LinkedIn also provides a number of tools which make promoting your event much easier. Here you will find five tips for marketing your next event on LinkedIn.

#1 Start with Your Company Page

Promoting your event on LinkedIn begins with you company page. When you have an upcoming event, update your company page. This update will appear in the news feed of LinkedIn members following your company page. To use your company page effectively, you need to begin your promotion well in advance of your next event. The more followers you can attract to your company page, the wider your audience will be when you start marketing your event.

#2 Use Sponsored Updates

A recent addition to LinkedIn’s serve-selflink advertising platform is the ability to create sponsored updates. The sponsored updates allow you to select any update on your company page and pay for it to reach a wide audience. Because LinkedIn knows a lot of information about their users, you can target updates using criteria such as age, location, job title, company and gender. Using sponsored updates you can ensure that your promotion gets in front of exactly the right audience.

#3 Encourage Speakers to Promote to Their Network

It is to your speakers advantage to promote the event. Ask your event speakers if they could promote to their own networks. LinkedIn members are much more likely to be receptive from event promotion that comes from the speaker than from an event company that they may not be familiar with. Consider doing a video interview with your speaker in order to encourage them to share content with their network.

#4 Join Relevant Groups

Look for groups that your event attendees are likely to belong to. You can find a list of all of the LinkedIn groups at the LinkedIn Group Directory. Keep in mind that some groups will require you to be approved before you can join, so allow time to be accepted by the group moderators.

Before promoting your event in the group, you want to familiarize yourself with the type of content that people are already posting there. You want your promotional content to be congruent with what is already being posted. You also need to avoid being perceived as hard selling your event. This can upset other members of the group and may even result in you being banned.

Instead, you want to viewed as a useful contributor. A good way to do this is to bring up an interesting topic that will be covered in the event and encourage other group members to share their opinion. You can then include a link in your content to a page where they can find out more about the event.

#5 Leverage Influencers Networks

When it comes promoting an event, one of the most effective techniques is to leverage the network of influencers in your industry. For example, if you were promoting an event in the tech marketing space, then you might want to reach out to influencers such as Seth Godin or Guy Kawasaki. Whatever industry you are in there will be influencers that have massive LinkedIn networks.

These influencers are trusted by their network who will respond positively to recommendations that they make. Asking these influencers to immediately promote your event is rarely effective. Instead, you want form a relationship with them well before you start asking for favors. Think about what you can do for them as way of introduction. For example, you could recommend their latest book with your own network. If you already have an existing relationship with these influencers, they will be much more likely to respond favorably to a request to promote your event.

In order to use LinkedIn effectively, it helps if you have plenty of quality of content to share. Videos, blog posts, infographics and white papers should be prepared ahead of time to assist with your event promotion. Remember, no matter who your ideal event attendee is, they are already on LinkedIn. Take advantage of the possibilities offered by LinkedIn to ensure your next event is fully booked.

The Conference Is Over. Now What?

2013-10-29T00:00:00Z

You just poured your heart and soul into putting on the best conference you could possibly imagine. Everything went well. The speakers showed up, the attendees enjoyed themselves, and nothing major went wrong. The buzz is finally dying down and you have some time to reflect. But now what? What can you, as a conference planner, do to prepare for next year? Unfortunately, while the conference may be over, your work is not. There are a few things that should be addressed right away.

The first thing you want to do is thank your sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and attendees for making this conference such a success. A letter with your signature would be most appropriate. If that is not possible, sending an e-mail will suffice. Be sure to thank everyone on your website, your social media platforms, and through an e-mail newsletter if you have them in your contact list. Everyone loves to be appreciated and recognized!

The next thing you want to do is make sure that everything is set for next year. By now, you have told the attendees and speakers when the event will take place and hopefully where. Confirm your venue is set and that the dates are solid, the conference rooms are booked, and get details about parking and catering. You can iron out more specific details when the time gets closer, but make sure that you are on the calendar and that everything you will need is available. The next step is to secure your speakers and make sure that the attendees have a save-the-date. It is not too early to start promoting your conference for next year. Talk about it now while people are inspired from the previous conference and eager to do it again.

It is very important to re-group and evaluate the conference. What went well? What didn’t? Get your whole team together for a daylong de-briefing of the conference. Bring in some lunch and make it fun. Review the surveys you sent out to attendees during and after the conference. Which speaker did they like the best? Which topics were most popular? What would they change if they could change one thing? Take note of this very important information and put it into practice. The conference is for the attendees. You want to make them happy, so listen to what they have to say. Fix something if it is not working and duplicate those things that are.

Finally, give yourself a pat on the back and some time to relax. Planning a conference takes a lot of work, patience, and skill. Take a couple days to enjoy the fact that it is over. Give yourself kudos for pulling off such a great event. This will give you the strength to get back into the game and start getting ready for next year’s event. It will be here before you know it!

How to Convert Attendees into Leads

2013-10-24T00:00:00Z

6 Strategies to Maximize Every Conference

You’re attending a conference, and you have a million conflicting priorities plus twice as many distractions. First of all, don’t panic. It really doesn’t matter what you do at a conference as much as how you follow up after you get back. Remember that fact, and it will take the pressure off, but it also points out how important it is to manage your time wisely. Once you get home, all you have is the data you collected. Here are the top 6 ways to make all those conference fees pay for themselves:

1. Get there early and map out your day.

The vast majority of attendees spend their conference waiting in line for registration, for presentations, for lunch, etc. Be the early bird and spend the down time preparing your game plan to hit the best presentations and booths.

2. Leave holes in your plans.

This is the next stage of problems that many people experience after they start preparing more carefully. They budget their time to the minute and lose the “Aha!” moments. Schedule time for depressurizing, for taking notes, for updating your schedule based on changes and new information. Take a little time to expect the unexpected and seize the moment.

3. Meet as many attendees as you can, but do it wisely.

The rule at conventions should be: accept 2x as many business cards as you give out. This is actually a challenge because so many interactions involve an exchange of cards. However, if there is a crowd around a person or table of a company that interests you, take the card and come back. They are much more likely to remember you when they aren’t surrounded in a sea of faces. This is also a better way to manage your time and cover more ground.

4. Pay very close attention and make it short.

Listening beats pitching every time. There will be time for your pitch after you are better prepared. Now is the time to learn about the people you meet because most people are not what they seem. Are they enthusiastic about their business or scouting for a new job? Are they thought leaders or just repeating something they have memorized? The after conference happy hours are very often the places where business actually gets done and whole new industries are born.

5. Jot down some notes for yourself after every interaction.

The one with the best comments wins. These will form the basis for your follow-up emails, posts and tweets. What did you have in common? What were they passionate about? What promises did you make? It all happens so fast that most of what is said at the conference stays at the conference, which ends up being a tremendous loss of potential revenue.

6. Get it in the system.

At the end of every conference day, transfer your hand-written or voice-recorded notes into your CRM system. If you don’t have remote access, save the data as a text file or spreadsheet that can be imported later. There is no time to waste because the efficient competitors have already updated their systems on the fly.

When you get back to the office, or even on the road home from the tradeshow, start prioritizing the interactions you had. Who are the mentors? Who are the prospects? Who are competitors who only want your information? Don’t start the process of following up until you are clear on your priorities. These six simple instructions will help you turn a useless stack of business cards into solid connections of an ever-expanding business network.

7 Tips on How to Market You Conference Using Twitter

2013-10-16T00:00:00Z

When I attend conferences, Twitter is typically my go-to platform to follow and contribute to the conversation. Twitter is real-time, and it’s quick and to the point. Here are 7 tips for conference planners on how to market using Twitter. Your presenters, vendors, and guests will appreciate the direction and exposure!

Create a Hashtag: The very first thing you need to do is create a hashtag for the conference. It should be short and sweet. Remember, you can only use 140 characters for each tweet so you want it to be short so people can retweet and/or comment back to you. Most conferences will abbreviate their name and then add the year of the conference. For example, Social Media Success Summit 2013 is using the hashtag: #smss13. Check to be sure no one else is using this hashtag. If they are, you might want to modify it just a bit.
Promote the Hashtag: A hashtag is no good unless people know about it. Create the hashtag early and put it on all of your printed materials, websites, and other social platforms. Encourage people to tweet using this hashtag when referencing the conference. Always use this hashtag when sending out a tweet about the conference. Remind all employees, vendors, and sponsors that they should use the hashtag when tweeting.
Set up a Hashtag Stream: Set up an alert or a search for this hashtag so that all messages and tweets with this hashtag go to the same list. This will help you keep up with the conversation and will alert you when the hashtag is used. You can do this using several different monitoring platforms such as Sprout Social, HootSuite, or Twubs.
Tweet Before, During, and After the Event: Tweeting before, during, and after the event keeps your conversation going and the content fresh. Remind your speakers to tell the audience to tweet if they hear something they like. Give your audience your hashtag and encourage conversation on Twitter. Don’t forget to download the Twitter app or a similar platform so you can tweet from your mobile device.
Connect on Twitter: Before the conference, look to see if your sponsors, vendors, and speakers are on Twitter. If they are, follow them and connect with them. Send them a tweet telling them how excited you are to have them as part of the conference. This will nudge them to tweet about the conference and shows them that you are using Twitter as a key component in marketing for the conference.
Review and Analyze: You can learn a lot about what was tweeted during the conference. Using your hashtag as a search, go back and read the tweets. Which speaker was quoted most often? Which topic stirred the most conversation? Use this information to your advantage when planning for next year’s event.
Say Thanks: It is always nice to thank you sponsors, vendors, speakers, and attendees after the conference. You can do this through hand-written letters and/or e-mails but it is also nice to send them a tweet. Give them some recognition and make the tweet personal.

What Not To Do At The Conference

2013-10-14T00:00:00Z

If you have been tasked with the assignment of hosting a conference you know how time consuming and cumbersome this task can be. If you have never hosted a conference, buckle up! You are about to tackle a very huge project. Here are just a few tips on what not to do at the conference:

Don’t Throw Everything Away! There are many things that can, and should be, recycled. The most important item is the plastic name tag sleeve. Those can be used again and again. Make sure that you have a place for attendees to return their name tag. You can even host a raffle for all of those who turn in their name tag and give away a prize. This will incentivize your attendees to return their badge!

Don’t Over Do It. Less is definitely more when it comes to name tags. A first and last name with their company name is usually sufficient. You don’t need to add in their state, position, and favorite type of ice cream. People are looking for a name and that is about it.

Don’t Neglect To Check the Sound System. Sound systems are notorious for glitches and mishaps. Do not go with the cheapest sound system. Do your homework and find a reasonably priced system or company. Test the sound system a couple days before the conference. Test it again a few hours before the conference. There is nothing worse than technical difficulties when you have a room full of hundreds of people.

Don’t Put Your Speakers in the Shadows. Be strategic in where you place the podium and/or speakers. Make sure that they are easily seen from the audience. Do not place the podium or your speaker behind a huge pillar or in the shadows. This will deflect from their message. People want to see who is speaking to them. Put the speakers front and center with good lighting.

Don’t Run Out of Coffee. People can get really grumpy without their morning coffee. Make sure that you have plenty of coffee in the morning and afternoon. This is one area where less is not more!

Don’t Have Messy Food. There is nothing more awkward than talking to someone you just met and trying to bite into a pastry puff that is oozing with cheese or dripping with jelly. Finger foods are great. Just make sure they are easy to eat and clean.

Don’t Forget To Announce The Next Conference. Before, after, and during this conference you will have your attendees undivided attention. Take that opportunity to tell them about the next conference or event. Allow them to sign up online while sitting in their chair.

Organization Tools Event Planners Should Be Using

2013-10-11T00:00:00Z

1) Trello

Trello is an innovative productivity and project management app that uses boards, lists, and cards to help get projects on track. A project on Trello is comprised of a board which can include any number of lists. Lists can represent the status of a project, such as done or doing, and cards can represent a specific task. Once a task’s status has changed, it can be moved to a different list.

Trello is useful to event planners and conference organizers because it allows you to add members to a board so you can get clients and team members on track. You can also assign people to specific cards and color code cards to better keep track of their status. The best part about Trello is that it is totally free, with a premium version available for only five dollars a month.

Trello can be a very valuable tool for professional event planners. You can create boards for specific clients and projects such as venue selection, decorations, and speakers. You can also attach files and images to cards for quick viewing. Another feature is the ability to create checklists within cards.

2) Evernote

Evernote is a great note taking tool with a desktop version, an iPhone app, and an Android app. Your notes are synced when you save so they’re always available. Evernote is useful for taking notes on venues, speakers, and anything else you need to take note of.

You can easily share these notes with other people by linking them directly to a note or by sharing an entire notebook (a group of notes) with them. Evernote’s usefulness extends beyond text as well. You can embed images, videos, tables, and other media within notes for added effect.

3) Twitter Lists

Twitter lists are one of Twitter’s most underused features. You can create lists for different types of people, such as journalists, attendees, or speakers, and add people to the lists relevant to them.

A public list will be viewable by the public and people will be notified when you add them to one. Private lists are only viewable to you and you can add people to them without them getting notified about it.

Twitter lists allow you to monitor the activity of people you care about and filter the large amount of tweets in your timeline. This is useful if you want to engage with specific people or want to have a quick list available of a specific group of people along with their contact info.

4) Pinterest

Pinterest is a popular social network that describes itself as an online pinboard. Chances are you’ve used it to share fashion photos or pictures of dream houses, but it’s also a valuable organization tool.

One innovative way to use Pinterest to organize a conference or event is to create a board for venues, designs, seating charts, or anything else that has to be decided upon when planning a conference. After adding clients or team members to the Pinterest board, they can vote on their preferences by liking or repinning their decision.

You can also use Pinterest as a template for different types of events. For example, if you know that weddings usually require certain items and conferences require other items, then you can create an event board with examples of items and services that are needed for that type of event.

5 Things Event Planners Should Do But Always Forget

2013-10-09T00:00:00Z

Bare Necessities: Sometimes we forget the small stuff. You might be surprised how many of your attendees forget a pen. Be ready with a supply of pens and pencils. You may also want to have duck tape, a Clorox pen, mints, and a first-aid kit. You just never know!
Emergency Contact Person: What if the lights go out, the pipes burst, or heaven forbid, you run out of coffee?!? Hopefully, these emergencies won’t happen, but it is best to be prepared. Make sure you know who to call if there is a crisis.
Presentation Reminders to Speakers: Speakers are busy, over-achievers, and sometimes they forget that they committed to speaking at your event. It is common courtesy to send them an email or give them a phone call as a friendly reminder. They will thank you for it!
Ask for Help: One of the hardest things for any person to do is ask for help. You may feel like you have everything under control, and you probably do, but there is always something that someone else can help you with. This will take the burden off your shoulders and allow you to focus on the bigger projects at hand.
Make a Checklist: Having a checklist either in a notebook, in Evernote, or on a whiteboard at the office will help keep you organized. Writing something down helps keep it in the forefront of your mind. Go back over your checklist on a daily basis and especially right before the event.

Reflecting on My Summer Internship

2013-10-07T00:00:00Z

I would have a lot of trouble telling people that my internship at BusyConf has been a job, at least in the normal sense. I hardly ever felt that my internship took too much effort, was too hard, or demanded too much of my time. Working on the BusyConf site itself was interesting, and while at times I felt overwhelmed, Ryan was always there to help me when I needed it.

Many of my worst programming habits have been resolved this summer. I now correctly use the shift key on Mac and Windows PCs, instead of the caps lock key. I also learned what habits to avoid, such as poorly named git commits. But even more critical, I learned to commit everything and that “vendor everything” still applies. In my opinion, my worst problem was naming conventions. I was taught that programs should be written with the future developer in mind.

I realized that many of the best programmers use Macs. I learned of a prediction by Paul Graham in 2005, that Macs would be used by all the top programmers in 10 years. Although Ryan insisted through his actions that Macs (Unix flavors) are superior to PCs for programming, it took me a while to completely shift my opinion. Much like someone learning a foreign language by traveling to another country, I learned about Macs via immersion. Surrounded at Ruby LoCo meetings by the iconic white apple, it was clear how other Ruby programmers felt. Nowadays, I just feel betrayed by Microsoft. My whole life I had been taught and somewhat mindlessly conditioned to believe in PCs – akin to the 1984 Apple Commercial.

The best things I learned were the most simple. Never be late to work, and quintuply so with interviews. Simple office tidbits, like going to lunch and that you should always “network, network, network” are more important than I originally thought. Optimism, persistence, and initiative are noticed. I specifically remember how I felt included. My opinion was taken into account, and I could always chime in. Ryan even taught me how to teach. I now have the opportunity to teach those around me.

I whole-heartedly recommend working with Ryan McGeary. I will not forget this summer. I still wake up with the optimism and passion I had working at BusyConf and then quickly realize that I am ‘stuck’ at college. Regardless of now being a student at CNU, and even having a great dorm, and new friends, I truly wish I could still be going in to work at BusyConf each morning.

How To Create A Facebook Page for Your Conference or Event

2013-09-23T00:00:00Z

If you are hosting a big conference or event, it is wise to invest a bit of time and create a Facebook page. This will serve as a great platform to communicate with your vendors, volunteers, guests, and staff. You can promote your event through your Facebook page, create ads, promoted posts, and showcase the event while it is happening. Once the event is over, your Facebook page will be an excellent platform to thank all of the attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone who helped make the event such a success.

Creating a page is easy as long as you have a personal profile already set up. Follow these steps, and you will be on your way to promoting your event with ease!

1) Create the Page: First, go to Facebook, and create a Facebook page.

2) Choose a Page Type, Category, and Name: Your next step is to determine the type of page you want to create. The “Company, Organization or Institution” type is your best bet for a conference, convention, or event. For the category, one of “Community Organization,” “Non-profit Organization”, or “Government Organization” should work well. Choose a name for the page that matches the name of your event, but make it generic enough that you could reuse it for future events. You can only change your Facebook page name once, so choose wisely.

3) Choose a Thumbnail and Banner: The most important part of building your Facebook page for your event is your thumbnail and banner. You want them to stand out, tell people what you are about, and look professional. Most importantly, they need to be the right size! If you are not a graphic designer (not many of us are), outsource this work. There are many contractors out there that can create banners within days, if not hours, and for a reasonable cost. The banners should match your website, theme, and look similar to the rest of your printed materials relating to your event or conference.

4) Finsh Up the Details: Be sure to give as much information as possible. Fill in your address, website, and any other social platforms you may be on. There will be a place to write a short and long description. Do not leave these blank. This is your chance to tell everyone what your event is all about and why they should attend or donate. The last step in making this page successful is to keep it updated with relevant information and on a consistent basis. Share pictures, thank your sponsors, talk to your attendees, and have fun. Put your Facebook page URL on all of your printed material and let everyone know that you are on Facebook. This will help attract fans and increase engagement on the page.

3 Ways to Increase Event Registration & Attendance

2013-09-18T00:00:00Z

One of the biggest issues that event organizers have is increasing the amount of people who register and attend their events. In this post, we’ve put together 3 different strategies you can use to promote and market your next event. Along with marketing effort, increasing event registration also takes a focus on making things easy for attendees.

Here at Busyconf, providing a better experience for both event organizers and attendees is a priority. You can click “Get Started” to start using the BusyConf platform.

For more tips and advice on planning and marketing events, click the “Subscribe via Email” button in the right sidebar.

1) Streamline the Event Registration Process

Bad event registration processes can make all your event marketing efforts worthless. No matter how many people you get to visit your registration page, a bulky and cumbersome registration process will drive away potential attendees.

The best event registration processes decrease the amount of information that attendees have to enter. Only ask for the information you need. For example, you don’t need attendees’ addresses unless you’re planning on mailing them something.

An event registration process that is hard to navigate and forces users to go through multiple pages will lead to less attendees. Filling out page after page of registration information will annoy anyone. Presenting necessary information and sign up forms in a clean single page format is the best way to go.

Did you know that 50% of all tickets are purchased by someone other than the attendee or are purchased in a group? Whether it’s a company buying tickets for multiple employees or just someone buying a ticket for their friend, making it easy to purchase multiple tickets at the same time will help increase the amount of tickets you sell. Attendees should be able to purchase multiple tickets in one transaction, entering their payment information only once.

We know that having multiple ticket types is important, that’s why we made it easy to implement multiple ticket types. However, having too many ticket types can cause decision paralysis. Only create ticket types when the difference in benefits between tickets is clear. For example, we recommend creating student discount codes instead of defining a special student ticket type.

2) Clearly Communicate the Benefits of Attending

Take the “convince your boss” approach. If your conference or event is large and business oriented, chances are a company and not an individual will be making the decision to attend. Make it easy for potential attendees to convince their boss by giving them 3 or 4 benefits of attending. Whether that be making connections or learning new skills, make the benefits of attending clear and concise. The Next Web Conference did a great job with this, publishing an article on how to convince your boss to send you to their conference.

Communicate to attendees what they will learn during the conference. In large companies where the human resource department decides whether or not to send employees to a conference, they look at what employees will learn and the knowledge they’ll gain from the event. Sometimes the best way to communicate this is through the conference agenda or schedule. BusyConf schedules are made to effectively show the sessions and talks that are planned for the conference, along with the speakers who will be presenting.

All the basic rules of selling and marketing apply to events, and the most important part of selling is to show people the value of what you’re trying to tell them. Here are some ways to show people the value of attending your event:

Share pictures and videos of past events.
Publish the schedule/agenda from past events.
Highlight speakers and sessions through your schedule and agenda.
Interview speakers for your blog.
Create a “Convince your boss” or “Why you should attend” page on your website.
Blog about your industry. This is one of the first things you should do to promote your event.

3) Submit to directories and discovery engines

Conference discovery sites are great tools for attendees to find relevant events to attend, and they’re an indispensable tool for conference organizers to promote their event to a large number of interested people. Some great conference directories are:

When submitting to these sites, be sure to include some compelling reasons to attend in the description, along with relevant information like dates, locations, times, and information about the past event.

If you enjoyed this post, you can click the “Subscribe via Email” button in the right sidebar to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

10 Reasons Why Your Conference Sucks and How to Fix It

2013-09-16T00:00:00Z

Lousy Speakers: This is a hard one. You can’t always control the caliber of your speakers, especially if you have never heard him or her speak before. However, you can do your due diligence and research the individuals that you are interested in. Make some phone calls, and ask around. Have they spoken before? Talk to them over the phone. You will get an idea of their personality and their passion for what they do.
No Parking: Parking is essential for your local attendees. Make sure that you have given them several options when it comes to parking. When looking at venues, ask about parking. If there is no on-site parking, you may want to keep looking, or find out where the nearest parking garages are located. As long as you give the attendees options, you should be fine.
No Signs: There is nothing worse than walking into a large arena or hotel and having no idea where to go. Make sure that you have good directions once your attendees enter the conference. Signs should be big, colorful, and easy to understand. Pro tip: Keep them date free, and reuse them again at a future event.
No Email Reminder or Confirmation: Remind your attendees and your speakers about the conference. People are very busy and don’t always write down their events. Make sure that you contact your speakers 30 days out and again a couple days before the conference. Send emails to all attendees expressing your excitement and wishing them all safe travels. Everyone will appreciate the reminders.
No Greeters: This goes back to the signs. Make sure you have plenty of staff on hand to help greet attendees and direct people where to go. These greeters can help answer questions and make the attendees feel welcome. People would much rather talk to a person affiliated with the conference than just an employee of the venue.is going on.
Lack of Event Marketing: Start the conversation months before the actual event. Make signs, send out driving directions, remind attendees about the event, and showcase your speakers and sponsors. Help the attendees and speakers get excited about the event. They may even be able to start networking before they meet in person. Social media is an excellent and affordable way to start the conversation and buzz.
Terrible Food: Your attendees will get hungry. Make sure you have sampled the menu. Deliver an exceptional breakfast and/or lunch. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should taste good.
No Water or No Coffee: Major foul. Do not run out of coffee. Have an accurate head count of who is attending and plan accordingly. Some venues charge by the cup while others charge by the carafe. This is one area that you do not want to skimp on.
No Events After the Conference: Just because your conference is over doesn’t mean everyone has to go home. Continue the event with a dinner or happy hour. This will allow attendees to network, get to know each other, and let their hair down after a long day. This will also build camaraderie.
No Breaks: Give your attendees a chance to use the restroom, get a cup of coffee, or make a phone call. Having sessions back-to-back will exhaust your attendees and you may loose some along the way. Attendees usually have to work and may need a few minutes to check emails or make a call. You would rather them do it between sessions than during a session.

How Your Non-Profit Organization Can Profit from a Conference

2013-09-03T00:00:00Z

Many Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) do not have much of a budget, which can make hosting a conference very difficult. However, it is still possible for NPO’s to make connections, create conversation, and get the word out about their NPO through conferences. Attending a conference, or better yet, presenting at a conference, can be a very wise decision for your NPO. There are many ways to get involved at a conference. Setting up a booth, speaking on a panel, or being a guest speaker are all great ways for your NPO to be recognized and heard.

Setting up a booth is a fantastic way to tell your story and share your NPO’s mission and values. If the conference offers an exhibit hall, sign up! This is your chance to tell everyone about your NPO without having to get up in front of a big crowd. This offers a more intimate setting with attendees and gives you a chance to have a nice one-on-one conversation. Be prepared with several business cards, literature, and other resources that they can take with them. Tell those that stop by how they can find you once the conference is over. Direct them to your website or Facebook page and ask if they have a website page themselves. Have something enticing to get them to stop at your table. Pens are always handy, as are water bottles, or candy.

If you are asked to speak on a panel this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to present your knowledge and expertise. Ask the moderator for the questions ahead of time. Note what specific items you want the audience to know and how your NPO can tie into the answers. What can your NPO do for them? Again, your name along with your NPO’s name, will show up on the agenda and other materials through out the conference.

There is no better way to grab the audiences attention and to talk about your NPO then to be a guest speaker. You have a roomful of eyes and ears at your fingertips. Take advantage of this situation and make it a great and memorable speech. Be passionate, fun, and engaging. Educate the audience about your NPO while staying on topic. Give them resources and let them know how they can help and/or find your NPO once the conference is over.

One other way for your NPO to help with the conference is to become a sponsor. Sponsors are typically recognized through out the marketing materials and may even appear on promotional items the conference planners hand out. If nothing else, you will be recognized in the program and on the schedule.

Finding Sponsors for Your Conference

2013-08-31T00:00:00Z

My Summer Internship in Review

2013-08-30T00:00:00Z

Summers can really pass by fast, can’t they? I know mine definitely has. Almost three months ago, I started my internship here at BusyConf. At the time, I was unsure what to expect but knew I was on a path with ample opportunity. Reflecting back upon this, I can confirm my predictions were right.

Between the sparks of random conversation and some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had (thanks to Puccio’s), this internship brought me priceless experience and knowledge I would have otherwise never gained. I got to experience what working on a full software-as-a-service application is like, as well as the business behind it. The new languages and programming techniques challenged what I had taught myself before, raising my abilities and refining my workflow.

A couple of key points I took away from my summer here:

Collaboration is a key part to any workflow. Working on a task while being able to communicate with others produces better, high quality work often in less time than when working solo. You also learn more while doing so, which is a huge plus.
Working with more experienced co-workers can advance your skills faster than you think. I learned a lot over this summer, and I know my style of programming has drastically improved from what it was before I started working at BusyConf thanks to the knowledge of others.
Challenge yourself often. I faced many challenges while working for BusyConf, with quickly learning new languages and workflows among them. While seemingly difficult at first, the end product improved my skill set and polished my techniques.
Always maintain good programming practices. No matter what the project or purpose might be, always seek the best possible way to get something done, and make sure it’s clean. You’ll end up with a better product, as well as prevent headaches down the road.

Of course, these were only a fraction of the vast quantity of things I learned over the past three months. My entire skill set has been sharpened from priceless experiences and learning opportunities I will never lose, and they’ve prepared me to expand that knowledge even more. Thank you, BusyConf, for a fantastic summer!

Should You Hire A Public Speaking Coach?

2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

I’ve read a lot of articles on this topic, and the majority of articles came to the same conclusion; coaches are a waste of time unless you truly want to become a professional speaker. If you are speaking to crowds of people on a regular basis and they are paying you to do so, a public speaking coach may be of great benefit to you. However, if you are speaking at a convention or presenting at a networking event once every couple of months, then you may not need to invest in a public speaking coach.

That is not to say that you do not need help or practice. Here are a few things you can do on your own that will save you money and help hone in on your public speaking skills.

Practice: Volunteer to speak at your local chamber of commerce meeting. Ask to present at your next networking event. Join a Toastmasters group and get advice from your peers. Toastmasters is a wonderful organization that helps individuals become better speakers through practice, praise, and feedback from peers. To find a local Toastmasters group visit http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/

Record Yourself: Record yourself with both audio and video. You can play back the voice recording while sitting at your desk or driving in the car. Listen to your voice inflection. Are you upbeat? Enthusiastic? Passionate? Try and count how many times you say the word “um”. When you have more time, you can sit down and watch yourself. Watch your body language and your facial expressions. Your body language is going to set the stage for your entire speech. Make sure you are calm and keep your hands to your side or clasped in front of you. People notice when you fidget.

Be Prepared: Rehearse your speech over and over again. If you are using slides as visual aids, do not read directly from the slides. Power Point presentations with just text can be very boring, and you will lose your audience if you are not careful.

Watch Great Speakers: We have all heard wonderful speakers, and we have walked away wishing that we could speak as well as they did. Remember, they have years of practice and have probably fumbled on a few early speeches themselves. Watch them on video and take notes of the things you like most. Did they make you laugh? Were they genuine? Try to emulate their strengths into your speech.

Stay Calm: Of course you are going to be nervous. However, the more prepared you are for the speech the more confident you will feel before the event. Take some time before your speech to sit and breathe. Do not check e-mails and get distracted. Take a walk. Clear your mind. You have prepared for this moment and you are ready. Feel confident. If nothing else, fake it. If you stand up there with confidence and ease, your audience will feel the same way and will enjoy listening to what you have to say.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously: Lighten up. Everyone makes mistakes. Give it your best shot and have fun. You do not need to prove to everyone in the audience that you are smart enough to be there. You are up there for a reason. Talk to your audience, not at them. Imagine you are having coffee with a couple of friends and you are explaining to them why you do what you do. Be passionate and refrain from lecturing.

What Makes a Conference Memorable?

2013-08-19T00:00:00Z

We’ve all been to that one conference that was really good. We raved about it and couldn’t wait to go back each year. The conference left such an impression that we signed up again the following year. It may have been the speakers, the great contacts you made, or maybe the warm chocolate chip cookie you received just before your eye lids fluttered closed for the tenth time. Whatever it was that grabbed your attention it was due to good planning. Here are a few ways you, as a conference planner, can help ensure that your attendees come back year after year.

1) Invite Great Speakers

Make sure that your speakers are relevant to the industry and will speak on topics that are timely and applicable. You will want to find strong, dynamic speakers who will motivate, inspire, and make the audience beg for more.

2) Involve the Audience

It is key that speakers and moderators involve the audience. Nothing puts a crowd to sleep faster than someone who gets up on stage and talks at the audience. You want to engage the audience with questions, comments, and conversation. Get them to participate, volunteer, and laugh and you’ll steal the show.

3) Open a Hallway Track or Lounge

Everyone needs a little down-time to get to know one another. Give your attendees the opportunity to network. Perhaps have mini refreshment breaks or 10-15 minutes between each session. If your attendees get to know one another they start to relax. They will get involved and start to enjoy themselves.

4) Make It Personal

Encourage personal interaction during sessions. Have speakers break out the audience into focus groups. Let them talk about their personal experience with each other. Everyone has a story and most are eager to tell it. Encourage the group to talk about how they can take what they learn at the conference and implement it in their community. Have them exchange contact information and encourage everyone in the group to keep in touch.

5) Offer Intuitive Processes

How easy was it to find the registration table? How easy was it to find the schedule? Or find the bathroom? Make sure that your logistics are in place and that there is a nice, even flow to your conference. This takes practice to see what works well for each venue, so start early.

6) Serve Good, Simple Food

The food doesn’t need to be fancy It just needs to taste good. Make it easy to eat. People are generally talking to one another while eating so have things that are easy to eat and satisfying. A warm chocolate chip cookie with a cold glass of milk at 3 pm will help attendees late in the afternoon power through till the end.

7) Provide a Comfortable Environment

There is usually not much you can do about the temperature in hotel rooms. They are just plain cold. But you can prepare your attendees. Remind them to bring a sweater or jacket to the sessions. Have hot tea or coffee on the tables or in the back of the room. If given the chance, choose seats with cushions and backs to them. Chairs around tables are sometimes more comfortable for the audience then a bunch of chairs lined up in front of the podium. Having a table to rest your elbows, store your belongings, or to write upon helps to keep everyone’s attention span fresh and alert.

10 Money Saving Tips for Conference Planners

2013-08-12T00:00:00Z

Planning a conference can cost a lot of money. Make sure your organization is prepared for the costs of hosting a conference and take these 12 tips into consideration to save money:

Shop Around for a Venue: Take your time looking for the right venue. Look at local venues first as that will save you money on travel. Don’t pick the nicest hotel in town. You may be surprised at what some of the smaller-name spaces can offer. Look at a variety of spaces, not just hotels.
Off-Season Times: When scheduling your conference find out the dates for off-season pricing. Off-season rates will be much cheaper than peak times. You will be able to save on your venue and your attendees will be able to save on their lodging and dining.
Negotiate: Don’t settle on the first number they give you. The venue wants you just as much as you want them. Take the time to negotiate prices and come up with the best number that is both reasonable for you and for them.
Sponsors and Partnerships: Find sponsors to help fund your conference. In exchange for their sponsorship, you can put their name and logos on your print materials, e-mails, and social platforms. Form partnerships with your vendors, the hotel, the caterers, etc. Offer to promote them on your marketing materials in exchange for a reduced rate.
Use Social Media to Market:-Market your event months in advance using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and/or Google+. Social platforms are free and have the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of potential attendees.
Signage: Signage can be very expensive. When purchasing signage for your event make sure you can reuse it. Try to avoid putting dates and locations on the signage. Use your logo and your tag line and, if possible, make the details of the event editable.
Go Green: Gone are the days when we give attendees a big binder full of paper. Let them know where on your website they can find the slides to the presentation or the bios of the presenters. Give them clear directions on where to get the information should they want to print it out. This will save you money on printing and paper.
Save on Centerpieces: No need to buy extravagant floral arrangements or fancy centerpieces. You can be very creative with glass vases from the Dollar Store and some pretty, colorful objects inside. You can also create centerpieces using promotional items such as coffee mugs with your logo or fill the vases up with stress balls that have your logo on them. Encourage attendees to take home the centerpieces and continue to promote your brand.
Know Your Numbers: When it comes to serving coffee or food make sure you know exactly how many people are attending your conference. When ordering food order less than what you need. There will inevitably be some attendees who don’t eat or will eat some place else. Be sure you have enough coffee and find out if the venue charges by the cup or the carafe. Coffee is one thing you do not want to run out of. Consider using custom questions in your call-for-proposals or ticket registration to determine quantities.
Reuse, Recycle: Have a drawing! After the conference, ask everyone to turn in their plastic name badges.Then randomly draw 2 or 3 names and give them a prize. This will motivate people to return their badges and allow you to reuse them for your next event!

11 Event Marketing Dos and Dont's

2013-08-09T00:00:00Z

From talking to event planners who have used BusyConf, we’ve noticed that one of the hardest parts of managing an event is marketing it. While the best way to market your event depends on who your target market is, what type of event you’re planning, and even the location of the event, the basic guidelines remain the same. Here are some event marketing dos and don’ts to help get you started.

Do…Be Transparent

Share information on speakers, sessions, and tracks, as much as you can. Attendees want to know exactly what they’re in for, and giving them a good amount of information on the event will help them make informed decisions on whether or not they want to attend your event.

Don’t…Spam

No one likes spam. Sending a bunch of emails to potential attendees with generic and non personal content isn’t likely to convince them to attend your event. In fact, it’ll probably ruin any chance you had of turning them into attendees.

Do…Use Facebook Ads

Facebook ads let you target your ideal attendees by location, occupation, age, and other factors. While advertising on Facebook may seem expensive, setting you’re daily limit to $5 - $10 lets you experiment until you find out what works best for you.

Don’t…Make Things Hard for Attendees

Bad websites, hidden information, and long registration processes make it hard on attendees. If someone wants to attend your event, or wants to find information on your event, make it easy for them to do so. Be transparent with information and use tools that simplify things for attendees.

Some things that cause attendees to abandon the registration page include long multi-page registration processes, slow registration pages, and no support for buying multiple tickets at the same time. We built BusyConf to make it easier for attendees. In fact, 88% of events using BusyConf sell out.

Do…Start Blogging

Blogging is the single best thing you can do to market your event. You can blog about your event, your industry, what you do, and what you know. Just start blogging. Once you’re blogging consistently, you can start writing content that appeals to your attendees.

If you’re target market consists of pharmaceutical exectuvies, then Pinterest probably isn’t the best social network to pour time and effort into. Find out which networks your target market uses and focus on that.

Do…Use LinkedIn

Especially if your event is a business, medical, or educational conference. If you’re running a professional event, chances are you’re ideal attendees use LinkedIn, which makes LinkedIn the top social network to focus on when marketing your event.

Don’t…Market to Everyone

Niches are good. Don’t waste time and effort trying to market to people who wouldn’t benefit from attending your event. Engineering students probably don’t want to attend a law conference, and for good reason. They simply would not benefit much by attending the event. Marketing is about providing value, and chasing after the wrong people makes it hard to do so.

Do…Use Video

Services like EventCommercials and PowToon make it possible for anyone to make a video to promote their event. Hiring a professional isn’t necessary. With simple tools available, there is no excuse for not using video to promote your event. Videos are shared more than any other type of content, and for obvious reasons. Videos are easily digestible and communicate information effectively.

Don’t…Make It All About You

Marketing is about providing value. This doesn’t mean promoting your event anywhere you can. Sometimes the best way to market an event is by not mentioning it at all, and instead focusing on adding value to a discussion. Share your opinion or curate content with a focus on actually being helpful. Of course it’s necessary to plug your event every now and then, but providing value should come first.

Do…Track Interactions

If you don’t track website visits and interactions using Google Analytics or something similar then it’s hard to see the benefits of blogging and using social media. Tracking interactions gives you actionable statistics you can use to improve your event marketing efforts. BusyConf lets you integrate with Google Analytics so you can see just how much traffic you’re getting and where it’s coming from. Statistics help you make data driven decisions when optimizing your marketing efforts.

How To Market Your Conference Using Social Media

2013-08-05T00:00:00Z

When organizing a large scale event for your company, not only do you have to build the event, but you also have to market your event. If you haven’t thought about a conference planning tool look at BusyConf. BusyConf can help you get everything in place and run smoothly. You can send out professional call for proposals, sell tickets, and create your schedule all on one easy platform.

The next step is to begin marketing your event. Social media can, and should, play a huge roll when it comes to marketing your next event. The great part about social media is most of it is free. If you know how to use it well, it can be a critical part of your marketing strategy. Social media will help get the word out about your event, help you sell tickets, and create enough buzz that people will be looking forward to your event year after year. Here are a few easy tips and tricks to consider when promoting your event using social media.

Facebook

Facebook is still one of the most widely used social media platforms. Facebook has the most diverse audience of any of the social media platforms, and now with hashtags, you can easily be found through Graph Search. Facebook is a place to have a conversation and build community. Facebook has 955 million active users so you really don’t want to miss your chance to promote your event on Facebook!

Before the Event: Post information, links, and call-to-actions regarding your event in status updates. Make it fun. Let people know all the details. Tell them what they will learn at your event, and give them direction as to where to go to sign up. Always post a link to your website or whichever platform you are using to register attendees. Facebook is now using hashtags as well. It is very similar to the hashtags you use on Twitter so be sure to add those hashtags into your status updates when posting about your event.

Create a Facebook Page: If this is going to be a big event, why not have your own page? This page would be dedicated to your event. You can post about the type of speakers you are looking for and gain insight from your audience as to what they would like to cover at the event. Showcase your sponsors, volunteers, and speakers. If this is a re-occurring event, show pictures from past years. Once you have a business page for your event you can create an event from your page. You can share this event with all of your fans and friends on Facebook. People can RSVP, make comments, and even ask questions.

If you have the budget, you can purchase a Facebook ad to run for a month or two before your event. Set your daily limit at around $5.00 and have multiple versions of the ad. See which version works best and document that for future reference. You can set your ad to target a specific demographic, age, and location.

Learn more about Facebook ads.

Google+

Google+ is still the new kid on the block but is quickly gaining speed. Google+ posts will follow you across all of Google’s products. Google+ posts also have a much longer shelf-life than Facebook or Twitter. This means that after a few days your Facebook post will be buried and hard to locate. But on Google+ your post is always searchable by someone in your network.

Before the Event: There is a different crowd on Google+ than Facebook so it might be wise to promote your event on Google+ as well. This will branch out your circle and hopefully reach some potential attendees that you wouldn’t find on Facebook. Share your event, pictures, details, and website on Google+ just as you would Facebook. You can tag other organizations, sponsors, or volunteers so they will be sure to see the post as well. Ask people to share with their circles and help spread the word.

During the Event: In this day and age, it is very easy to share status updates and posts from just about anywhere. Make sure you have the Google+ app on your iPhone or iPad and share updates to your circles about what you are learning at the event. Tell them about the amazing keynote speaker who received a standing ovation. You can also add pictures and have fun with it. Entice those who didn’t attend to want to attend next year.

After the Event: Same as with Twitter or Facebook you will want to continue to thank your sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and attendees. Post pictures of the event and ask for feedback.

Twitter

Twitter is a micro blogging site that allows news and conversations to be delivered in real time. Many businesses have dismissed Twitter simply because they do not understand how it works. Twitter currently has 465 million accounts and boast 175 million tweets a day. You don’t want to miss out on a chance to reach millions of people!

Before the Event: Create a hashtag on Twitter for your event and use this same hashtag with every tweet that goes out between now, during, and after your event. This will help people locate your event and find the information they need. Ask your followers questions, share with them who will be speaking, and ask them to retweet your posts to spread the word. You can even have a drawing for a free ticket to anyone who tweets or retweets about your event.

During the Event: Twitter is great in that during the event you cannot tweet too much. So pull out that phone and tweet away! Tweet a funny question you heard, tweet a powerful statement made by the speaker, tweet about the amazing coffee. Use that same hashtag to let people know about the next speaker or an interesting take-away from a presentation. You can have attendees tweet as a way to ask their questions. Make sure they use the designated hashtag so that you can easily find their tweet. You will want all of your print materials to have the hashtag written out so people know what to search for and what to use when tweeting. It would also be wise to tell all of your speakers what the designated hashtag will be so they can tweet as well and/or tell the audience about the hashtag.

After the Event: Continue to tweet interesting stats, figures, and statements about the event. Thank your sponsors. Thank your attendees. Ask for feedback. Which speaker did the attendees enjoy the most? What topics did they wish were covered but were not? How can you improve on next years event? Tweet pictures from the event and mention others. Remember to use the hashtag!

Learn more about hashtags.

As with any social media platform and campaign consistency is key. Be sure to post about your event at least once day. Find out when your audience is most likely to be online. It will vary for each platform. Make each post, share, or tweet interesting and share-worthy. Entice your audience. Show them why your event is the place to be. And above all else, have fun! Social media is about engaging and having a conversation . Make your posts memorable and colorful and people will want to go to your event! You will need your whole team on board if you want to truly make an impact on social media. If all of this social media buzz seems a bit too overwhelming, consult a social media consultant to help you put all the pieces together. Good luck!

5 Must Have Tools for a Successful Conference

2013-07-22T00:00:00Z

Planning a conference is no easy feat. It takes a lot of time, money, and energy. It must be planned down to the second. What if you had a tool that put everything you needed right at your fingertips? Now you do. BusyConf is a one-stop-shop that allows you to organize, plan, and create your event using one simple platform.

1) A Simple Event Planner

Planning a conference can seem like a logistical nightmare. At least that is what planning a conference may seem like to a novice or even expert planner. Well, get ready to say goodbye to the days of endless excel sheets, e-mails, word documents, and pdf files. With BusyConf, everything is in one place. Using the BusyConf platform, you can create schedules, share ideas with your team, and even sell tickets. You can also keep track of attendees and share information with them as the event gets closer.

2) Call for Proposal Forms

When you’re looking for the perfect speaker for your next conference, you’re probably going to put out a call for proposals. Call for proposals are usually set up through your business website or another online service. The conference planner directs all respondents to an e-mail address. That e-mail address is then inundated with e-mails. Each e-mail has an attachment that must be printed and reviewed. Each e-mail must be responded to and followed up. Sounds a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? Well, what if everything was in one place? What if the tools, the proposals, the requests, and the content was all in one location? It would make your job a whole lot easier. BusyConf offers just that service. BusyConf offers pre-built and customizable call for proposal forms. The BusyConf platform allows you to set up, request, and review call for proposals directly on your own portal. With BusyConf, your colleagues can view and comment on the proposals, and together, you can select the best ones.

3) Online Schedules

Don’t you hate it when you get to an event and you realize you forgot to print out the schedule? Save money on printing while giving your attendees something to rave about with BusyConf’s online schedules. BusyConf offers online schedules that are mobile-friendly and can be seen on almost any device. No WiFi? No problem. The schedules and programs can be viewed with or without internet connection on any mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet.

4) Online Registration

Believe it or not, there are still some conferences out there that require you to print the registration form and mail it in with your check or money order. Save that stamp and use BusyConf’s seamless online registration tool. Online registration has never been so simple. BusyConf will help you create customized registration forms and tickets. Handle everything from early bird registration to last minute refunds.

5) Online Payment

No more processing and depositing checks. With BusyConf, you can accept all major forms of payment directly online. The platform allows you to keep track of all transactions and issue refunds or discounts.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Everything you need in one seamless and effortless platform. BusyConf realizes that time is money and there is often a shortage of both. Both the conference planners and attendees have a positive experience. To learn more about BusyConf, visit BusyConf.com or e-mail .

7 Ways to Make Your Speakers Love You

2013-07-17T00:00:00Z

1) Show them Your Setup

Speakers have to prepare their presentations for viewing on your projectors. If their Powerpoint or Keynote presentation was created in a different resolution, it may be resized or harder to see. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, let potential speakers know what resolution their presentations will be shown in. You can put this on your call for proposals so that potential speakers know exactly how to prepare for their talk right when they submit their proposals. In case your call for proposals is opened before your venue and equipment are booked, you can ask speakers directly what resolution they prefer.

2) Avoid Tech Failures

If anything goes wrong while a speaker is presenting, it will not only reflect badly on your event, but also on the speaker. Some speakers are already stressed or nervous about their presentation, and a technical failure will only make this worse. Technical failures can be avoided almost all the time, and taking the time to test your setup will minimize technology related issues. Make sure you have extra cables and chargers in case a speaker’s computer isn’t compatible with what you currently have.

Keep this short list of common tech failures and fixes at conferences in mind when planning your next event.

Issue: Projector has a different resolution or aspect ratio than the presentation.
Prevention: Make sure speakers know the dimensions their presentation will be shown in.

Issue: Cables don’t fit speaker’s computer.
Prevention: Send out an email to speakers with information on the setup your conference has, including cables, chargers, projectors, and screens.

Issue: Speaker has computer errors and can’t open his presentation file.
Prevention: Ask speakers to send their presentations to you in advance, then store these in DropBox just in case.

3) Make it Personal

While larger conferences can give their speakers perks such as a chauffeur to and from the airport, smaller conferences can still go the extra mile and make their speakers happy while on a budget. Personal touches such as picking up an important speaker from the airport yourself, sending them handwritten thank you letters, or simply thanking them in person for a great talk can go a long way in making speakers happy. Most speakers present at multiple conferences each year; what can you do to make them remember your event?

4) Make them Famous

Everybody loves to be promoted and marketed. You can help out speakers by making it easy for attendees to find more information on speakers by having a detailed bio and contact info either on your conference website or on your schedule. Treat your speakers like your sponsors and put their faces on your website, social media profiles, and marketing graphics. Boost their business by promoting them.

5) Simplify the Submission Process

Making speakers jump through hoops just to submit a talk proposal is a sure way to earn their frustration. From making speakers print and snail mail their proposals to asking long and unnecessary questions, conference organizers make a lot of mistakes that turn speakers away. A simple and effortless submission process will increase the number of proposals you receive and save speakers time and frustration.

6) Throw a Speaker Dinner

Organizing a dinner for speakers before conferences is almost mandatory for conference organizers. Speaker dinners are a great way for speakers to meet each other and do some pre-conference networking. All speakers are naturally nervous before conferences, even professionals, and speaker dinners offer speakers a chance to talk to each other and share presentation tips and advice. Speakers have the opportunity to bounce ideas and themes off of each other. With speakers on the same page, the overall quality of your conference will increase.

7) Give them a Good Introduction

No one wants to be the guy who has to quiet down a loud audience. Before speakers go on stage and present, give them a good introduction by quieting the audience and giving a short overview of who the speaker is and what they will be talking about. This will help the attendees know what they’re in for and will give the speaker a nice starting point for their talk. Making speakers introduce themselves can take time away from the presentation and be a daunting task for a first time speaker.

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Speaking at a Conference

2013-07-15T00:00:00Z

Congratulations! You have been asked to speak at a conference. That is a great accomplishment and an amazing opportunity to introduce yourself and make some new connections. Whether this is your first conference, or your tenth conference here are 5 mistakes you will want to avoid when speaking:

Not Rehearsing Your Speech

You may have given this speech a few times to a small group but never to a large group in an auditorium with a podium, microphone, and a huge light beaming at your eyes. Practice! Ask the conference planner if you can have access to the room in which you will be speaking, even if it is just for 30 minutes. A dry run can save you in the long run and can eliminate any unwanted surprises.

Forgetting to Do Your Homework

Who is hosting the conference? Who are the other speakers? Who is going to be in the audience? You may also be asked questions from the audience. Knowing who you are speaking to and what their background is will help you answer their questions with more accuracy. It will also show the audience that you took the time to learn more about their background, their interests, and their experiences.

Missing Network Opportunities

Don’t run to your room between sessions for a quick nap or jump on your laptop to avoid talking to people. You never know who you might meet in line at the coffee bar or just sitting in the lobby between sessions. Make sure to have plenty of business cards and/or flyers on you. If you have many friends at this conference, it is fine to sit with them from time to time, but try to branch out. Make a goal to make at least 2 new connections every day.

Showing up With a Bad Attitude

Ok, so you know you were not the first choice for speaking about your industry. Get over it. You are here, and it is time to make them thankful they picked you. Showing up with a bad attitude will come out in your presentation, in your body language, and in your face. So, whatever happened yesterday at work or however you truly feel about the conference, leave it at home. It is time to dazzle your audience with your knowledge and charm!

Reading From Your Slides

Slide shows are great for making points and showing pictures. They can also be used for embedding videos, showing graphs and polls, and for contact information, but try not to read from each slide directly. People are there to hear you speak and to listen to you share your wisdom and experience. They can read your slides later. Use the slides as reminders of key points you want to make but don’t be afraid to go off script. Involve your audience too. Asking your audience for insight before delving into a topic will help you gain perspective as to what the audience may already know.

These are just 5 mistakes you do not want to make as a speaker at a conference. Keep them in mind. Hopefully you are excited about this opportunity and looking forward to putting on a great speech. Be prepared, do your homework, and show up feeling your best, and you should be just fine!

Top 4 Ways to Promote Your Conference

2013-07-05T00:00:00Z

Good promotion is a necessary part of planning a great conference. With so many conferences being held, you have to promote your conference well in order to attract attendees. People need to know about your conference in order to attend, and promotion ensures that people interested in your conference are exposed to it. Here are 4 great ways to promote your next conference.

Promoting your conference using social media is a no-brainer. Social media allows you to communicate with people who would be interested in your conference with ease. Even if your conference is small and locally based, social media is a valuable tool. Twitter and Facebook allow you to share your location when posting. This will help you promote your conference locally.

In order to promote your conference with social media effectively, you need to optimize for sharing. That means ensuring that your ticket registration page and schedule can be shared easily. Your conference registration page should not be overly complicated and should have a good amount of information. Long and complicated registration pages hurt your ticket sales. If a potential attendee stumbles upon your ticket registration, you want them to know exactly what the conference is about.

Many conferences choose to use hashtags to promote their event. This is another great tool that you should be using. Hashtags not only help promote your conference but they help attendees network and share with each other even after the conference is over. Good conference hashtags are short and include the conference year. Remember, people only have 140 characters, and your hashtag should be only a small part of that.

"packages solve a lot of the problems people are choosing to solve with chef" - @postwait #chefconf2013 https://t.co/Bjloi1Lwhw
— Dr Nic (@drnic) May 25, 2013

#ChefConf2013 Revue Review: http://t.co/MGCd0eSgxj (Including some thoughts on the "word association game" we did & my favorite talks!)
— J. Paul Reed (@SoberBuildEng) May 16, 2013

Another new and exciting addition to the social media line up is Lanyrd, a social conference directory. Adding your conference to Lanyrd is absolutely necessary. The earlier you sign up, the better. With Lanyrd, potential attendees can discover your conference and other conferences relevant to their interests. People looking for conferences to attend can browse by topic and location.

Start Early

Start planning and promoting your conference as early as you can. This gives attendees more exposure to your conference and more time to prepare for it. When you start early, you can sell early bird tickets at a discount to encourage more registrations. Starting early also gives you more time to build a social media presence and plan the best conference possible.

Blog

Blogging is a great way to keep people updated on your conference. You should blog about your conference and about the industry. If you’re planning a conference on education, it is a good idea to share news on education technology and blog on how you’re planning your conference. Did a new speaker commit to your conference? Blog about it.

Having a blog is also valuable for social media. Every time your blog post is shared via Twitter or Facebook, your conference is promoted. Blogging can also help increase the search engine visibility of your conference. When someone searches for a conference on a specific topic, you want them to see your event website. This will help increase attendance at your event.

Leverage Your Sponsors

Most conference planners know that allowing companies to sponsor your event will give you a larger budget, but the promotional benefits of a sponsorship are often overlooked. When a company or organization sponsors you, their success is tied to your success, and they will do whatever they can to help promote your event. Most sponsors will actively promote your event on their social media pages. If one of your sponsors is not doing this, chances are they will gladly do so if you ask them to. The larger your event is, the more promotion your sponsors get.

How To Rock a Panel Discussion

2013-07-03T00:00:00Z

A lot of conferences will offer a session with a panel. A panel is typically a group of speakers who come to together to discuss a certain topic. A panel could be a group of professionals that all share the same expertise, or perhaps, each bring a unique talent to the table. Better yet, a panel can be made up of rivals or experts who have very different opinions and share opposing views. Sometimes, the more diverse you can make the panel, the more interesting it is for your audience. However, it could get messy. Here are several tips on how to rock a speaker panel at your next event:

Have a Good Moderator: The moderator can really make or break your panel discussion. You want someone who has moderated panels before. He needs to be well versed on the topic and know something about each panelist. A moderator needs to be a guide, not an entertainer. The audience is not there to hear the moderator. The moderator needs to be able to move the conversation along. The moderator must make sure that every panelist gets adequate time to speak. A good moderator should always stay neutral. The moderator is not there to be an expert or part of the panel. He is not there to show the audience how much knowledge he has. He is simply there to moderate. A moderator should be firm and direct, yet personable.

Set Your Stage: Many conferences set up their panels behind long conference tables with big thick table cloths. The moderator then looms over them, usually behind a podium. Sounds impersonal, doesn’t it? Instead of closing off your panel from the audience, invite them to sit in chairs close to the front of the stage. Make sure everyone has a microphone, and make sure that the moderator is close to the panelists but not so close as to confuse them with the panelists.

Involve Your Audience: Many times, panels can start off boring and then go from bad to worse. They may start out strong, and then, within 10 minutes, the audience is doodling or checking phones. Get the audience involved early. Poll the audience before the panelists even begin. Have members of the audience stand up if they have a Twitter account or have been on a panel before. Whatever the question may be, get the audience involved and interested. This will set the stage for the rest of the event. You want your audience to know it is are part of this discussion.

Size of Panel: The size of the panel is critical. Too small of a panel, and it may as well be a key note or solo presentation. Too large of a panel, and you could have utter chaos. The typical rule of thumb is between 5 and 6 panelists. Most likely someone will cancel last minute, so if you have at least 4 panelists, you are still safe and can have a productive and useful discussion.

Q and A: Always leave at least 15-20 minutes for a question and answer period. A good moderator will have an audience member ready with a question in case you have a quiet audience. The moderator could also have a few extra questions that he can ask the panel in case the audience isn’t volunteering. The moderator should also make sure that each panelist gets a chance to answer a question and that they don’t talk for too long.

Educate Your Panelists: Make sure you have talked to your panelists before the conference so they know what to expect as far as location and logistics. It is also wise to tell them what your expectations are as the conference planner. What do you hope the audience gains from the panel? Remind them of the other panelists who will be there and to limit their comments to 2-3 minutes. Also suggest that they leave some time in their schedule to stick around for a few minutes after the panel discussion in case any audience members would like to speak with them on a one-on-one basis.

As you can see, there is a lot of planning and logistics to keep in mind when it comes to putting on a panel discussion. However, if done well, it can be a very positive and educational event for all involved!

(photo courtesy of Digitas Photos)

How to Stay Motivated After the Conference Is Over

2013-07-01T00:00:00Z

Conferences are a big deal. After travel expenses, dining, and time spent away from the office, you finally get there. The event is one-four days of intense information. New contacts. New ideas. New solutions. You feel motivated and enthusiastic to get back to work and implement all of the new and exciting things you have learned. Your colleagues are excited. The keynote speaker has pumped you all up and you are on fire! What helps even more is the beautiful ocean views from your hotel window or the exciting city streets filled with new people, live music, and interesting and exotic food. Then the conference is over. You get back on the plane and you head back home. The buzz is now just a low drum. You hit a wall and are exhausted from your trip, and know that tomorrow you will be back in the office and back to the grind. So, how do you stay on that pink cloud? How do you stay motivated after the conference is over? Here are four easy tips to keep that motivation fresh and alive!

Blog: As soon as you get home, or even at night while at the conference, write down your thoughts. If you have a blog, write an article about the things you have learned. Share your knowledge with your followers. Make the content valuable and interesting, and others will share your article and continue the conversation. If you do not have blog, put together some slides to share with your team when you get back to the office. It is always best to write down your thoughts while they are fresh in your mind.

Connect: Most likely, you made several new contacts at the conference. Connect with them on all your social media platforms. Send them an e-mail telling them how much you enjoyed meeting or working with them. Share with them what you found the most helpful at the conference. Ask to connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Tag them in your posts while at the conference. You can continue to motivate each other even after the conference is over by keeping in touch.

Inspire Your Team: Hold a team meeting as soon as you get back to the office. Throw together a slide show of the top five take-aways from the conference. Delegate team members to start implementing new ideas and best practices. Encourage feedback from your team. Even though they weren’t at the conference, they may have some very valuable pieces to include.

Sign up For Another Conference: Remember how good you feel after the conference. Write it down. Now sign up for another conference, and when you are dragging your feet about going, remind yourself how much you learned and how motivated you feel after a conference. Much like going to the gym, we always feel great after we are finished.

Hopefully, these four easy tips will help you keep that momentum going strong even after the conference is over and you are headed back to your office.

BusyConf Simplifies Event Planning

2013-06-26T00:00:00Z

Marcia Moran from Modern DC Business Magazine interviewed me earlier this week. I got to talk about BusyConf and what makes us unique.

“Something always falls through the cracks when you don’t use an integrated system. Important things like venue address, date, schedule, or even how to register get overlooked. People still generally figure out how to get to your event, but forgetting to communicate important details frustrates attendees. When you don’t manage these details well, you gain a reputation as being hard to work with.”

Read the Article

BusyConf's Third High School Intern: Osman Sheikh

2013-06-24T00:00:00Z

Hi! My name is Osman, and I’m an entrepreneur, amateur web developer, and marketing/sales focused intern here at BusyConf. One of the quotes I live by is:

“Life is short. Build stuff that matters.”
–Siqi Chen

I try to do something that matters everyday.

I go to John Champe High School in Aldie, VA, and I hope to go to George Washington University when I graduate next year. I’ve always been interested in two things: technology and business, and I was lucky enough to see where they crossed paths. I love everything about businesses, entrepreneurship, and technology. My first “business” began in 2009 when I started copywriting for other small businesses. As a computer enthusiast, I was surprised by the number of small businesses that had little experience in leveraging the power of the internet. Afterwards, I branched out and started helping small businesses set up their own websites.

As I entered high school, my passion for entrepreneurship and technology really began to take shape. I started to use all the free time I had to learn web development and start a few e-commerce websites. I was having fun learning to program and optimizing my e-commerce sites, but I realized that I wasn’t progressing as fast as I could. I was learning in a vacuum. I wasn’t being challenged. My friends were not web developers or entrepreneurs. Any progress that I made was amazing to them, but they didn’t quite understand what I was doing. Of course, I liked being praised, but I realized that I wouldn’t improve without interacting with people who are doing the same thing as me. I needed a group of peers who would push me to do better. As far as I knew, there weren’t any young web developers or entrepreneurs in my area, so I turned to the internet.

I became a Hacker News/TechCrunch addict. Every minute of my free time was spent reading, learning, and researching startups, programming, and entrepreneurship. I used Treehouse and other resources to learn new skills. I saw people my age or even a few years younger starting innovative businesses, and this pushed me to do better.

Last month, I was sitting in my school’s library during study hall and decided to go on Hacker News. The default browser home page was my school’s website, and an announcement in the header urged visitors to check out a list of summer programs and internships in the area. I clicked on the link expecting the typical sports camps and summer classes, but I was surprised to see an internship for a local startup on the list. BusyConf was written in bold letters. As I usually do, I immediately Googled BusyConf to find out more. First of all, I was surprised that there were any startups within 50 miles of my suburban neighborhood. I was even more surprised to find out that the founder of BusyConf was an experienced web developer and entrepreneur. Acting on impulse, I immediately sent Ryan a (probably over-) excited e-mail asking him if I could intern at BusyConf. A week later, I was at the BusyConf offices interviewing for a position. This was my first job interview ever, and I was nervous, confused, and generally lost. The interview was the first time I could openly talk about startups, web development, and entrepreneurship with someone who was actually involved in these things.

On the first day, Ryan gave me, Forrest and Stuart an impromptu lesson on business negotiations with a real life example. Unplanned lessons like these are something I really look forward to this summer. I want to learn as much as I can about startups, programming, and web development while being an asset to BusyConf and providing value to our customers.

(photo courtesy of Green Sheep)

BusyConf's Second High School Intern: Stuart Olivera

2013-06-21T00:00:00Z

Hello! I’m Stuart Olivera, one of four interns at BusyConf this summer.

I’m currently a rising senior at Stone Bridge High School. Outside of school, I am a freelance web designer and developer, building websites and web apps for all kinds of businesses and demands. My roots in the technology realm started when I was a little kid: I loved toying with electronics, pulling things apart, and playing computer games. When I was nine, I started exploring different things on my mom’s computer and soon began making websites. Fast forward a couple years and I started programming complete websites for friends and family, as well as a local church, when I learned to truly program dynamic web apps. Up until today, I taught myself everything from dealing with databases to creating custom content management systems and experimenting with the latest web technologies to take everything to the next level.

Over the past year, I took an AP Computer Science course at my high school, which became the first official class I’ve ever taken for programming. I breezed through the course for the most part, as the majority of the class focused on the basics of programming. However, I found that, as it didn’t teach me too much programming-wise, it certainly refined my daily habits resulting in much cleaner code. This came in handy when, about half way through the year, a programming competition arose. A friend of mine quickly became interested and thought of a new website to enter: DataMine. For the months to follow, I became the lead developer for the project while teaching myself new technologies and broadening my knowledge. Every now and then, I’d look back on what I had programmed in years past. Terrible practices, security flaws, and bugs reassured me of how much I had learned even just over the past eight months.

About a month after starting work on DataMine, I learned about an internship opportunity for a web company not too far away. I had already started searching for summer internships, but found most of them had the same commonalties that didn’t favor what I was looking for: college requirements, long commutes, and fields which didn’t interest me as much. But, this new internship opportunity was completely different. It was local, asked for high school students, and focused on the main field of my interest: the web. Despite not knowing too much about what I’d be doing, I quickly applied. Even going into the interview, I had no idea what to expect, but within the first couple minutes of the interview, I knew BusyConf was a great opportunity. Ryan proved to have quite a significant background of programming and leadership, not to mention how friendly and open to conversation he was. I was beginning to learn how valuable this internship would be to me, and how much I would learn over the summer.

My first day here at BusyConf was definitely a unique one. Even upon arrival, I knew this wouldn’t be some ordinary nine to five cubical assignment. Ryan’s amazing personality greeted us all into his office as we began to get setup for the summer ahead. Other people from within the building would pop in every once in a while to say hi while we typed away, eager to get the next to-do item complete. Ryan even treated us all to lunch, in which we got to know each other a little bit more.

Ryan’s friendliness and experience has really set high expectations for what I’ll accomplish this summer. I’ve already improved immensely over the past year and can’t wait to see how much further I’ll grow over the course of this internship.

Reluctant To Attend That Next Conference? This Is Why You Should Go!

2013-06-17T00:00:00Z

Yesterday, I went to a conference in the city. I went dragging my feet and with a bit of whimpering. Why? Well, when you work from home and do not have to do your hair, get dressed up, or drive anywhere, it becomes a pain when you do. But I got up early, left 2 hours before the conference started, and drove into the city. I had calculated what it would cost me in gas, babysitting fees, lunch, parking, and the price of the conference. I was convinced it was not worth it, and was kicking myself for ever agreeing to go to this thing.

I arrived in the city in less than an hour. Found a parking garage that had early-bird parking for $12 all day. I made it to the conference just in time and found that we had an endless supply of bottled water, coffee, pastries and juices. Things were starting to look up and I was ready to finally relax.

The conference started on-time and was on the topic of e-mail marketing and social media. The presenter was fun, engaging and told us right off the bat what we would be learning. He had my attention the entire time. I have been using my e-mail program for several years, and while I knew the basics, there was so much more that I wasn’t doing. It turned out to be a really great conference. I left feeling motivated and confident that I could do my job just a little bit better. Here are a few reasons why this conference was a success and why I would sign up with this organization again:

Great Presenter: The presenter started on time. He was engaging, enthusiastic, articulate, and funny. He had us go around the room and introduce ourselves. This helped the audience get involved right away. he was knowledgeable and confident, and had very interesting information to share.

Appropriate Breaks: We had appropriate breaks through out the day. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore we would take a 10 minute break. The facility had free coffee, pastries, water, and soft drinks. They even had toasters to toast bagels. They had free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating through out the building.

Audience Involvement: Our presenters often asked the audience for their opinions, feedback, experiences, or just something simple like their favorite kind of cookie (that got a few chuckles). Keeping the audience involved was key in keeping the attention of the room–especially when everyone has iPhones, iPads, and every other kind of contraption sitting near them. It is good to keep people focused. He would also often say “eyes up here” or “you don’t want to miss this.” Seems a bit elementary, but it sure worked.

Hands-on Learning: Everyone in the audience had a small computer in front of them. We were able to work on our own projects and tailor them to the needs and goals of our own organizations. Having the ability to do, and not just watch, was huge.

Networking: Network. Network. Network. I soon learned that the entire room was a potential client. It was a fantastic way for me to meet other people, tell them about my business, and learn about theirs. Conferences are some of the best places to meet other professionals and to network.

So, was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Yes. Will I kick and scream the whole way there? Most likely. But any time you can get out of your comfort zone and get in front of people, you are going to win. So, get out there. Sign up for that conference or webinar. Learn something new and make a connection, or two!

Qrious and BusyConf Launch Partnership to Streamline Conference Workflows

2013-06-14T00:00:00Z

BusyConf is really excited to officially announce our partnership with Qrious (“curious”).

“As a conference attendee, I’ve always enjoyed the BusyConf experience. When planning began for #ChefConf 2013, BusyConf was the clear choice for managing the CFP, attendee registration, and conference scheduling. We needed a badge printing and lead retrieval system that provided a similarly enjoyable experience,” said Nathen Harvey, Technical Community Manager of Opscode and #ChefConf 2013 Program Chair.
…</br> “We’re really excited to have Qrious as our first partner to integrate with our real-time API,” said Ryan McGeary, CEO and Founder of BusyConf. “Keeping data in sync across services is something that really matters to conference organizers and the integration provides instant synchronization between our two platforms.”

If you’re interested in the automated integration between our two platforms, contact support today.

Read the Press Release

What's in Your Briefcase?

2013-06-10T00:00:00Z

Going to a conference? Be sure to have these necessary items in your briefcase, laptop bag, or purse. Most conferences are quick and fast-paced and leave little time to run to the drugstore or back to your room. Make sure you are prepared and ready to go!

Business Cards: This is one time when less is definitely not more. Make sure you have plenty of business cards with you. The worst scenario is when you meet a new contact, they are truly interested in your services, but you have nothing to give them. We recommend keeping business cards in all pockets of all bags. Just in case you change bags at the last minute.

Mints: Conferences start early, and most likely, you will be drinking coffee. Make sure you have mints with you so that you can talk to that person next to you with confidence. You never know what they will be serving for lunch too. Garlic shrimp?

More Than One Pen: We have all had that incident where we are trying to take notes or write down a number and our pen won’t work. Be prepared and have a couple of extra pens just incase. You never know when the person next to you will need a pen. Great conversation starter and you look prepared.

Notebook: Sometimes the good old fashioned note taking is the only way to go. Want to save your notes digitally? Try the new Evernote Smart Notebook. It allows you to take pictures of your notes and then stores it in Evernote. Genius.

Phone Charger: Work doesn’t stop because you are at a conference. Make sure your phone has plenty of juice so you can answer those incoming calls from the office or from your clients. You may also want to be tweeting or posting about the conference. Having your phone charger with you will make certain your phone is alive and well.

Do you have any other suggestions for what to bring to a conference? We would love to hear from you. Tweet us at @busyconf or visit our Facebook page.

Look forward to hearing from you!

BusyConf's First High School Intern: Daniel Ackerman

2013-06-07T00:00:00Z

Hello, my name is Daniel Ackerman.

I just graduated from Loudoun Valley High School and will attend Christopher Newport University next year to study computer science. Before I could even read, I showed a great interest in computers when I got a Nintendo 64 at age four. When I was nine, I decided to build my own desktop computer. Then, when I turned 13, I got a PSP and proceeded to hack it. The following year I became a well-known iTouch and iPhone jail breaker at my intermediate school. But it was not until I took a basic computer science course my junior year in high school that I had any programming experience. The first quarter was very hard for me; and, while normally I was not the academic student who persevered, I suddenly found myself spending every night at home hacking away on different pieces of code. Not only did this new found aspiration for computer science cause my grades in that class to improve, but it also helped to improve my grades in all of my other classes as well. I was definitely going to sign up for AP computer science the next year.

My senior year was very exciting for me. The preceding summer I spent hours each day programming, and I solved many mathematical problems with computer science on Project Euler. I also had a mentor in the computer science field that helped me when I needed it. As most of my fellow classmates lost interest in their classes and turned towards college, I finally focused on school. Realizing that calculus could help me further my computer science endeavors, I began teaching it to myself. For once, all of my math classes became a breeze. I began to make nearly straight A’s, something I had not achieved for years. I helped out the first year computer science students, serving as a teacher assistant for a teacher I will never forget. That Christmas, instead of asking for some gadget or game, I asked for computer science and math textbooks: scala, calculus, game physics, functional programming. In the last few months I wrote a derivative, integration, and graphing program for a physics project and learned dynamic programming. But as my year began to come to a close, I was told of an internship opportunity at a company called BusyConf.

While I had recently acquired a job to save some money for college, the interview and pre-interview email processes for BusyConf were very nerve-wracking for me. Even being a coached varsity debater, I was really nervous speaking in front of Ryan. I knew from the moment I googled his name that I had found someone who not only knew programming and business inside and out, but someone who could actually teach me and help me turn my passion and still beginner’s knowledge of computer science into a real craft. Over the course of a month, Ryan and I emailed each other back and forth as a sort of pre-interview. I remember quite a few days where I kept my phone close, waiting for some response, only to jump back into learning the new language Ruby I heard about from Ryan. At the interview I was extremely nervous–I was actually meeting Ryan in person!

Getting picked for the internship was simply amazing. The night I got the email I was ecstatic. However, my first day was very different from my expectations. Ryan introduced me to the challenging process of picking out the stickers for the cover of a MacBook. When he took me and his friend (Chris Mar) out to lunch, we had a funny conversation about the crazy interview questions software companies can ask applicants. Later that day I was shown how to run a live version of the BusyConf server on the MacBook and how to use git & hub to pull repositories from GitHub. Lastly, I was given a rundown of the Mac operating system. But it was the smaller personal gestures that made me feel truly welcome.

At BusyConf this summer, I expect to be greatly challenged. I have already been challenged: I had this quirk where I press the caps lock key instead of the shift key to capitalize, and Ryan has “helped me” by taking it away on the Mac…but I know this is for good. I expect that if I put in 100%, I can achieve a level of computer science that I am only now beginning to see as possible. Last summer I grew tremendously, simply by pushing myself. But I lacked a dedicated teacher, formal instruction, and clear goals. This summer, I have all of those, in addition to a mindset on becoming an amazing programmer.

Going Green for Your Next Event

2013-06-03T00:00:00Z

We all want to do our part and help to protect the environment. One way you can do that is by eliminating waste at your next big event. Here are 8 tips on how you can host a “green” conference. This will not only help the planet, but it will also help your wallet!

Digital Goody Bag: Instead of handing your attendees a bag full of paper that they may or may not read, think about sending everything to them prior to the conference in an e-mail. This will give attendees the opportunity to print what they are interested in–saving you time and money. It might also save a tree or two.

China Over Styrofoam: Instead of styrofoam coffee cups, bring out the old china. Using china cups and saucers may seem a bit old-school, but it will save you money on purchasing hundreds of cups. It will also reduce waste.

Skip the Bottled Water: Offer large water jugs everywhere, and consider sponsored reusable water bottles that attendees can take with them. Water pitchers and glasses at each table also helps.

Thumb Drives with Presentations: Much like the digital goody bag, offer to put all of the presentations they are going to see today on a thumbdrive. This can be purchased at the end of the event or given out as a souvenir. This eliminates unwanted paper that usualy gets thrown away.

Recycling Bins Next to Garbage Cans: Make recycling easy for your attendees. Ask your venue to help by supplying recycling bins next to every garbage can.

Publish a Digital Agenda: Most attendees carry smartphones or tablets, and they love using them. By publishing a mobile-enabled online schedule of your event, your attendees not only get a richer experience but you also save a ton of paper. BusyConf can help you publish a modern online schedule easily.

Ask Your Attendees to Do Their Part: Let attendees know this is an energy concious event, and ask them to pitch in. Recycle that soda can. If printing out slides, ask them to print front and back and multiple slides per page.

Reuse the Name Badge Sleeves: Much like runners returning their time chip at the end of a race, attendees can return their plastic name badge sleeves and lanyards at the end of your event. With a conference of 1300 or more people, saving a name badge can save over $1,000!

These are just a few ideas on how to have less waste at your next big event. Not everyone will be on board, and you are sure to get some push-back. There will be complaints about not having bottled water or a printed slides. Simply smile, and thank them for their suggestions. There is no way to make everyone happy, but you know that you took a few simple steps to not only save some money but also help protect our environment.

Finding The Right Speakers For Your Conference

2013-05-27T00:00:00Z

Finding the right speakers for your conference can be a big challenge. Speakers can make or break a conference. Big names will attract people to your conference but so will titles, resumes and publications. When looking for speakers make sure you stay on topic and find people who are well-versed in the industry. It is important to find speakers that have experience presenting to large groups. You want someone who is dynamic, entertaining and educational. Here are a few tips on how to find the right speaker for your next conference:

Attend Conferences in Your Area: Look at events in your industry both past and present. Who were the speakers? What was the attendance like? What was the feedback on the speaker? Did any of the speakers strike a chord with you?

Ask Your Audience: If you already have a following ask them who they would like to hear speak. You can tweet them, poll them on Facebook or ask them via Google+. You may be surprised at the responses. Try giving them a few options and let them vote.

Ask Your Sponsors: Asking your sponsors also shows that you respect their opinion and want their input. However, do not put them in charge of finding the speaker. Simply ask them for a few names they would recommend. This way you are still in control. You can do your homework from afar and see if these names would be a good fit for the conference with little commitment.

Create an Advisory Board: This board can consist of employees, friends with a deep interest of your particular topic or industry, and perhaps past speakers of your event. If this is your first time holding an event ask people who are knowledgeable on the topic. Several heads are always better than one. Discuss trending topics related to the industry at hand and what each person would like to learn more about.

Request for Proposal: Set up a Request for Proposal (aka Call for Proposal, aka CFP) form on your website. BusyConf has a very intuitive and easy to use form that is available to use when integrated with our seamless conference platform. CFP’s allow the speakers to come to you. You will get a good sense of their commitment and level of enthusiasm.

Listen to you Audience: We spend so much time looking at the podium we may overlook the very talented and dynamic speaker and leader who is sitting right next to you. Talk to your fellow attendees. Find out what they do. You may just find the next presenter for your event.

Read: Immerse yourself in books, articles, and blogs on the topic. You may be surprised at what you learn and who you “meet.”

Find New Blood: We tend to ask the same industry leaders to speak. The trouble with that is their speech is often the same. Instead of asking these leaders to speak at yet another conference ask them who they would recommend. Perhaps they have been to a conference and heard someone who is less known but still has great content to share.

Finding good public speakers is no easy task–especially ones that are knowledgeable, interesting and well versed. Do your homework and ask others to help you. Have you hosted a conference? If so, how did you find your speakers?

The BusyConf Elevator Pitch

2013-05-22T00:00:00Z

When you’re starting a new company, it’s critical to be able to convey the business’s message and value proposition quickly. It’s important to practice, memorize, and test this message frequently, because the next person you meet might be the perfect customer, investor, or partner.

Here’s the BusyConf Elevator Pitch that I’ve been practicing recently.

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced event planning professional, conference and convention planning is an utter nightmare. BusyConf is the only platform with its unique set of conference workflows that makes conference planning easy.

Let’s imagine that you need to organize a speaker conference. You have a lot on your plate. You need to manage the speakers. You need to coordinate and cooperate amongst your review committee. You need to publish a schedule that your attendees can view while they’re at the event. And you need to handle all the finances. You need to handle the ticket purchases with credit card payments, and discount codes, and refunds. All of this makes up just part of a typical conference event.

Normally, this is handled with disjunct emails and offline spreadsheets. Almost none of it is in one location. To top it off, the responsible parties are usually made up of volunteers with little expertise, but more importantly little time.

BusyConf gives you the tools to publish a call for proposals. We automatically publish your accepted activities to an online mobile schedule. We also handle all the ticket registration, sponsor payments, and finances for you. It’s all under the BusyConf roof, AND at the end of the day, we cut you a check.

BusyConf makes your event a success. It makes conference planning easy.

Leesburg Tech Startup Co-Sponsors Hackathon at Thomas Jefferson High School

2013-04-26T00:00:00Z

BusyConf is proud to sponsor and mentor the largest high school hackathon in history. The Leesburg Today and Ashburn Patch picked up the story.

“I am looking for someone who has already shown a talent for programming, but wants to learn more,” McGeary said. “I am testing a new hypothesis. I believe that someone who starts with a strong passion for programming at a young age and on their own initiative will be a better job candidate in the long run than someone who chose a college major because there is a potential job market for that skill.”

Read the Article

Original Press Release

Grunt Funds Are Trending in Startup Circles

2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Karen E. Klein from Bloomberg Businessweek interviewed me about Mike Moyer’s new book, Slicing Pie. I got to talk about BusyConf, my past business experiences, and how a dynamic equity split model might have helped.

“There’s got to be a better way” to handle equity stakes, McGeary says.

Read the Article

Loudoun Meet-ups Help High-Tech Entrepreneurs Share Ideas

2012-09-26T00:00:00Z

Jim Barnes from The Washington Post interviewed me during a local gathering of entrepreneurs. I got to talk about BusyConf and how important networking can be for entrepreneurs.

“A lot of the best connections you have, or the best business generators, are sometimes the weak connections, not necessarily your best friend,” McGeary said. “It’s more along the lines of the person you met at the one particular gathering knows somebody who knows somebody.”

“Basically, we talk about our ideas; we talk about our business plans; we talk about challenges we’re having, and just bounce ideas around,” McGeary said.

Read the Article

The LMGTFY Guys are Back...with an Online Conference Startup

2012-01-05T00:00:00Z

Connie Loizos from peHUB interviewed us about our new startup.

As attendees of conferences, we’ve been pained like everyone else by how most handle their schedules, in terms of handling multiday, multitrack conferences. Most are poorly organized, lack relevant information, and aren’t published in a way that conference attendees can easily access. So we’re trying to alleviate those problems through a dynamic, HRML5 schedule that’s easy to use, with different versions optimized for the desktop, iPhone, Android, iPad and printer.

Read the Article

Conference Organizing Made Easier with BusyConf

2011-08-22T00:00:00Z

We were pleased to have Monika Jansen write up a great article about us on Tech Cocktail.

We have all been to conferences that are poorly organized – signage sucks, trying to choose a session to attend is nearly impossible due to lack of details, and so on. While some of those issues can be attributed to inexperience, a lot of it boils down to the simple fact that organizing a conference is not easy – there are a million details to account for, never mind problems that pop up at the last minute.

The Hallway Track by BusyConf

How to Plan a Conference in Spite of COVID-19 Uncertainty

Understand government guidelines

Consider hosting it outdoors

Go digital

Safety and controlling movement is a much larger priority

Final thoughts

COVID-19: The Best Video Software To Host An Online Conference

1. Zoom

2. Google Hangouts

3. Microsoft Teams

4. Whereby

5. Skype

Conference Tips Every Event Organizer Should Know

Top Tips When Organizing a Conference

So You Want To Be an Event Planner...

Which skills do you need?

Relationship builder

Project manager

Problem solver

Commercial operator

How to get experience?

Starting your own business

Six Things Event Planners Often Overlook

1.Traffic control

2. Digital access

3. Music permits

4. Diets and allergies

5. Capacity

6. Alcohol license

Saving the Best Until Last: How to Speak Late at a Conference

Don’t use this session to pitch your product

Use new technologies to keep your session fresh

Don’t be concerned by what happened before

Present in your own style

Conference Giveaways: Why They Are Important and How to Use Them to Reach Your Goals

Benefits of Conference Giveaways

Increase Interest in Your Company

Help with Brand Recognition

Positive Experience for Your Audience

How to Create an Effective Corporate Giveaway Strategy

Figure Out Who You Want to Reach

Think About Your Goals

Prioritize Quality

How to Host Your Own Music Festival

Step 1: Nail the Venue

Step 2: Nail the Music

Step 3: Nail the Marketing

Step 4: Nail the Décor

Step 5: Nail the Event

Step 6: Do it all Again!

How to Infuse Comedy Into New Areas of Your Conference

1. Email Marketing

2. Social Media

3. Hashtags

4. Conference App

5. Badges and Titles

6. Signage/Area Names

7. Food

8. Social Activities

9. Awards

3 Key Ways To Promote Your Conference

1. Start early

2. Utilize social media

3. Blog, blog, blog

Summary

Common Event Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Not being prepared for everything

Not estimating the size of the event right

Not being aware of the changes (or making others aware)

Not having the right equipment

5 Comedians that Make Great Celebrity Speakers

James Acaster

Chris Addison

Alexander Armstrong

Jo Brand

Jimmy Carr

How Technology is Changing Event Security

Conducting risk assessments

Brief your attendees with an app