Conference participation provides some unique opportunities to enhance your business or detract from it. Participation can cost significant amounts of time and money. To maximize the return on your investment, plan your goals for attending the conference and how to reach those goals. Equally important, think about how to avoid mistakes. To help you with this, some commonsensical do’s and don’t’s are discussed below. A conference may be the most effective marketing and branding tool you have. Use the tool wisely.
Why Should I Attend or Exhibit at This Conference?
Everyone should ask this question before making a decision about participation at a conference. Unfortunately, not every one does. Humans have a herd mentality. We tend to follow others because we innately believe that the majority must know what is best for all. Some migrate back to the same conference every year without evaluating the usefulness of attending or exhibiting. Things change, and so do conferences. Some evolve into useful centers of cutting-edge information, and some seem to go the way of the buffalo. Exhibiting and attending is costly. The fact that it was a good idea to spend a few thousand dollars to attend or exhibit last year does not necessarily mean it is a good idea year after year.
Ask yourself what you hope to achieve by investing your time and money in participation at the conference. Do you want to build name/brand recognition? Build new relationships? Enhance existing relationships? Find new prospects? What are your measurable goals and how will you determine if you have met them? Look at the conference agenda. Does it address the topics and will it attract the right participants to enable you to meet your goals?
In short, think about why you are investing your time and money, and ask yourself what is the likelihood of an acceptable return on your investment.
If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. When looking around at the exhibitor, do their displays look tired or worn? Do attendees take full advantage of the resources available to them? After spending valuable time and budget, it would seem obvious to go the extra step with small details such as new graphics for a booth or spending a couple of dollars to press your shirt. The same is true of the conference itself. If the participants do not have a perception of value, why should they attend and why should you participate?
Is Participation an Opportunity -- or Obligation?
How many times have you heard the term "booth duty"? It is usually used to describe a staff person’s obligation to hang around the exhibit area. This role is frequently assigned to junior staff. Projecting a less-than-first-rate image of your organization or product is counterproductive. Remember what your Mom said, "You only get one chance to make a first impression."
Maximize your investment with first-string players who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Set goals for staff at conferences, possibly including number of prospects/referrals, feedback questionnaires, etc. This lets staff know that their participation and performance at a conference is interactive and critical -- not perfunctory.
Attendees at conferences should be enthusiastic representatives of your organization who project your corporate image. They should be equipped to achieve the goals that you have established and share their learnings with your staff. Attendance at a conference should be perceived as an opportunity and reward.
How Can I Maximize the Available Opportunities and Resources?
In many cases a conference provides a good and efficient opportunity to meet with clients and prospects. Between travel schedules and costs, it is difficult to have as much “face time” with these people as you might wish. A conference can be a time and money saver if you plan accordingly. You may be able to schedule meetings with several clients, colleagues, peers or prospects over the course of the conference because the conference has brought them together for you. There are resources available at a conference to support meetings, exhibiting and marketing. This includes audio/visual equipment and experts, meeting spaces, restaurants and entertainment.
You can take advantage of these resources to host a training session for select clients and prospects. You can gather together a user group. An informal meeting of peers with other organizations to discuss new products, legislation or business tips can provide useful insights and knowledge as well as building strong networks of support.
Participation at a conference takes time and budget, while ideas and imagination are free. Take the time to step back and take a fresh look at how you invest your time and budget in conference participation. You can differentiate yourself from the herd and help reach your goals.
Kris Klein is the Director of Marketing for The McHenry Group. Mr. Klein can be reached by email at
kris.klein@mchenrygroup.com or by phone at 800-638-8121 ext. 124.
