IEEE has increased focus on attracting new audiences by enhancing conferences, trying new ideas and formats, and creating new methods for engagement.
Lack of time and funding for attendees, along with increased competition from for-profit events are creating new struggles for IEEE conferences.
Making your conference a "can't miss" event is more important than ever. Here are some simple ways that you can innovate and invigorate your event.
Tip 1. Be Attendee-Focused
Provide information to make your attendees feel taken care of and special. Work with your local arrangements group to tell people where the best cup of coffee in town is; or the perfect place to buy souvenirs to bring back to the kids.
It's little touches that start to put a human face on the conference, and make people feel like the conference is providing great service.
Tip 2. White Space
Attendees need a little bit of time for ideas to sink in, to reflect on what they just heard. You want your event to be the event where inspiration strikes them. In addition, we see that people are coming to events to network, just as much as they do for content.
A little space between sessions allows time for those hallway conversations, for people to meet each other and find new collaborators. Try 15-minute transitions between sessions, to give people time to think and talk.
Tip 3. Keep People Moving
Early afternoon can be a tough time of day for attendees. People are digesting their lunch, may be sleepy and can find it hard to focus. This is the time for more interactive or shorter sessions that have the attendees moving every 20 minutes. It is a good opportunity for a debate, fishbowl, or more conversational session.
Tip 4. Facilitated Networking
Facilitated networking means that you don't just create space for networking, but you also introduce tools to help start those conversations. These can be super simple, starting with the name badge. For meetups, add a line to your name badges that say "Ask me about" and a blank for people to fill in.
Or try a bingo game on the back of the name badges. Each square can be an action to complete with a person- like take a selfie or have lunch. This approach can be used with young professionals, women, or anyone that you want to feel welcome in your community.
Tip 5. Shared Experience
Create some immediate shared experience for people to talk about. Try a drink or dessert sampling with voting at the start of dinner. Or have attendees vote on a logo at the start of a conference. It doesn't really matter what the thing is, it is just the immediacy of having something to talk about and work together on.
Skipping awkward small talk and introductions gives the event a different feel - they are all immediately part of a tribe. And, there is plenty of time for small talk as the evening goes on.
Summary
It is important to think about the things that will draw attendees to your event, and keep them coming back. Realistically, a person can only go to one or two conferences a year. So think about what you could do to make them choose yours. It doesn't have to be a big flashy expensive thing; it just means paying attention to those details that can make your event stand out.
If you would like to think more about invigorating your event, contact IEEE MCE for a complimentary consultation session.
