Your event is over. Everyone has gone home and you are
thankful for the chance to catch your breath. In fact, the last thing you want
to do is even think about the event. However, we all recognize that there is an
enormous benefit to conducting a staff debrief, as well as gaining feedback
from and following up with all attendees. But, how do you do it in an inviting
and non-harassing manner? Implementing a few best practices will not only help
you maintain your enthusiasm, but build energy for the next event.
Learn And Debrief
It is no surprise that the first activity after your
conference or meeting should be a debrief with the meeting team. Those included
in the session should be the planning team as well as vendors that played key
roles in the program. Spend time not only discussing what didn't work but also
how the planning and budgeting process can be improved. Keep the meeting
focused and on task. If you find the discussion focusing on any particular item
for too long, offer a solution and move on. Help guide the discussion to ensure
time is spent on reviewing the key elements of the program, from registration
to tear-down, and allot some time for brainstorming to discuss ways that each
element could have been better. Be sure to document all of the identified areas
of improvement while the thoughts are still fresh.
It is important to hold a separate debrief with management
to get feedback, as their view of the program will be different than that of
those who planned the event. Since management should have had an instrumental
role in either setting or approving the event objective, it is crucial to get
their evaluation on whether the company goals and messaging were delivered.
Similarly, sponsors and/or exhibitors should be polled to
find out if the event was worth their investment and if they have any
suggestions for the future. Questions to consider asking the latter group
include:
• Did the right mix of decision-makers attend the event?
• Were the location and hours of the event suitable to meet
objectives?
• Would they attend again?
• Did the event venue provide appropriate sponsorship
recognition (signage, on-stage recognition, etc.)?
• Was there value in the available networking opportunities?
Attendee Assessment
The process of establishing best practices and learning from
mistakes so you can improve on the next event should also involve input from
attendees. Such input typically comes in the form of a survey, either onsite or
after the event. An onsite survey occurs during the event and should measure
session, class and presenter content. The onsite survey is very specific to the
kind of content that the attendee engages in and, in most cases, focuses a
great deal on speaker and educational content.
Most find it beneficial to have the survey already
distributed and on the table or work station so attendees can fill it out when
they have time, during a break or even during the session. Enlist the speaker
in encouraging the attendees to fill out the survey, and then collect it as
they leave the room as well as have a box at the hospitality desk for returning
it. If attendees are using a mobile app, be sure to remind them to go online
and fill out the session survey. You won't get everyone to participate, but if
you remind attendees how important their participation is and make it easy for
them to complete, you will likely improve your survey response rate.
Although you want to gain input on a wide variety of topics,
it is essential to keep the survey short and to the point. If at all possible,
limit the questions to as few as five and make it simple and quick to fill
out—ideally less than a minute.
The broader post-event survey typically is more general in
nature and relates to the attendees' overall experience. It is appropriate to
ask about educational content in the post-event survey as well. For example, if
it was a training event, did attendees feel like they received adequate
education? Typical areas to explore in the survey include:
• Goal: Were objectives for the session met?
• Educational sessions: Were they as advertised? Were the
speakers credible? Engaging? Did the speakers handle the topics in the right
amount of detail?
• Networking: Were there ample time and appropriate venues
for networking and collaborating? What can be improved or added to the program?
• Logistics: Review the registration process, event
communications, accommodations, food and beverage, facility, cost, room
temperature, etc.
Putting The Data To
Use
Once the feedback is gathered from all the various sources,
it should be inputted and analyzed so final results can be evaluated. This
information should then be saved and referred to during future event planning
processes. Final assessments should be distributed to management, key vendors
and employees who are part of the planning team.
The survey process is not only a chance to get feedback
related to marketing initiatives, it also can serve as a developmental tool for
content creation for future programs. For example, for a large conference, it
may be important to find out more about the role of the attendees in their
organizations, whether or not this is the first time they attended this
conference/meeting/event, as well as their overall satisfaction.
Marketing For Success
In addition to lessons learned, it makes sense in many cases
to continue to build the branding aspects related to the event. For example, if
you launched a particular product or new sales initiative at the meeting, how
will you carry the enthusiasm on after the event is over? Activities that were
met with great success having been incorporated into post-event marketing
include:
• A thank-you card to all attendees
• A gift card related to the conference theme
• Pictures and videos from the conference, meeting or event
posted on the corporate website
• Presentations and other training documents distributed via
email or online
• Facebook or LinkedIn pages to allow attendees to connect
with one another
• Strategically placed followup quarterly graphical emails
to tie into how the company is continuing on with its key messaging and focus
for the year
Part of the debriefing and review process also includes
looking ahead to the next event, not only from an operational standpoint, but
from a marketing viewpoint. For example, based on feedback, you may consider
hosting a regional meeting in between conferences to continue to fulfill the
objectives outlined for the event. After all, the goal for capitalizing on the
event from a marketing or branding standpoint is also to drive attendance for
next year and continue to enforce the message that they heard at the previous
conference, meeting or event.
This report
originally appeared in the May 12, 2014, edition of Business Travel News.