Boomset Blog • Posts Tagged ‘event industry trends 2015’

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF ATTENDEE NETWORKING + EVENT PARTICIPATION

Whether it’s an alumni event registration or a multi-session conference, it’s bustling business as usual for eventprofs – especially during event planning season and awards ceremonies. Event organizers, marketing teams, and other departments are looking for more ways to boost both staff and attendee engagement at events.

Through our own eyes, interesting team building events featured on BizBash, and events we’ve worked all over the globe, we decided to team up with the event fun connoisseurs at Museum Hack to get their perspective on turning up the volume on participation at networking events and other social gatherings. Read through this series of questions and answers to optimize your next event.

FEATURE FRIDAY: EVENT MANAGEMENT + THE MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE

Event management software,, a trained staff, the ideal venue: it all can all come together with a little insight, expertise, and industry know-how. Just ask the attendees at the #BGTravel Show:

“I do 104 shows a year, and that is the EASIEST check-in I have ever done.”

Boomset’s easy check-in app is just the beginning of an (organized) event experience. Take a look at this venue option and another exciting pick from the latest event industry trends.

The holiday season is a favorite time of the year for many of us – and it’s not just for the unique and decorative holiday party trends. One of the best things about this time of the year are the round-ups of all the New Year predictions, and we’ve reached out to event professionals across the industry to bring them to you.

We know that attendee networking and interaction are here to stay, but what else should be trending? What we should be ‘unfriending’ and letting go of in 2016? How about some ways to make the first few weeks of the month the most productive they can be? Find out all of this and more by reading these very special event industry predictions for 2016.

With the new year approaching, the Internet is being flooded with corporate holiday party ideas and event industry trends for 2016. As event professionals strive for more participation among guests at an event, it’s more important than ever to find ways to keep the attention of an easily distracted attendee.

Face-to-face communication is one sure-fire solution to get the conversation going at an event, even for the Millennials, but there are many other ways to get attendees communicating with one another. Read the following suggestions to promote more interaction among your event attendees.

Millennials make up a huge consumer demographic for many industries. It stands to reason then that this is a group that you really want to cater to for your events. There are a few tricks you can implement for your next conference or seminar to ensure that you especially appeal to millennials.

1. ENCOURAGE SOCIAL MEDIA USE

According to Statista, 90% of millennials own a smartphone; 93% also use the Internet on a daily basis. You can bet that a good portion of the time on mobile devices and the Web is spent on social media.

Use your social network channels to heavily promote the event. Do the same during the event with a Twitter or other social network wall placed throughout the venue.This enables attendees to see posts, tweets, and selfies with the event hashtag from other attendees as they are submitted in real time.

This encourages others to do the same. It creates a trend that quickly generates online discussion as the posts are shared among attendees and their respective social media followers.

2. MAKE THE EXPERIENCE INTERACTIVE

Use the latest technical innovation to create an interactive experience. This can be done via customized app that allows for engagement through people’s own mobile devices. You can, for instance, create an event schedule app that allows users to personalize their own timeline based on the exhibits, booths, and lectures they wish to attend. This also allows exhibitors, presenters, and sponsors to send out messages specifically to their target audience.

Interactive experiences can also be delivered in the form of stationary iPad kiosks. This can include mini games that promote a specific product or company in the process. Watch this YouTube video of an excellent example of a promotional interactive kiosk for Red Bull.

The reason this is such an awesome example is because it requires people to use their mobile devices and also rewards them with a free can of Red Bull for their participation. This creates a form of engagement that forges a strong impression for the brand being promoted.

3. ENCOURAGE GROUP ATTENDANCE

Millennials enjoy attending events in groups. To encourage attendees to bring friends and loved ones along, your event has to be more than just informational stuff. The friends and loved ones are not going to be interested in the lectures or presentations, which is why your event has to have an entertainment element to it.

This is why it’s good to employ interactive kiosks. Similarly, individual booths and workshops should also have some form of interactive game with prizes. (Eventprofs can check out the Event Manager Blog for ideas of fun games for trade show exhibits.) Additionally, you can also add some form of entertainment. This may include a performance from a comedian, magician, or singer to conclude the event on a high note.

To further encourage attendees to bring along their peers, you can offer discount rates for bulk ticket purchases. Make it known in your ads that the event is peer and family-friendly.

4. ADD A CHARITABLE ELEMENT

According to a survey by Washington Post, 84% of millennials made some form of charitable donation in 2014. With that in mind, make a donation to a non-profit organization. Alternatively, you can also invite representatives from a charity group to the event and let them run a booth.

Be sure to heavily promote any charity groups you’ll be making a contribution to. Ideally, the donation should be to an organization related to your industry. If you’re hosting a tech expo, for instance, then perhaps the donation can go towards tech education for schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Before the event, you can even use social media to ask attendees what charities they would like for you to help.

5. HAVE MILLENNIALS ON YOUR STAFF

People have a natural inclination to gravitate towards others that they can relate to. With that in mind, millennials will more likely form a rapport with staff members within their own age range. Ideally, there should be plenty of staff members in their early 20s to early 30s. If you can acquire a guest speaker, lecturer, or entertainer also within the millennial age range, that’s another huge plus.

There tends to be a perception that millennials are “soft” with an overt sense of entitlement and an “it’s all about me” mentality. This sentiment is really unfounded. Many, in fact, are hard workers and dynamic thinkers who can connect better with the majority of those in attendance. If you have a millennial that’s in a higher-up position, then that’s even better as it shows that your company is invested in cultivating young prospects and leaders.

MAKE MILLENNIALS A PRIORITY

By engaging with millennials at your event, you create an atmosphere that fosters long-term customer loyalty. With that in mind, always look for innovative and out-of-the-box ways in which you can interact with an increasingly growing demographic.

Author Bio: Dan McCarthy is an Event Manager at JD Parties, an event management company based in the UK. Dan has 5 years of event project management under his belt. He has worked on many successful events, and currently he shares his knowledge by writing on the company blog. Follow him on Twitter @DanCarthy2.

We know what Millennials want: SELFIES!

Check out this innovative event registration solution for multi-session events + more:

WHAT’S A #SELFIEBADGE?

MOBILE EVENT MANAGEMENT…IN 15 SECONDS

Some of our favorite events of all time are with organized by our partners at BizBash. It’s not only to see the latest in event management and event industry trends, but really meet all of the inspiring eventprofs that attend.

(And get a few snapshots with some of the event design! Have you met our Account Executive, Cassie?)

Ladies, have you ever been invited to an event for the first time and didn’t know what to expect? And because you didn’t know what to expect, you didn’t know what to wear? And because you didn’t know what to wear, you just all around gave up and decided that you were just going to wear that crisp white shirt and plain black pants, or your little black dress that you wear to every function? Sound familiar?

It’s time to upgrade your event wardrobe!

Besides adding pizzazz to printable name tags, take a look at these four scenarios where the ladies of the eventprofs community can exercise their chic creativity beyond the event management details.

Great event management means being a great leader. Leaders have certain qualities that make them ideal to plan and execute professional events. There are so many good qualities of a leader, but these particular three make excellent organizers for event management, as well.

What are the three traits that define and will continue to define a great event organizer?

What is the primary mission of any college or university?

Many would assume that providing higher, quality education would be the main focus, and they would be correct. However, there are many other services that colleges and universities provide. Another service that can be considered essential? Providing events for both prospective and current students.

So, what’s it like for eventprofs in the education industry?

Everyone loves stuff…especially if its free!

As an event sponsor, the easiest way to get your branding and logo out there is through event marketing and advertising. Putting your name on the event program and TV screens works, but people come to the event, leave, and forget about that vague company who provided all the coffee at 8:00 am.

What people do remember is the merchandise, the goodies, they received in their gift bags. While most sponsors choose to put in flyers or one pagers, more likely than not, that’s the first thing to get trashed when the attendees go home and fold up the brand new tote they received.

Take this opportunity to get creative and really highlight what your company is all about. Eventprofs are in luck – we’ve already brainstormed some ideas! See our list of 5 cool treats every attendee would want to roll out with below!

#eventprofs #boomset

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF ATTENDEE NETWORKING + EVENT PARTICIPATION

FEATURE FRIDAY: EVENT MANAGEMENT + THE MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE

2016 EVENT INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS: 6 EVENTPROFS WEIGH IN ON TRENDS

4½ IDEAS TO PROMOTE ATTENDEE INTERACTION AT EVENTS

HOW TO ENGAGE MILLENNIALS AT EVENTS

1. ENCOURAGE SOCIAL MEDIA USE

2. MAKE THE EXPERIENCE INTERACTIVE

3. ENCOURAGE GROUP ATTENDANCE

4. ADD A CHARITABLE ELEMENT

5. HAVE MILLENNIALS ON YOUR STAFF

MAKE MILLENNIALS A PRIORITY

MOBILE EVENT MANAGEMENT…IN 15 SECONDS

DON’T WEAR THAT, WEAR THIS: EVENTPROFS LADIES EDITION

3 INTEGRAL TRAITS EVENT MANAGEMENT WILL NEED IN 2016

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TRICK OR TREAT: WHAT GIFT BAG SWAG DO EVENTPROFS GIVE/GET AT EVENTS?

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