Why do people go to conferences? One of the biggest reasons is that the company they work for made them go. A developer conference is almost entirely work-related. Even the press are there because of work. Some expo-style conferences draw fans of a product or community. From the Star Trek Convention, to the Wing Ding (Honda Gold Wing Convention), fans go to conferences for what they can get out of it.
But companies don’t go through the time, effort, and expense of putting on a conference simply to provide bread and circuses to the masses. Behind every conference is a very specific agenda. Success is not measured by how good of a time was had by the attendees. Just ask IDG: sponsors of the now debunked Macworld Expo. Few conferences have ever enjoyed so much fan support.
There is more to a conference than making a name for yourself. Macworld had no lack of name recognition. For the last few years of its existence, attendees were saying that the best part about Macworld was the social aspect. That was the kiss of death. Never forget that a conference is a business enterprise. Forget that even for a moment, and failure is all but assured. For your next conference, keep the following business goals in mind:
Track and Measure
However you define success, in business that success has to be tracked and measured. You cannot just declare success without numbers, spreadsheets, and pie charts. A good way to approach this is with a branded conference app that provides real-time analytics for improving event performance.
It is not enough to say you gave out a lot of business cards. How many? To whom? How many followup contacts did you schedule? How many scheduled appointments were produced from that box of cards? Did you do any surveys? Did your app have builtin sales opportunities? You get the idea. You don’t just need a conference app. Make sure you also get performance analytics.
Generate Leads
One of the most expensive things you will do as a business is acquire a new customer. Salesforce says customer acquisition will run you 6 to 7 times the price of customer retention. You are already in a few thousand for that conference. You need to maximize those dollars by generating leads that turn into sales.
Not only can you measure the number of leads you get from your conference, you can also measure the quality and outcome of those leads over time. This will be one of the most important factors that determine if it is worthwhile to do another conference.
Sell Something
If your attendees had the time of their lives, but didn’t buy anything, you failed. Your conference should be paid for before you hand out your first name badge. The tickets should be appropriately high to convey a sense of exclusivity. You damage your product by offering cheap tickets. They should start out high. There should be a premium level above that.
Besides selling tickets, you can sell booth space to vendors. If you still have a shortfall, sell convenience food. You can probably pay for the next convention on hotdog sales, alone. Buy bulk-rate rooms, and resale them as a part of the premium package for a small profit. Sell raffle tickets And of course, sell whatever it is you provide as a product or service. Don’t pass up any opportunity to take their money. Leave them smiling. But just remember, those smiles aren’t free. You are not a charity; you’re a business. Act like one.
Conferences are outstanding vehicles for getting your name out there. But if you are not using that vehicle to track success, generate good leads, and sell stuff, you will have missed the boat.