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The Ultimate Guide to Nurturing Prospect, Client and Sponsor Relationships

In the business world, as sterile as it may be from time to time, relationships matter. According to the well-worn phrase, people do business with people they know, like, and trust, but it’s even more relevant in an age where this business is often conducted at arm’s length. In other words, it takes a lot more than a simple signature on a contract, and this is especially true in the events industry. If you’re an event organizer and hoping to attract new customers and sponsors to help you with your efforts, why do you need to go the extra mile to nurture those relationships carefully? What golden rules should you remember if you want your organization to thrive?

Go With What You Have

You don’t need an economist to tell you that it’s cheaper to cultivate an existing customer than to go out and find a new one. Yet, that is how many event organizers operate as they may treat their existing clients as simply a means to an end. Alternatively, they may take steps to groom a new prospect but fail to follow through and bridge that gap between a would-be contract and a relationship.

Bring Them Into The Conversation

If you have already worked with an organization and have produced an event for them with some success, you need to make them feel like they matter. Indeed, you may have signed off on the event, and the relationship may be treading water now, so what can you do to bring them back into the conversation? Introduce them to your social media world and invite them to talk openly about their experience. Don’t be afraid of what they may say if you truly stand by your product and understand that some negativities may arise from time to time. Overall, however, this will be a positive experience for not only you and the customer but also your prospects. They will see that you are transparent and that you can be trusted at the same time.

Go Beyond a Questionnaire

Many event planners send out a questionnaire to clients and participants following an event. Often this can be generic, and they may not act on the gathered intelligence in any case. Try to formalize this approach. Request a one-to-one meeting, even if this must be through a videoconference. As you gather the information, it’ll give some positive feedback to the customer as well. Take the honest criticism and be very grateful for the feedback. Again, this will show that you care and will make the customer feel better about the interaction.

They Are Only Human

Remember that quote above? People like to do business with people that they know, like, and trust? It’s far too easy to think that a customer is a corporate entity, but it is, of course, populated by human beings. They may have the company’s well-being at heart, but they still have feelings, individual needs, and problems. You need to balance this carefully but be prepared to reach past the corporate conversation and see if you can get to know the key people at that organization. Likewise, open if they actively join the conversation and come across as a caring and contributory individual. Suddenly, your event planning company is more than just an organization but is staffed by people who are likable – and care about others.

Turn to Sponsors

You can use the same approach when it comes to building a meaningful relationship with any event sponsors. Again, you are dealing with companies with goals to consider, but this is a different type of spend altogether. An event client may want to stage such an event to educate or reward employees, wine and dine their own clients, or for many other reasons. On the other hand, you may be looking for a sponsor to help you make an event financially viable, and they will have different criteria to consider.

Nevertheless, you will need to nurture any relationship with a potential sponsor and make even more effort once they are confirmed.

Be Proactive

This is why you need to be proactive whenever you open the door with a sponsor. If you’ve got past the gatekeeper and are talking to the decisionmaker, now is the time to pounce. You may have started the process by sending out written or digitized material, but you should now request a face-to-face meeting. It’s always best to do this in person and even in these socially distanced and strange times. Tools like Zoom are all well and good, but nothing can replace in-person interaction. This is equally true when it comes to a potential sponsor meeting as it is for the actual events themselves. As reported in Tradeshow Executive, the pandemic has confirmed the value of face-to-face events. The site reports that 78% of people polled by UFI (the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) felt that face-to-face events would soon bounce back strongly.

Show the Benefits

So, during your meeting, go through every detail clearly and show how the sponsoring company will benefit from any interaction. You will share the schedule, demographic, and expected turnout and show them how you intend to promote their involvement. At this stage, you should have some surprises in your pocket, and you should deliver a little more than they may expect without giving everything away to secure an agreement. Here, you’ll convince them that they are getting more than they are giving – as you are being seen to over-deliver. But keep some of those surprises in your pocket so that you can over-deliver even more on the actual event itself. This should be the “icing on the cake” delivery to convince them that they have done the right thing. You can then use this warm glow to start building forward and to make sure that you have a sponsor on board for the long term.

Be Smart

You need to use your imagination when it comes to those surprises. Look at the event, its deliverables, and the opportunities and see how you could extend the sponsor involvement. For example, you may let them introduce their product or service during a critical part of your event and in front of an engaged audience. This may be over and above what you had previously agreed. Or you may engage with a topic that is very close to their corporate heart if they are philosophic. Announce on stage in front of your audience that you are donating to this charity. Invite your attendees to do the same and make it easy to do so by sending an SMS message to their smart device. This will not only make you look good in front of your attendees, but it will undoubtedly make your sponsor happy. After all, it makes them look good in the eyes of the charity for no extra cost.

Get Personal Again

Once again, try to foster a more personal relationship with the key people who work at the sponsor’s company. You don’t need to go overboard here and should certainly not be intrusive. Test the waters gently in an off-the-cuff conversation and see how they respond. Be willing to open up in response to their questions too, and don’t be surprised at how much of a difference this can make. By all means, focus on business first, but become that person others can know, like, and trust.

Worth the Effort

Somebody in charge of sponsorship arrangements at a large company will often field dozens of requests in any given month. They may meet with several representatives before they make a decision, and most if not all of those other companies will be “all business.” If you can add a human touch to your approach, then you’re more likely to be regarded favorably, and this theme will continue even after you have secured the first deal. Continue to develop the relationship, and you may even bridge the gap between acquaintance and friend.

Keep the Momentum

Don’t let the dust settle for too long once you have agreed on terms with the sponsor and have staged a successful event. At a reasonable interval, reach back out to the sponsor and look for their feedback. Send them a thank you gift and, if possible, send some new business in their direction. Ask your customers to patronize the sponsoring company and give them some incentive if they do so. Perhaps you can offer them a discount on your services or products if they prove that they have patronized the sponsor along the way.

Take the Heat off

As you can see, there are several ways to foster relationships with prospects, customers, or sponsors. Explore them all and come up with your own methods along the way. In the meantime, make your job as an event organizer a lot easier by working with companies that fully understand your industry. eShow is just such an organization specializing in providing comprehensive event management solutions and can do a lot of the heavy lifting. Check out some of their programs and services here. This may help to free up some of your valuable time – so you can strengthen those relationships even more.

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Six Reasons Why A.I. Continues to Intertwine & Advance the Event Management Landscape

Event planners are hardy individuals, always ready to roll their sleeves up and turn out miracles. While they may not be afraid to put in the hours necessary to plan a successful event, they won’t turn their nose up at the opportunity to streamline either. And this is where new technology comes to the fore and why artificial intelligence will continue to make the event planner’s job that much easier. So, how can A.I. simplify your life as a planner and thoroughly enhance the attendee experience?

1. Networking

Let’s face it, many of your event attendees will take their time to blend in, might be introverted, or simply slow to join the conversation. Yet, in an ideal world, you’d love to see each attendee get maximum value out of their day and find people with shared interests right away. A.I. can help with networking, and specific tools can help to strategically match any attendees without a lot of personal effort on your behalf. In this way, those attendees can discuss common challenges or explore opportunities and are likely to have a much more productive event as a consequence.

2. Analytics and Planning

In the past, it may have been true to say that the more information you gather, the stronger you will be from a planning perspective. However, it is now more accurate to say that the more targeted you are with that information and the more powerful your analysis, the better event you can stage in the future. Artificial Intelligence in this situation can help you to create personalized, niche events and reach out to your ideal participant. Rather than shooting in the dark, you’ll know that you are adding features to your event that will be attractive and that will meet approval from your attendees.

In addition, this A.I. will enable you to plan your meeting space, set out a conference hall without any guesswork, handle the sound, lighting, and other factors to give your attendees an optimal experience. The software will also tap into a resource database and find the perfect contractor for individual tasks without guesswork or hassle. It’ll eliminate the need for that trusty Rolodex or its digital equivalent, and this will make decision-making much faster. It will also help you to match your vendors perfectly.

3. Translation and Visitor Experience

Those planners who organize international events know how hard it can be to cut across the language barrier and ensure that all attendees are happy. If not successful, this can lead to frustration or a bad reputation, and faced with this prospect; many planners bring in “human” translators at a high cost. Thankfully, it is now possible to use A.I. tools that function efficiently and can always be on hand to act as a personal translator.

4. Security

Security and safety have never been more critical. After all, bad actors may continue to threaten any gatherings, especially larger events. Event organizers are also expected to look out for their attendees and ensure they are well catered to and for throughout.

In the past, security has been a big headache, especially at more significant events. However, it’s more important than ever to ensure that those who enter the venue and mingle with your attendees are supposed to be there, and this is where facial recognition software can be worth its weight in gold. This type of software is becoming more prevalent, and PCMA has also had a close look at the potential of facial recognition software.

Furthermore, tracking software can passively track individuals as they move from one stage of the event to another and can tell you if anybody is missing. The organizer can then initiate checks, such as sending a message to their bedroom to see if they are okay.

5. Feedback and On Event Efficiency

Not so long ago, chatbots were relatively simple and, depending on your viewpoint, quite annoying. Today, however, they are far more intelligent, able to ask complex questions, decipher the answers and gather a lot of valuable data as they do. They are also a lot more user-friendly, less intrusive, and easy to work with, so attendees do not mind giving feedback through these devices. Consequently, planners can use chatbots to gather real-time feedback through polls and surveys. They can find out what works and what doesn’t and, sometimes, make adjustments on the fly. Chatbots can also take the heat away from your customer service team when accurately programmed and set up. They will register guests for functions, reserve seats, sell tickets or let the CSM know if somebody prefers the tiramisu to the fruit cocktail.

6. Marketing and Future Planning

As planners get their hands on more granular data provided by A.I., they can use this information to manipulate their client list. They can identify commonalities or trends, dig into demographics and create marketing programs that should hit the mark every time. Meanwhile, you’ll be able to create perfectly formed ads that speak directly to the defined avatar and then be able to split the messaging capability if need be. You can use this information effectively through conventional marketing methods, one being social media. It’ll also help you promote your events more effectively and get them off to a flying start.

Powerful Partners

There’s no need for you to go it alone these days as you can take advantage of influential partners, companies that have already invested in A.I., as well as other event management tools and solutions. These partners can help make an in-person, fully digital, or hybrid event a success by rolling out various tools and web-based solutions. Companies like eShow can help you with RFID attendee tracking, for example. They also have tools like Meeting Logistics Manager that can orchestrate all the details and ensure that each function is well planned, staged, and received.

Reach out for More Information

Get in touch with the visionaries at eShow today. They’ll help you gain a unique advantage and bring a number of A.I. driven revelations to your next successful event.

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5 Ways to Strengthen Relationships With Your Event Sponsors

Event sponsors are an invaluable resource for event managers, especially those who find themselves with aspirations above their budgets. But, sponsorship is a give-and-take relationship. Of course, sponsors want to ensure that their companies are reflected favorably within your events in exchange for their financial support. But, they want more than simply having their logos and branding displayed throughout the event; they want to ensure that they are working with an event manager they trust and who values the relationship. They’re looking for a partner.

To show sponsors that you value their relationship, there are things that you can do to keep them coming back event after event (assuming their product/service is in line with the theme of the event). Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’re the only event manager seeking their sponsorship. As with personal relationships, sponsors can always have others vying for their support and presenting more attractive offers.

To stay in good stead with your sponsors, here are five strategies for nurturing the relationship before, during, and after your event, so they look forward to working with you when the next event rolls around.  

Maintain Open Lines of Communication

Again, as with personal relationships, communication is an essential component of a healthy relationship. Show sponsors that you’re committed to their brand and value the relationship by initiating conversations. This could be as simple as providing regular updates (both positive and negative) during the event or congratulating them on business achievements you’ve learned about in industry news.  

Communicating in these ways will not only have sponsors trust you, but they’ll feel a sense of community with you.

Personalize Your Communication

After you’ve secured the sponsorship, don’t rest on your laurels and neglect to continue being polite and accommodating. Keep in mind you’re dealing with another person (or group) who wants to be treated with respect and kindness. Sure, they represent an entity, but at the end of the day, they’re just people.

Your communication with your sponsorship contacts should be personalized by always using their names in any correspondence or phone conversations. When someone shows kindness, remember the Golden Rule and express your gratitude in a timely manner. 

Be courteous and give your contacts time to assemble any information or materials you may need from them. Don’t wait until the last minute and make them feel rushed. Remember they have other pressing matters to attend to other than your event. Within 24 hours of the event wrap-up, send sponsors an email or, better yet, a thank you card. Personal touches like this will stand out and be remembered.

Show Them the Benefits

Although sponsorship company contacts are people, they represent a business, and that business has specific goals when they offer financial support. When you approach them with a sponsorship request, you should get a clear idea of those goals and show them the tangible benefits of partnering with your event. Be specific about how you can help them reach their goals, whether to increase web traffic, lead generation, or actual sales. 

If they agree to offer support, you must deliver on everything you’ve promised and show them how successful you both were thanks to your partnership. eShow can help you provide specific data to sponsors to show how those goals were reached.

Create a “Memento” Package

You are planning to take pictures of logos, signage, and product placement to help in promotional materials for future events, right? Why not assemble those photos along with event collateral and present them to sponsors along with your data report. 

This will not only prove to sponsors that you did what you promised, but it will also show that you find them worthy of special attention.

Treat Sponsors Like the VIPs They Are

Let’s face it; your grand event may not have been possible without the financial support of your sponsors. Show your appreciation by adding value to their involvement by facilitating networking opportunities. If you feel that your sponsors could benefit from connecting with one another, make an introduction. Or, if your sponsorship contact has a penchant for one of your speakers or performers, set up a meeting. 

Whatever you can do to make your sponsors feel special will go a long way towards showing that you don’t take their contribution to your event for granted. If your event results in them meeting their sponsorship goals and making favorable business connections, you’ll be In a good position to reach out for future sponsorship.

Final Thoughts

Providing sponsors and exhibitors with favorable Return On Investment (ROI) data will encourage them to participate in future events. But if you really want to go the extra mile and wow sponsors, the strategies above will keep you at the forefront of their minds. Not only will they be likely to sponsor future events, but they’ll be so impressed with your attentiveness that they may even approach you about being a part of future events. 

Partnering with sponsors can result in wildly successful events.  If you partner with eShow, we can help you manage those partnerships to achieve maximum results.  Our Lead Retrieval module is an attendance tracking service that will show sponsors/exhibitors how many event attendees participated in their sessions or presentations.  But our support doesn’t stop there. Our web-based tools can help you manage your entire event from conception to execution. 

Whether you’re hosting in-person, hybrid, or virtual events, we can provide the tools you need for event success all under one roof, so you don’t have to work with multiple vendors. We’ve launched a new campaign (“We Are Wherever You Need Us”) whose primary concept is “tell us what you need/are looking for, and we’ll tell you which products will work best.”

Contact us today for a no-obligation demo to learn more about this campaign and how eShow can meet all of your event management needs.

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Experiential Marketing To Liven Up Your Event

Today’s consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements every day – and they’re getting burned out. The constant influx of marketing messages has led people to simply ignore the bulk of them. This makes it incredibly difficult for brands to get through the defenses consumers have built up and influence their buying decisions.

Marketers and event planners striving to make an impact must step outside the box and find creative ways to engage their target customers. Experiential Marketing is one approach that can bring exceptional results. Incorporating this concept into your events can make them both more exciting and more effective.

Ready to learn more? Stick with us as we break down precisely what experiential marketing is and how you can use it to liven up your future events.

What is Experiential Marketing?

Experiential marketing involves using immersive experiences to market a product or a brand. It allows brands to go beyond telling consumers why they should buy a product and instead create an intimate, personal experience with it. This gives consumers the chance to feel the emotions that come with actually using a product and makes them feel like they’re a part of your brand. It also gives the brand a chance to build a stronger relationship with the consumer and demonstrate value.   

It’s common for clips of experiential marketing to go viral, thanks to the excitement it creates. These events should be fun, social, and always keep the consumer experience front and center. Using your creativity to weave experiential marketing into your events will help you truly “Wow” your clients and keep you a step ahead of your competitors.

Examples of Experiential Marketing Done Right

Still not clear on what experiential marketing is and how to incorporate it into your next event? Take a look at these three show-stopping examples.

HBO’s Escape Room

Most people are familiar with escape room games. These interactive rooms require you to solve puzzles and find clues so you can “escape” the room within the set time limit. In 2017, HBO made a splash with its own set of escape rooms, which they set up at the South by Southwest® (SXSW) event.

The company created three separate escape rooms based on their popular shows Veep, Silicon Valley, and Game of Thrones. The event was incredibly successful because it required participants to be fully engaged, brought some of their most popular fictional shows to life, and allowed fans to literally become a part of them.

Disney’s CoCo Live Mobile App

When Disney’s event CoCo Live showed at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, patrons were asked to download a smartphone app before the show. Then, during the show, they were able to watch close-ups of characters on stage, receive exciting still clips, and interact in other ways during key performance moments. Based on the success of these types of broadcasts, event planners may consider using their own mobile apps to enhance their experiences in exciting new ways.

Asics “Support Your Marathoner” Campaign

During the NYC Marathon, shoe company Asics used RFID tags embedded in runners’ bibs to project messages from loved ones on big screens as participants passed them. The screens showed texts, still photos, and videos to give the runners the encouragement they needed to finish out their race. 

Since the NYC Marathon is one of the largest in the world, this gave the company an incredible amount of exposure in a way that didn’t feel like advertising. Rather than blocking the images out because they were highly personalized, participants and viewers went out of their way to pay attention to them. 

Tips for Planning Your Experiential Marketing Event

As you start to plan your next experiential marketing event, there are a few basics you need to know. Be sure to consider the following vital tips.

1. Creativity is Critical

The best experiential marketing campaigns are new and exciting. This means you’ll have to use your creativity to develop an experience that hasn’t been done before. It’s important to note that you don’t have to have a huge budget to pull this off. You’ll need to use your imagination and find a way to make the crowd stop and say, “Wow.”

2. Make it a Sensory Experience

Try to make sure your experience uses all of a person’s five senses – sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. This is the best way to create vivid memories that will stick with your audience well after they’ve gone home.

3. Find Creative Sample Opportunities

It’s important not to be too “sales-y” when creating these experiences. However, if you can find ways to creatively get the product in people’s hands, then you’ll definitely want to do it. This might include a pop-up tasting, free samples, or on-the-spot free trials. Not only will this help get people interested in your brand, but it will also make them more engaged.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Big

When planning your experience, do your best to create something shocking. Remember, the point is to get people to pay attention. That’s not always easy to do, so be prepared to go big.

5. Remember Your Call to Action

You don’t want to get people all excited about your brand and then leave them wondering what to do. While you’ve got their attention and their goodwill, be sure to prompt them to take some sort of action.

Experiment with Confidence

Experimenting with new marketing methods is easy when you have the right partners by your side. At eShow, we provide event organizers and planners with all the tools they need to flawlessly plan, execute, and follow up on their events. This gives you the ability to incorporate exciting new ideas and still feel confident that everything will go as smoothly as it should. Contact us today to learn more and request a personal demo!

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The Event Manager’s Tech Guide to Organizing a Successful Hybrid Event

Most industries, truth be told, have been revolutionized by the changeover from analog to digital. Vinyl records gave way to CDs as just one part of a never-ending transition from old school to new. Yet, it’s taken some time for the event industry to go through its own revolution brought on, in part, by the recent pandemic. Today, event managers need to embrace digital as part of a hybrid approach to their craft, and they need to have a complete understanding of what is available and how they can use it to the best effect. So, if you’re getting ready for 2022 and want to hit the ground running, what do you need to know about the hybrid event approach, and what are some examples of “cool” tech?

Down to Basics

You don’t have to be a tech geek to see how these new advances can benefit your events. After all, these solutions are designed to capture and keep your audience’s attention, specifically those that are far away and behind a computer screen.

Strategic use of the latest event technology can make a huge difference and ensure that your remote attendees are equally as engaged as your live people. Don’t forget that active engagement is the most basic yet most important factor when judging overall success.

New technology can also extend the impact of an event and bring people into the conversation well in advance of the actual date. You will be able to communicate with your attendees by delivering relevant and often personalized content that will make them feel part of the picture as the event approaches.

Smart Personalization

You can also deploy smart apps that direct attendees to a session of particular interest to them, based on their physical location on site. GPS positioning can help to target them when they are at their most responsive. Smart apps can also “ping” remote attendees to remind them of a specific breakout session when their thoughts may well have turned away from the broader event.

Three Ideas To Chew On

Beam Them In

Surely, if a hybrid event is to be as successful as possible, you need to blur the line between in-person and virtual. What if you could transport your virtual attendees to your live destination so that they can interact with the people in your room?

While not yet in the realm of Star Trek, you can now get technology that will display a picture or live video of one of your attendees on a tablet attached to a movable robot. These robots can glide around your live venue, and attendees will be invited to talk to the remote visitor using the built-in audio equipment. The digital participant can control the robot remotely and can experience the event through another dimension. As a manager, you could share some screen time with several participants during the event. You can also focus on breakouts, “sending” one of your remote attendees into this room to host the session or otherwise contribute.

Spread the Goodness

Or why not invest in technology that allows you to connect multiple live events to a central hub? In this case, the hub can be considered the main event where most live attendees gather and should be in a city close to your core attendee base – or is easy to get to. The other cities could be in other parts of the country or even overseas and digitally connected to the central hub. In this case, attendees at the secondary events can still experience the buzz of live interaction without the additional hassle and cost of long-distance travel. This may be particularly attractive to people in the post-pandemic era.

You could take this one step further and incorporate purely digital attendance as well, where people can still log into the event from their homes. Obviously, this approach does ramp up the complexity, and you will need high-quality virtual event technology to make this all work seamlessly, with top-rated AV staff on hand.

Shine the Spotlight

At some events, keynote presenters may want to work remotely, but you will still want their impact to be as powerful as possible. Sound and light are critical, of course, and their background setting must be appropriate. In this case, you can use the latest technology to help on the lighting front by getting your keynote speaker to use a professional, compact but powerful lighting tool.

These simple illuminated bars use the same color temperature favored by movie lighting experts. They simply sit on the desk and will cast the presenter in the perfect light. Your attendees will be able to see their facial expressions clearly and feel as if they are in the same room.

Mastery Required

Such technical innovations are no longer optional or “nice to have.” They are an essential way to help keep your audience engaged and ensure that networking can be productive, whether remote or on-site. Event managers who embrace this technology and fully understand how to make it work will undoubtedly have a leg up on the competition. They will hit the ground running in 2022 and leave the bad memories from the past couple of years in the rearview mirror.

Certification

With mastery in mind, PCMA has launched the Digital Event Strategist certification. This course is designed to make you a globally recognized expert at connecting people to brands, opportunities, and ideas through business events in the digital world. It’ll help you to grow your audience engagement and operationalize your hybrid event production work.

Platform Approach

Also, don’t forget to work with companies that can help you carry the burden when you organize your next hybrid event. eShow has a revolutionary platform called Virtual Event Management. It aims to create a full event experience, whether in person, digital, or hybrid, and covers every step from registration to post-event analysis.

Time to Embrace

For your multifaceted event to be successful, you will need to understand and embrace the latest in digital event technology. However, if you do, you’ll be sure to have the edge over managers who believe that analog is still “in.”

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How to Successfully Handle Hunger at Your Event

It’s physiologically given that we need food to survive. Food primes our organic engines, and much like animals in the wild, if we don’t eat, we die.

But how we differ from our animal counterparts is what we eat is more than a means to survival. Food also offers an emotional connection. You probably have great memories of sitting at the kitchen table and eating a tasty snack with a sibling or parent. Or you could recall the warmth of gathering around the dining room table for a delicious meal with family and friends. 

That is why it’s baffling that, when it comes to planning conferences, meetings, or events, the role of food is an afterthought. In reality, a little planning and creativity can turn your food and beverage offerings from “meh” to memorable! 

Where We Are Now

Raise your hand if this event/conference/meeting food presentation is familiar.

Round tables with seating for 8 to 10 people (most of whom are strangers to one another) are set up in a standard ballroom or banquet hall. At each seat are a plated salad, dessert, and a glass of water. Stone-faced waitstaff serves the hot food (typically some variation of chicken.)

Or, there’s the buffet, another common method of food presentation. Here you have the usual protein (again, most likely chicken), various salads, vegetables, rolls, and dessert. The stone-faced waitstaff is again evident, this time operating the food stations. 

In either case, the food might be perfectly all right. But if you were to quiz your attendees, later on, they might not have any lasting memory about what they ate or how it was presented. If you aim to ensure a memorable event, taking a casual approach to the eatables is not the best plan.

Let’s think of a few ways in which you can make the food at your event a more notable experience. We talked about the mediocre chicken that doesn’t typically turn a head but there are many ways to upscale your food while staying budget friendly. 

If food is being served at your event, be aware of the manner in which it’s being presented. By creating a unique presentation that is exclusive to your event’s brand, you are sure to turn some heads. You can do this through the food’s layout or even by incorporating some different serving platters/utensils. 

Understanding the Eating & Emotional Connections

Religious and historic texts consistently tie food with hospitality. The focus involves inviting friends, family, and even strangers into a home and breaking bread with them. That link between nutrition and hospitality continues today for the following reasons.

It creates memories and warmth

Most people are familiar with the Norman Rockwell painting, “Freedom from Want.” This iconic oil canvas depicts a family at a Thanksgiving table, happily eyeing a large turkey held by grandma, created in response to President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. This painting symbolizes family, food, and peace. It also depicts the importance of get-togethers during meals.

The emotional connection of communal eating goes beyond a Rockwellesque interpretation. Peer-reviewed studies note that eating with others leads to higher levels of sharing and communication. As such, breaking bread with family and friends generates positive emotions.

It supports cultural and religious identities

Food is essential for connecting us with our heritage and background. Preparing, presenting, and participating in food-related rituals is vital in reminding us of where we all come from. Different types of eatables are also connected with various religious festivals and observances. For instance:

  • Feasting and sweets are important during the Hindu holiday of Diwali
  • Meat (especially lamb) is a staple offering during the Muslim observance of Ed al-Adha
  • Devout Catholics eat fish on Fridays and many times, during Lent
  • Latkes, or fried potatoes, are regularly consumed throughout the Jewish holiday of Chanukah

It can boost physical health

Research indicates that loner eating can lead to bad habits. Let’s face it; dining alone, in many cases, can be depressing.

On the other hand, eating with friends, colleagues, or family can help slow the rate of food consumption. While dining, interactions with others means people eat more slowly and savor what they put in their mouths. And, unless you are with argumentative people, breaking bread with people you like can also be relaxing. This, in turn, helps with digestion.

Finally, sharing a meal with others can lead to mutual ideas and stronger ties while building lasting relationships. If you think about it, this isn’t too different from the goals and purposes of conventions, meetings, or events.

Putting Food First

The takeaway is that an event’s food and beverage offerings are as crucial as its content and presenters. To help ensure that your meeting or conference stands out in the area of edibles, consider sourcing locally. Contracting with local food vendors can be an excellent idea for the following reasons:

It improves sustainability. The “farm-to-table” and “sea-to-plate” focus means fresher foods. Protein and vegetables don’t have as far to travel and require fewer resources, meaning a smaller carbon footprint.

It highlights the locale. Local meals and recipes can make cuisine fun for attendees. For example, crabs or clam chowder can be a tasty addition to your Boston conference. And consider serving Vienna beef sandwiches or Chicago-style hot dogs at that next Chicago event.

In addition to this, consider the following suggestions for food offerings.

Change the Environment

A large dining hall, conference room, or ballroom may have the capacity needed for your event but many times lacks in personality and charm. The absence of windows and yellow overhead lighting can often feel more incaving than inviting. Rather than setting mealtime in that dull, large ballroom, look for other options. Temperature and weather permitting, outdoor spaces can be great for casual dining (and gives meeting participants a much-needed breath of fresh air).

Or rather than hosting a lengthy hour-long buffet in a grand ballroom, consider taking over a cozier hotel bar and serving bite-size finger foods to be consumed at small tables. This can reduce the “heaviness” of larger meals, while the modest-sized tables can help with more personalized networking efforts.

Personalize the Offerings

Swap out indifferent servers for personable and friendly waitstaff. Or, if you’re planning a buffet, hire outgoing, extroverted servers and “chefs.” Encourage these individuals to make your participants feel “at home” with welcoming conversation or asking questions about their wellbeing.

Make it Interactive

Earlier, we mentioned that food preparation can be just as important as consumption. Take this idea a little further by encouraging meeting attendees to take an active role in planning. This can be done either with a cooking demonstration (with meeting participants eating the results), or your event can offer hands-on cooking classes if the time permits. 

Serve It Family-Style

Rather than plating each meal separately, place an abundance of food on platters, put them on the table, and have attendees serve themselves. Family-style meals are great icebreakers, as their friendly vibe can break the ice, encouraging conversation.

Boosting Your Event Connections

While the goals of any meeting or conference you produce might involve networking and education, another overall objective is to encourage your participants to talk with one another. When handled properly, food and beverage can help in this endeavor. People forge great connections by breaking bread with one another. Bringing this idea into your planning can help create a memorable event. Let our seasoned team here at eShow help you create a unique event, one that is both tasty and impactful!

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How To Nurture Relationships In a Virtual World

By now, doing things virtually has become a way of life. For event planners, this often means working with clients that you rarely or never see in person. While things are slowly starting to return to “normal,” many people are still working from home and attending events virtually. Living life behind the laptop is now commonplace.

In the competitive world of event planning, it’s vital to cultivate solid client relationships – but how do you do this in a virtual environment? From improving your communications to taking steps to build trust, it’s essential to nurture your connections continually. Here are a few simple ideas that you can implement right away. 

1. Respect Communication Preferences

When it comes to nurturing relationships, communication is key. However, one size does not fit all. Before you reach out, take the time to learn how they prefer to communicate. While phone calls and emails may be standard practice, many people prefer to receive text messages or direct messages through social media.

Communicating in the virtual world has its own set of challenges. By leaving face-to-face interactions and phone calls behind, direct messaging can easily be taken out of context. This is why it is essential to approach your client with clear and transparent goals in mind, allowing little room for confusion or misinterpretation. Positioning ourselves in an assertive, authentic, and concise manner will likely boost response rates.

When you choose the method that makes your client the most comfortable, you’re showing that you respect their needs. Doing so also increases the chances that you’ll receive a positive response.

2. Find Valuable Reasons to Reach Out

Time crunches and constraints are standard now, so getting your clients’ attention can be challenging. When you reach out, make it a point to provide materials that demonstrate true value. Whether it’s a quick check-in with an update on a project or a creative new idea, make sure they know that your communication will be worth their time.

Make an effort to customize each message. It may seem like a time-saver to send out a bulk check-in email, but your clients will notice. Instead, craft your message so it’s entirely relevant for the client you’re reaching out to. Also, make sure your relationship-building communications don’t overlap with sales calls. It’s important to occasionally let clients know you’re thinking about them without trying to make a sale. 

3. Get Personal   

To develop a real relationship with your clients, you’ll need to remain open and welcoming. This means making time for personal chatting, even when you’re busy. Remember that clients want to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Taking a minute to ask about their personal life will make you likable and will help build a firm relationship between the customer and seller. This is even more important in the virtual world, where many people are craving personal interaction. These small conversations will have long-lasting effects with potential to enhance productivity and customer retention.

4. Turn on the Camera

While you may not feel entirely comfortable seeing yourself on the screen, you’re doing yourself a disservice by holding meetings in “audio-only” mode. When your clients can see your smiling face, your home office, and your dog lying in the background, they’ll automatically feel more connected to you. So, make sure you clean up your office, run a brush through your hair, and turn that camera on.

5. Pay Attention to Body Language

Using video in your conference calls also gives you another advantage. When you can see the person you’re talking to, you’ll be able to pick up on the signals they’re subconsciously sending to you. If you’re 15-minutes into a call and you see the person constantly checking their phone or reading email on the second screen, you’ve lost them.

This is the time to either switch tactics and try to get them re-engaged or wrap up the call and suggest a follow-up in a few days. Remember that clients often aren’t intentionally trying to be rude, but they may be under pressure or distracted by something else going on in their life. Remain flexible and be willing to make adjustments based on their needs. 

Dr. Nick Morgan, the author of “14 tips for holding engaging video calls” offers specific examples and insight on how to keep energy and morale high during video calls in the workplace . Providing the person you’re talking to with an agenda for the meeting will help retain engagement throughout the call. Another helpful way to keep the meeting upbeat and conversational is to hold brainstorming and icebreaker sessions. Use these helpful tactics in your next conference call of 30 minutes or more.

6. Show Your Appreciation

One of the best ways to create a connection with your clients is to show them your appreciation. You can do this by periodically sending small gifts or branded promotional items. This simple gesture shows your clients that you’re there for them and that you value their business. This can lead to longer-term, more fulfilling relationships.

7. Take Notes and Follow Up

In the virtual world, it’s easy to jump from one meeting to the next with little follow-through. There’s a good chance that your client will forget about you and your discussion within a few minutes of hanging up.

You’ll show that you’re engaged and make things easier for your clients by taking detailed notes, sending meeting recaps, and helping to keep everyone involved accountable. Using an abstract and committee management tool to keep all your planning materials in one place will also keep things organized, adding even more value to your client relationship.

8. Offer Total Transparency

When you’re communicating from behind a screen, it’s important to build trust. To do this, adopt the practice of being an open book. If an issue comes up while you’re planning an event, never try to hide it. Instead, be upfront about it. Explain what’s going on while also showing that you’re in control by describing exactly how you plan to solve the problem.

Even when everything is going smoothly, you’ll want to communicate openly. Tell your clients about your personal mission and how it can help them grow their business. Be transparent about your goals and always look for ways to build credibility.  

Elevate Your Client Experience          

Keeping your clients and leads engaged is critical for those who want to compete in this ever changing landscape. To do this, it’s essential to elevate every aspect of the client experience. Having the right tools in place will help you with everything from communication and management to lead development and follow-up.eShow offers an all-in-one event management system to help take your in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to the next level. Our experts will help design a customized solution to meet your needs and show you exactly how to use our system to cultivate and strengthen your client relationships. Contact us today to learn more and schedule a personalized demo.

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Make Your Hybrid Event More Accessible & Inclusive

Hybrid events became popular once Covid-19 entered our lives and, although restrictions are being lifted and in-person events are returning, this event format is expected to stick around. The adage “the more, the merrier” should come to mind when planning your hybrid event and direct you to create an inclusive event. You want everyone to have a positive experience.

You should aim to accommodate attendees with disabilities not only because the ADA requires it but because it’s the right thing to do. For being conscientious, you’ll be rewarded with increased attendance which translates to higher revenue from registration fees. You can also tout your attendance rate when promoting future events (similar to a promoter boasting prior sold-out concerts).

Here are ways to make your hybrid event more accessible for both virtual and in-person attendees.

Attendees with Mobility Challenges

For those who prefer to attend your event in-person, ensure that your venue can accommodate physical limitations. Consider the following:

Is there an elevator or ramp access? When researching venues, some will indicate on their website whether they can accommodate visitors with physical limitations. In addition to an elevator, a parking lot with a cut curb or ramp will give those in wheelchairs or scooters easy access to the building. The building entrance also needs to be wide enough. If it’s not included on the venue’s website, a quick call or email should yield accessibility details.

Is your venue easy to access (for all attendees)?  If your event will take place in a bustling metro location, what’s the best route for attendees to take? Is construction taking place nearby? Provide this information in your registration materials to save attendees time and make it easy for them to reach the venue. If some attendees use wheelchairs and will be arriving by subway or train, provide the link to Google’s Wheelchair Accessible Routes.

Is there nearby parking?  For attendees using wheelchairs, canes, and walkers, available parking needs to be close to the venue entrance.

What’s the seating set-up?  Is there enough space in the seating area to accommodate wheelchairs, scooters, canes, walkers, and service animals (this is important, as other attendees may be uncomfortable being near animals)? Having a designated area for those with physical disabilities is ideal to ensure that their needs are met.

Accessible hotel room options:  When reserving a hotel block, include rooms that accommodate persons with physical limitations.

Attendees with Hearing Challenges

For deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees, you’ll need to accommodate both those who attend virtually and in person.

Will you provide an interpreter?  For hearing-impaired attendees, will you employ the services of a sign language expert? Will you provide assistive listening devices? American Sign Language (ASL) includes signs for many words; however, there isn’t a sign for everything. Provide interpreters with written program materials in advance so they can decide how best to express unfamiliar terms to hearing-impaired attendees.

People born with the ability to hear may rely on other forms of communication besides ASL, so captioning video content (for both virtual and in-person attendees) will be helpful.  Insist that speakers and attendees use microphones and always face forward to allow for lip-reading. If you’re planning to have background music, this could be distracting to hearing-impaired attendees trying to hear what speakers are saying.

Attendees with Visual Challenges

For visually impaired attendees, ensure that sufficient lighting and print materials are easy to read (minimum 16pt sans serif font on gloss-free paper). Blind attendees may request handouts printed in Braille or screen-reading software (virtual attendees).

Double-Check Access Before the Event

As earlier communicated, you don’t want attendees showing up to the venue only to find out that an elevator is broken or something else isn’t in place.  A few days before your event, call the venue and make sure everything is good to go. If not, you’ll have time to devise a plan B or let attendees know about any changes. They may then opt to attend digitally (formally virtual).

Let Attendees Know They’re Covered

Make sure attendees know the steps you’re taking to make your event accessible to all. To do this:

  • Include accessibility information in event promotion materials.
  • Ask about the following during registration: (1) dietary restrictions, (2) need for an interpreter, (3) need for accessible parking or seating.
  • Mobility, hearing, and visual impairments are often accommodated at events, but what about those sensitive to event elements like flashing or strobe lights that could cause seizures? Sudden loud noises may affect veterans with PTSD. Ask about these conditions as well during registration.

Ensure Website Accessibility for All

All digital (formally virtual) and in-person attendees to your hybrid event should be able to access event information and registration easily. To create an accessible website: 

  • Ensure all website text is easy to read. Don’t replace text with graphics.
  • Provide larger buttons and plenty of space between buttons for those with low vision.
  • The website should be accessible via keyboard instead of via mouse.
  • Use descriptive link text.
  • Provide video captions and transcripts.
  • Eliminate CAPTCHA (spam discourager); it’s not easy for attendees with low vision to access.  

Master Your Platform

To ensure that your hybrid event goes off without a hitch, take the time to become well-acquainted with your digital event platform of choice (Zoom, YouTube, etc.) Conduct run-throughs of any technical and audio-visual elements ahead of the event to smooth out any glitches.

Final Thoughts

It will take more thought and work to make your hybrid event more inclusive, but if it makes your special-needs attendees more comfortable, it’ll be worth it.  Always gather feedback after your event to see if you hit the mark. Did attendees feel they were able to participate fully? Use their responses to continually improve on your accessibility efforts.

Consult disability groups and resources such as the ADA for planning guidance and solutions. Use the information gathered with eShow’s interactive Exhibit Sales & Floor Plan Management module to create an accessible floor plan. 

 At eShow, we can help with all aspects of your hybrid event – from planning to execution.  Our interactive online tools put successful and memorable events within your grasp. Contact us today for a no-obligation demo, and we’ll show you how to ensure that all attendees benefit from your event and much more.

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Leveraging Competitor Relationships for Survivability

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 125,900 event planners in the United States in 2020. The event planning industry is expected to grow at around 18% over the next 10 years, a significantly higher rate than the overall average of 8%.

While these numbers are promising for the industry, they also show that competition isn’t going away any time soon. Instead of avoiding or aggressively going after your competitors, consider learning how to network and collaborate with them instead. You may be surprised to learn that doing so can help you strengthen and grow your business.

Benefits of Networking with Competitors

In business and in life, it’s critical to foster good relationships – even with your competitors. Not only is being friendly easier and more pleasant than viewing your competition as the enemy but making these connections can also yield unexpected benefits. Here’s a closer look at three advantages you can enjoy when networking with your competitors.

1. Creating Learning Experiences

If you’re offering a similar service in the same market, there’s sure to be some things you can learn about the way your competitor does business. What draws people to them? And what services do they offer that you don’t?

By going into the conversation with a learning mindset, you may be able to identify areas where you’re lacking or strengths you need to capitalize on. Take the time to truly listen, pay attention to your similarities and differences, and use what you learn to make our business even more potent.

2. Finding Mutually Beneficial Opportunities

Have you ever had to turn down a client because your business was at capacity? Or had a client ask for a service you didn’t offer? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to provide them with an alternative solution? It would also be great if your competitors looked to you when the same things happened to them.

By creating a friendly and respectful relationship with your competitors, you may be able to find ways to lean on each other. Whether you’re sharing resources or referring clients that aren’t quite the right fit, you’re likely to find at least a few ways to collaborate.

3. Strengthening Your Network

The events industry is ever-changing. Employees come and go, experienced professionals enter and leave the industry, and the demand for different services often ebb and flows. If your circumstances suddenly change, you may need to look to the people who know the industry best – those who are already in it.

Create connections with as many industry professionals as possible today, and you’ll be in a better position to adapt if you find that you need to make a change in the future quickly.

How to Collaborate with Competitors – The Right Way

While networking with your competitors can foster growth, it’s essential to do it the right way. The following tips will help you collaborate successfully while still maintaining your edge.

Start with the Right Mindset

When networking, it’s far too familiar for people to seek out opportunities that benefit them without any concern about what they bring to the table. Whether you’re dealing with someone in your industry or other individuals, it’s essential to look for ways to offer support and assistance. Not only will identifying opportunities to assist help to sharpen your skills, but it will increase the likelihood that the other party will eventually find a way to return the favor.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a relationship with a “competitor” isn’t worth your time. Often, initial connections can lead to valuable future relationships, and it’s vital to remain open-minded when meeting people. Even if you can’t see an immediate benefit, you may uncover a profitable opportunity in the future.

That being said, it’s also important not to view relationships as nothing more than a means to an end. It will quickly become evident if you’re only interested in what you can get out of people. Instead, focus on the mantra of “givers gain,” and you will always come out ahead.  

Don’t Over-Share

While you must approach the relationship with a willingness to share some information about your business, it’s important not to overdo it. Even if you become very friendly with your competitor, don’t forget that there are certain things you must keep to yourself.

Feel free to share experiences, but keep information about your employees and clients private. Also, avoid disclosing financial information about your business or details regarding your strategic planning and market positioning initiatives. This type of information will be too tempting for your competitor to ignore, and you can be almost certain they will end up using it to their advantage, even if they don’t intend to do so.

Maintain Your Competitive Edge

While collaboration is terrific, you still need to maintain your competitive edge, which means making sure you continue to be an authoritative, savvy, and creative business executive. If you feel the need to bounce proprietary information off someone who is “in the know,” find an industry-specific coach or mentor who is not a direct competitor to your business.

Continue to stay on top of the latest trends and find ways to incorporate them into your events, so you’re always on the cutting edge. Keep these ideas to yourself until you’ve already earned a reputation for flawlessly executing them.

Forge Strong Connections to Ensure Survivability

The most successful event managers have found ways to forge strong connections with all of the crucial players in their industry – including their competitors. Approach this with confidence and the right mindset, and you’ll help ensure your business is strong enough to survive even the toughest of challenges.

For more guidance to help you navigate the world of event planning, take a look through our webinar series. Our team of experienced industry experts has created in-depth guides for everything from creating successful events to stakeholder preparations. We’re continually updating our offerings, so be sure to check back often.

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What’s More Important for Events – Intellectual Capital or Physical Infrastructure?

When an event planner wants to attract attendees, they’ll typically think about logistical issues. For example, is the venue close to a significant airport, or does it have sufficient space and an “all in one” element to make movement easier? Yet times are changing, and it’s not enough to design an event this way anymore. Attendees are a lot more particular and will often buy with their heart as well as their head. So, if you want your next event to be a resounding success, why do you need to tap into some intellectual capital and make sure that your venue has the correct attributes?

Dealing with Convention

It’s no surprise that the key destination cities around the country have spent a fortune to develop sprawling convention centers. As just one example, Orlando’s Orange County Convention Centre covers 7 million ft.² and brings more than 200 events per year to this Central Florida city. In response, many event planners make a beeline for this type of facility as it will often have every base imaginable covered. Large hotels will stand nearby, and there are so many options for event configuration, there is little need to go elsewhere.

While nobody denies that the OCCC is a fantastic facility, you could argue that it represents “more of the same.” Attendees may get a sense of déjà vu as they progress through the event, and they may wonder if they are getting as much out of their investment as they could.

Off the Beaten Track

Maybe it is time to transition away from the conventional convention center and towards something more off the beaten track. Planners can look for facilities that may offer unusual facilities or a link to untapped resources. They may connect with local thought leaders or prominent individuals who can offer new experiences or education. In so doing, a planner will engage the intellectual resources of the venue or host city instead, and this may make the event far more appealing to the prospect attendee. The American Society of Association Executives suggest that Canada could be a source of meaningful, content-rich events for just such a purpose.

Remember, event space should not be simply a place to mingle or listen to somebody talking on a distant stage. It needn’t be a place where attendees feast on a menu designed by the hotel staff in a somewhat nondescript room. Instead, the venue could be an integral part of the experience, and this gives an enterprising planner a lot more scope for innovation.

Need to Be Flexible

For an event to be successful, everything starts at the planning stage. Potential attendees will look very carefully at any event agenda before deciding to attend, especially in the current landscape. These people are very conscious of safety and security and, if anything, even more entrenched in their ideas, feelings, and emotions. They’re not likely to be impressed by a venue or agenda that appears repetitive but may find something unconventional quite attractive instead.

Of course, a planner cannot throw all the rules out of the window and will need to consider accessibility, timing, and other fundamental logistical needs. After that, however, they should put all their previous experience to one side and start with a clean sheet of paper.

Searching Before You Build

To begin building the event’s intellectual capital, think about an unusual location with a special appeal. Look for a venue that is aesthetically pleasing and allows you to tap into local resources and provide some additional color. Business leaders, visionaries, scholars, or artisans could all contribute to the event in one way or the other, from an educational, artistic or support point of view. 

You could make this a core part of the event itself or weave some of these elements into breakouts, meals or closing functions. Your attendees will be impressed and far more likely to commit if they can see that you’re trying to do something different. They’ll feel that it is worth their time and, crucially, help you avoid their tendency to stay at home in this post-pandemic world.

Getting Started

But where do you start, especially if you’re working on a repeat event with its own proven agenda?

  1. Researching. Begin by looking at your attendee avatar. Send out some questionnaires and see if you can learn more about your potential attendee over and above their specific event profile. In so doing, you may decide that it would be better to relocate your events to a different city altogether. You might choose a location that is known for its food culture, vibrancy, or Bohemian nature, such as Portland, OR.
  2. Networking. Next, talk with the local convention and visitor’s bureau or other business support network in the town or city. See if they can give you some introductions to local leaders who could contribute to your event’s success. They may suggest an unusual venue that could meet your size requirements, so you can begin the negotiation process.
  3. Scheduling. You may have to be creative when it comes to scheduling. If you want to stage your event at a non-traditional venue, then you may have to work with their timing restrictions. If you’re bringing in scholars from a local university, then be aware of the end of term dates when they might not be around. Try to fit in with existing requirements that do not conflict with other obligations.
  4. Synchronizing. You will also have to convince your potential partners that your goals are aligned with theirs. This may be particularly important in environmentally conscious Portland, as you may need to work hard on your event’s carbon footprint. Ensure that your event objectives are clear and that they align with the goals and aspirations of your potential intellectual partners.

Worth the Effort

This may involve a lot of work at the planning stage, but it will be worthwhile. It may give your event an additional dimension and add a lot of color to your marketing mix. It may help you to move away from the predictable to the unusual – and enthuse your potential attendees.

Partners at Your Side

Of course, you will still need help when it comes to designing, planning, and executing and should work with an established pattern. eShow can take the strain while you redesign your package and bring a support package to help you manage the entire ecosystem of your event. Talk with eShow today to request a demo.

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