In Meeting Planners

Facebook is the favored social media option for building community, making it well-suited for religious organizations.

With discipline and focus, your Facebook page can become the content hub for your event.

BUILD YOUR FAN BASE. Begin by searching Facebook for people you know who are already part of your event's community and “friend” them. Use Facebook to conduct searches of people, pages, and groups to identify people in your denomination who might be interested in your content and your event; then “friend” them. Encourage them to do the same. Promote your Facebook presence on other sites to attract people to become your friend or fan.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PAGE AND STRIVE TO UPDATE IT DAILY. You must give people fresh reasons to spend time with you on the Web.

LET FACEBOOK DO WHAT IT IS BEST AT DOING, creating buzz and facilitating participant involvement.

USE TRIAL AND ERROR. Testing is a key part of refining your Facebook presence. If something is not working, change it. If it is working, improve it.

DIRECT FANS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION'S WEB SITE. Add value and make your social media fun, but also provide links to send people to spiritual-growth resources on your organization's Web site.

KEEP REVIEWING. Take time to examine what you are doing. Keep asking: Is our content aligned with our mission?

CELEBRATE SUCCESSES. Thank your team and fans and gear up for the next challenge.

THINK LONG-TERM. Facebook can do more than just build attendance for your event. Use your page as part of a strategy that will make your event a vital component of your faith community.

DO NOT SHUT DOWN YOUR EVENT PAGE AFTER AN EVENT ENDS. Instead, use the page as a perpetual tool for building connections and generating interest for future events.

LEARN FROM THE BEST AND LEVERAGE THEIR KNOWLEDGE. There are many people with a lot of Facebook experience; many are on the congregational level. Ask them to help you improve your Facebook presence.

1.  Set and communicate a clear understanding of the desired outcome.  When you help others understand what you really care about and what you want to see achieved, it is far easier to reach successful results.

2.  Provide enough details  to make your goal or idea both appealing and real to others.

3.  Build trust and build relationships.  Respect, rapport, honesty and credibility will reap the benefits of open communication, good listening and win-win results.  It's much easier to persuade those you have a relationship with than those you don't.

It may take some time and effort to be persuasive but the results will be worth it.

1.  It's cost-efficient and fasat

2.  It's effective for creating top-of-mind awareness

3.  It can assist in great guest service

4.  It's a direct-response vehicle and can encourage guest feedback

5.  It provides the ability to send targeted messages to specific audiences

6.  It drives action

7.  It encourages bookings

8.  It's easy to track results

Before you begin planning your event, you need to ask, what do you want people to ‘go away with’ when the event is over?  You must start with your outcome and work backwards.  If you don’t know your outcome, how will you know if the event has been a success?

GENERAL TIMELINE -

SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR AHEAD

• Decide on a location
• Determine the purpose, format, and feasibility of the event
• Create an estimated budget and get approval
• Select the date, but before confirming it clear the date with important participants
• Sign contract with facility
• Select the theme
• Confirm a master of ceremonies and the faculty
• Plan marketing, promotion and publicity
• Begin promotion

THREE TO SIX MONTHS AHEAD

• Write copy, design and get approval of printed materials
• Decide on how you will use the space (general sessions/break-outs/meals/etc.)
• Select menus and submit them for approval
• Make contact with faculty and
•         o    Gather their biographical information
•         o    Request a hi-res photo for publicity and programs
• Prepare and get all necessary signatures on faculty agreements
• Finalize the audiovisual presentations
• Begin publicity

TWO MONTHS AHEAD

• Finalize facility arrangements
• Mail an itinerary to faculty along with any travel arrangement requirements
• Make direction and welcome signs
• Write and print the program
• Continue promotion and publicity on schedule
• Recruit volunteers to staff registration or assist as escorts and greeters, etc.

TWO TO FOUR WEEKS AHEAD

• Prepare registration packets
• Send detailed instructions to all faculty
• Finalize details with facility
• Ask Facility to schedule a pre-conference meeting

ONE WEEK AHEAD

• Finish name tags
• Brief the greeters, escorts and volunteers on their duties
• Plan an arrival briefing for VIPs if necessary
• Deliver prepared introductions, speeches to those who will read them
• Make catering guarantees
• Prepare your event box with any supplies, such as tape, zip ties, staplers, clip boards, baskets, etc. you may need

THE BIG DAY

• Arrive early
• Bring the logistical outline, instructions, directions, phone numbers, banquet orders, name tags,  guest lists, and the event supply box with you
• Check all facilities.
• Conduct sound and equipment checks
• Set up registration.

AFTER

• Ask Facility to schedule a post-convention meeting
• Finalize billing and prepare final budget
• Send thank you notes to staff, volunteers and vendors
• Conduct event debriefing to determine success or ways to improve in the future
• Survey attendees, if appropriate.
   

All conferences, however large or small, need a marketing plan. It is not enough just to inform everyone of the date. You need to plan and then evaluate that plan.

Consider this simple outline:

Market position: Who do you want to attract to your event? Will you attract them as paying guests?

"SMART" marketing objectives.
    * Specific
    * Measurable/Manageable
    * Achievable
    * Realistic/Relevant
    * Time bound

Identify the Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities relating to your event.

Competition: Analyse other similar conferences/events. Follow your key competitors' progress (eg. their concept, PR/marketing, pricing policy, etc.)

Target Market: All events, large or small, must target the people who are more likely to attend. For example:

    * What proportion of your guests come from the local area?
    * What proportion are travelling? How will they get there?
    * Do guests come as families or couples without children?
    * Are they generally from one age group or a mix?
    * How do they get their news? Print or On-Line
    * Guest Requirements: consider guests with special needs/requirements
    * Special dietary requirements?
    * Children - are there play areas?  What about child-care?
    * Is there wheelchair/disabled access to the venue and facilities?

Business Plan and Budgets
Many conferences and events operating in a competitive environment will need 10%-15% of expenses for marketing. In the first year, this may need to be higher.

Produce plans to illustrate how you are going to attract business from your target markets.

Consider:
    * Advertising - where, when, frequency?
    * Direct mail - to whom, using which database, saying what?
    * Internet - website, email?

Did this help you?  What are you doing to market your events.

Here are some great tips on saving money when planning you next meeting or event.

1.  Be flexible - If you have the ability to be flexible on your dates and better yet, days of the week you need to meet, facilities can work with you budget by working your event in between other events or scheduling you in the off-season.

2.  Know your meeting's history - Not just how many guest's have attended in the past but how much was the total you spent on rooms, meeting space, food and beverage, audio visual, etc.

3.  Communicate - Be as specific as possible with your needs.

4.  Build Relationships - The better your relationship is with your supplier, the easier it will be to explain your budget and meeting needs and, the easier it will be for your supplier to negotiate and work within your requirement.

I read a great article dealing with the return-on-investment (ROI) in the meetings industry.  ROI is not a new term but it is a term getting a new focus by meeting planners and suppliers in the wake of the recession.  The article highlighted these 7 steps to better returns.

1.  Site selection is more important than ever with emphasis on more local resources including community volunteer programs, eco-tourism and experiential activities.

2.  Stability and service are driving change in relationship loyalty.  Brand may surpass location in hotel selection as planners look to simplify the process and ensure consistent delivery.  Expect a high-level of service at every interaction - pre-stay, stay and post-stay.

3.  Technology, especially social media, will be used more to build out attendance and communicate with attendees.  More and more planners are going paperless so free wireless connections are growing in importance.

4.  Shorter events are on some agendas with four day annual meetings becoming two-day or three-day events, saving time and money.

5.  Outsourcing is growing as the demands on planners increase.  Instead of focusing on just logistics, planners can work on marketing, branding, crisis management plans and program development.

6.  Meeting planners need to build their events to ensure they meet the vital objectives of learning, motivation and networking first and move away from the heavy focus on venues and destinations.

7.  Value-hunting continues with bundling of attractive options - not only as a cost-saving alternative but as a potential attendance driver as well.

Making a top ten list of reasons to attend your event is a great way to market your event. To start your list, grab a piece of paper and start writing down all of the things you feel are attractive about your event, for example:

1. Free speaker sessions
2. Number of meals
3. Free networking events
4. An excuse to come to (insert name of great city)
5. Meet current clients
6. Free parking
7. Mention entertainment
8. Opportunity to visit local attractions
9. Door prizes
10. Mention keynote speakers
 

Brainstorming from an attendees point of view may make your list easier to compose. Now you have the list you can use to promote your event.  If possible keep the list items short in description. This way it can be added to virtually any medium, like a box on your event website or printed material. Or maybe a banner ad on a website or support material for your event newsletter.

A simple list can go a long way in sparking interest from potential attendees.

The Wall Street Journal estimates that in this country 83 cents out of every dollar is directly spent or influenced by women.

Michele Miller, author of the blog Wonder Branding says many marketers fall prey to believing in myths that come with trying to market to women.  Here are some of the most common myths.

1.  You believe that low prices are the most important thing to her.  There are two types of buyers, transactional and relational.  For the most part, women will always prefer relationship over the transactional step of buying based on low price only.  Women want a connection.

2.  You believe that you are marketing to her and to her alone.  The next best thing to blessing a woman is blessing those she loves.  When you provide a remarkable experience for one of her kids, she'll talk about you to her friends.

3.  You believe she's "thinking pink".  Not all women are "girlie-girls". When you design your Web page for a mom, don't think it's as easy as just changing you color scheme to a more pastel palette.  Moms are a diverse bunch.  Choose a much more neutral palette, allowing the photos and copy to make the direct connection with Mom.

4.  You believe she's too busy or too distracted to are about the details.  Do some moms care about the floor plan of her son's cabin or the menu at camp?  You bet.  The more details you can provide on the Web site, the more Mom will appreciate it - and she'll tell her friends.