Congresses or events that last several days demand a serious investment of time from the participants. The supporters are happy to have a few days off. For opponents, however, that duration is more likely to be a cause of stress.
These 5 creative tips help you to gain their support as well.
1. Keep it short
Don't make your congress or event longer than it has to be. If you can do it in 2 days instead of 3, then do it. Just because your conferences lasted 3 days in the past, doesn't mean you have to keep it that way. What's important is that the program is useful and interesting from the first minute until the last one. Your visitors shouldn't feel as if they're being kept around just to fill up the days. Your goal is to make sure they feel sorry it's over afterwards.
2. Provide original pastime fun
You cannot always be in working mode. Especially not during an event that lasts several days. Therefore, you should draw your participants out of their hotel with a fun local evening activity. Ask the locals for nice addresses to go out to dinner. Enquire about original activities, which are typical for the region. That way, your participants experience something different than the standard activities in the hotels.
3. Go for a personal touch
Of course, your guests are important. So make sure they feel that way. Approach them personally. With an exclusive activity or a personalized gift. A great advantage this gives you is that this gives you something to talk about. This simplifies the networking and also provides you with material for photos which can be shared on social media, etc. And that brings us to the following.
4. Communicate before, during, after
Create a tight communication schedule. Beforehand, take the necessary action to incite participants to subscribe. As soon as you have the subscriptions, send updates or extra info on the program regularly. During the event you provide communication channels and tools to keep the conversation with and between your participants lively. Social media are ideal tools for this. Provide hashtags, event pages on Facebook, Twitter walls, etc. Afterwards, don't forget to thank your participants, and to ask them for feedback and send them extra information.
5. Keep it stress-free
Make sure you have an airtight organisation and a clear communication. Discuss your scenario with all involved parties thoroughly. You should also tell your participants what they can expect, and keep those promises. Avoid queues. If visitors are hungry and have to wait in line for hours, that can cause considerable stress. You should provide clear instructions regarding transportation, timing, locations, program... Saying something once isn't enough. Regularly repeat your instructions. That way, no one needs to worry about practical worries and the atmosphere remains relaxed.
