When holding a conference for your business, your key aims should be to put together an event that creates impact and puts your brand front of mind, while encouraging delegates to attend your future events and use your products or services. To achieve all this, it’s essential that attendees don’t just engage with your conference and all it has to offer, but also don’t forget about it hours after they exit the venue doors.
From standing out with a marketable theme to ending on a high with quality entertainment, Corporate Event Planning company CR Events explains how to make your conference more memorable.
Good theming is essential when holding a conference because it helps tie your event together. For instance, it can help determine key elements like your conference name, venue, the topics you cover and the talks you include through to your choice of colours and decor. It can also help you decide on finer details, like the types of visuals, lighting and sound you use.
Picking a theme that can be carried throughout the whole event can create more impact, making your conference stand out and, in turn, more memorable. This could run through every detail of your event marketing, from the colours of welcome packs and the style of chair covers, to the branding on speech podiums, stationary and snacks.
A good venue is key to making your conference more memorable. First impressions are crucial and a grand venue, with its impressive size, structure and architecture, can create feelings of excitement for attendees at they arrive, before they’ve even stepped through the doors. This can also sit well with your chosen theme. A conference theme of strength and power, for instance, can be dramatically emphasised in a large, modern and striking setting.
Holding you conference in a venue that has sizeable and eye-catching interiors can also have an impact on attendees. This includes the main space, layout and design, as well as additional rooms, like for seminars and group brainstorming sessions. Choosing a venue with excellent facilities, like conferencing and sound equipment, furniture, catering and good parking also ensures your conference isn’t memorable for the wrong reasons.
What content you include in your conference can make the difference between providing an event that stays in delegates’ minds or one that becomes quickly forgettable after they leave. This isn’t just about putting on strong keynote speeches and seminars, interesting topic debates and discussions, and networking sessions. It’s also about providing activities that shows you’re trying to offer a more exciting and engaging conference experience. If you provide something which is unexpected, doesn’t conform to typical and traditional conference elements and exceeds people’s expectations, it’s likely to have more impact and be more memorable.
This could include new product demonstrations, hands-on sessions with your latest product designs, and training sessions about a skill you’re an expert in or a service you’re offering. You could also provide designated areas that aim to heighten the fun and experience of the conference. This could include interactive technology, like the latest computer gaming and virtual reality headsets, as well as state-of-the-art social networking areas with Tweet and Instagram walls.
The speakers you choose to talk at your conference are a big part of what can make it strike a chord with delegates. The more relevant, engaging and entertaining the speaker, the more impact they can have on your event. Renowned and credible people, who are highly respected, well known in your industry and experienced in public speaking, are also likely to appeal to your attendees and give inspiring and memorable talks.
Impressive speakers are likely to offer insight and helpful business advice, which attendees can take away with them and put into practice. They can also put a fresh and interesting outlook on the hot topics of the day, or provide a way to help open or end your conference on an unforgettable high.
The entertainment you provide can add to your conference, show you’re thinking about putting your guests’ experience first, and create an effective and memorable way to mark the end of the event. When done well, it can give your attendees an unforgettable experience, which they would otherwise have had to pay good money to enjoy. This could include watching a popular singer or rock band perform their biggest hits. Or you could have a well-known comedian do some stand-up that puts a comical slant on current industry news.
There are other ways to provide memorable entertainment for your delegates too, like a networking lunch or gala dinner, allowing attendees the chance to build their contacts. You could even include a light-hearted quiz or competition, or throw in some popular entertainment trends, like a mannequin challenge. Ending with a fun aspect like this can exceed your attendees’ expectations and make your conference stand out from the competition. Consequently, they should leave with memories of your event, along with your business and brand, firmly lodged front of mind, while wondering when your next conference will be.
