The BusyEvent Blog

I love to network. It’s part of my social DNA. And I’ve been gathering ideas on how to work a room from many years of social networking… I’m by no means a master of this list, but I aspire to the following:

1. People like to talk about themselves, so give them a chance and then listen carefully for how you can help them… if you can’t, then introduce them to someone who can. People really appreciate it when you introduce them to something that can help their career. And they will typically remember and speak highly of you.

2. If you’re doing the talking, make sure they REALLY appear interested. If not - STOP - ask a question and see if you can get them to engage you at a deeper level.

3. If you’re at a networking event prior to a meal, be aware who you are talking to in the 5-10 minutes leading up to the meal. There’s a high probability you’ll be sitting together. I met my spouse this way so I can tell you with great confidence that this is an important one!

4. Approach groups containing 3 people after observing them for a moment. While two of them are chatting to each other, the third person will usually start talking to you (and probably feel relieved since they were the “odd person out” in the group of three. By the same token, invite someone into your group to breath some new life into a discussion. Then politely excuse yourself if your ready to move on.

5. How do you answer when someone asks, “What do you do?” When someone asks you this question, use this simple formula: “Have you ever_____? Well, I ______?” For example, when people ask me what I do, I respond, “Have you ever attended a trade show or event and waited in a long line or participated in a bad lead management process? Well I help organizations to improve the event experience for attendees, vendors and sponsors so everyone gets something valuable for their time and money.” It shows you understand the problem and offer a solution. Bonus points if you stop to gather a personal story and respond to it.

6. How to handle business cards. Use two suit pockets or two compartments in your purse. Have your own cards in one pocket and use the other pocket to store cards you’ve received from other people. The benefit is you’ll never get confused and accidentally give out someone else’s card by mistake.

7. How to keep track of everyone you meet. Bring a pen. After meeting someone, make a note on the back of his or her card. In your note, write down any key points they’ve made or any way you can be of assistance to them. If you’ve committed to help someone with information, write it down on the card so you can follow up later.

8. Name dropping? Don’t do it unless the person you are naming would support you without hesitation. A wise person once said, “It isn’t who you know, its who knows you.” Impress the person you are speaking with by helping them with a problem or introducing them to a solution. Then eventually people will drop your name into conversation.

9. Give freely of your knowledge. Don’t give away your secret formula or next patent idea, but truly share your experience with those who seek it. Chances are if you give a taste of your wisdom to someone, they will return for something more meaningful. And that could be your next big opportunity.

10. Be patient, be relaxed, pause for reflection. People listen more intently to those who have less to say and appear to be really weighing their words. Someone who appears to be selling their agenda will find themselves speaking to people who are excusing themselves for a drink, another person or a plate of food. If they don’t offer for you to join them. Send them on their way with a smile and learn from it.

11. Don’t dwell too long. Don’t be a buzzing bee all over the flower patch, but also make sure you decide what your goal is as you speak to people. Set follow-up activities with each appropriate person (take business card notes) and you can both move on to the next opportunity to meet someone new. Body language will tell you a lot about when the time is right.

Wiffiti, a truly “place-based” communications system, is now part of the beOnSite module of BusyEvent bringing communications to every event with a new and intriguing twist.

A product of our newest partner, Locamoda, Wiffiti brings the power of SMS to the beOnSite digital signage networks that are available for events, throughout our calendar.

After first learning about their text-to-screen product known as Wiffiti (wireless graffiti) about 2 years ago, we’ve watched the continued improvement and growth of the product and now feel confident that it is of such superior utility and quality (plus, it’s amazingly fast), that we’re comfortable including it as a standard offering in the beOnSite module.

When you send a text message to Wiffiti, you text a PLACE, instead of a PERSON. Utilizing the BusyEvent OnSite Digital Signage Network, now event attendees can do both: place a message in full view of the entire attendee network with a specific message for a specific person, or group of people.

Plus, it’s waaaaay fun!

There are all kinds of Wiffiti screens all over the United States and now a Wiffiti screen is going to be coming to an event near you (or that you attend).

Go on, try it out…Wiffiti is LIVE, it’s SIMPLE and it’s FUN!

Christine tells us: I was handed the daunting task of creating a multi-city roadshow for my company from scratch. I’ve assembled a team (including an events manager, graphic designer and internal IT for managing the online registration tool and coordination with SalesForce.com). I’ve created a fairly in-depth outline; however, I might be missing some obvious items. The roadshow will be held in 10 cities over the span of three weeks. It will be a breakfast meeting (keynote speaker) including two one-hour sessions. Audience is in-the-pipeline prospects (c-level and decision makers), 50-75 attendees per event.

We really have no budget, although I am trying to be cognizant of cost.

BusyEvent Suggests: With no budget, I would start by reviewing your internal costs. If the graphic designer and IT professional are at no cost to you, then GREAT! If not, then I’d consider re-deploying those dollars into other organizational areas.

Processing up to 750 prospects leaves me wondering if you should bother with any sort of Salesforce.com integration. That could entail more work than is worth it for such a small group. I’d prefer to learn from the process. Loading a .csv file of info back into Salesforce may be enough to track the basics. Add a pre/post survey dataset and you’ll have what you need.

Regarding the actual event, what are you doing to attract the groups? Is the subject matter expert and content worthwhile enough for people to leave their offices? Or will you have to entice them in some other way? If you seek more info about your prospects for this process then reward their input with something unique and tangible at the event.

Bottom line: Focus on the attendee experience and automate the mundane tasks. If you can eliminate the back office drudgery, then you’ll have created time to do great customer service before/during/after each stop of the show.

Ross Asks: Any leads on how to employ cell phone technology dynamically in support of a multi-day conference?

BusyEvent Answers: There are numerous platforms that process SMS (text) and voice response programs. Depending on the size of your event(s) SMS and voice should be something you add as a module of registration and tracking of dynamic groups. To use it by itself is like owning a Blackberry and just making phone calls.

You may consider stepping back for a moment to lay out your entire communications plan and then look for the ways SMS and voice can encourage attendees to participate along the way before, during and after the event.

Audience response may not be best to come from cellular phones depending on your audience, the facility’s location and the frequency by which you intend to poll the groups.

Carolyn Asks: Can you tell me about the best corporate dining event which you have attended? What made it stand out from others you’ve attended (the food, the service, the surroundings, the service?)

BusyEvent Answers: Depending on your corporate culture and size of audience there are some fun things you can do to make the evening unique. Good food and superior service are expected, but how about a table guest that rotates with each course. If you are hosting an event that features keynote speakers, sponsors or subject matter experts then you have an opportunity to allow people to request more intimate face time in groups of 8-10 with their favorite people.

You can break up the action with the appropriate level of entertainment, trivia, awards, dinner prizes etc. Knowing more about the kind of group you host would be most helpful in recommending the right balance of taste and tact.

Inspired by Maya Design - Pittsburgh, PA

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Attendees form an impression of a show based on the number and quality of exhibitors and other attendees, the “buzz” around the show, and whether at the end of their experience they’ve achieved their goals and gained enough value for their investment of time and money.

If a show does not meet their expectations, attendees vote with their feet and wallets by not attending the next show. (They also vote with their mouths, telling others about their experience.)

We found that although shows do a lot of measuring, they do not work hard enough to understand the goals and motivations of attendees and recalibrate their shows to ensure that they address those goals. And that’s what BusyEvent is all about; providing event organizers with information (not just data) about what their show attendees want, doing so in real-time so the organizer can do something about it this year and providing information that helps sponsors, exhibitors and attendees make the most of their experience.

Some well-known companies are already exhibiting at fewer shows and shifting portions of their marketing budgets to corporate events or ways to form direct connections with customers. For example, an Apple spokesperson told MacWorld magazine, “Apple is participating in fewer trade shows every year, because often there are better ways for us to reach our customers.”

That trend and others are putting pressure on trade shows. Energy and environmental concerns alike will raise costs and expectations for efficiency. The quality and capability of online tools and environments make face-to-face encounters less necessary if they can’t get the ROO and ROI that is required.

In addition to the narrow and small-scale improvements organizers make now, organizers need to find better ways to help people connect, which is why BusyEvent is working to integrate your already existing Professional Networks (like LinkedIn), into our event management platform.

Those who have a stake in the long-term viability of a show should understand how it fits into the information community of their attendees and provide value in the form of authentic connections that alternatives cannot replicate or substitute.

Because the events industry is so diverse, with factions that provide or want all manner of services, we research and talk to a great number of people. Recently, we ran across an article written by Maya Design and were inspired by it.  It’s pretty much exactly what we’ve been discussing internally and with some of our clients and now, we get to share their thoughts.

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Even if your event is profitable, it might be in danger of staying that way for long if you, as the organizer, aren’t providing a method for your participants to get our more, than they have to put in, to the experience.

Almost everyone involved in the trade show industry can think of once successful and invincible events that have disappeared without a trace. What makes the difference between those that grow and survive long term and those that limp along or fade away?

It’s our opinion that there are three major factors, all addressed by the BusyEvent platform.

1. It’s the quality of the experience, not the quantity that matters. For example, if one of your exhibitors met 1,000 people on the show floor, quantitatively, that’s great! Having that long list of follow-up phone calls to make can be daunting. And, spending an entire day making phone calls to people that came to an exhibitor’s booth just because “they had really cool squeaky balls”, is disheartening and useless and threatens the events ‘next year participants’. Show organizers that pay attention to the quality of the experience, provide information in time to make sure exhibitors can act on it while the show is going on and provide meaningful connections between exhibitors, attendees, sponsors and others, are sure to succeed – doing more than just surviving.
   
   
2. Services and tools matter. Services and tools that are usable, matter most. Every show attendee, especially exhibitors, wants services, and tools that are efficient, reliable, and predictable. Unfortunately, our industry is forcing those that lay the golden egg to use systems that seem set up to encourage failure or at the very least, aren’t delivering an ROI sufficient enough to encourage their continued use. Why should an exhibitor be forced to go through 5 pages of a web site to register their people, only to have to do that again for each of their team. Why is the check-in process at the airport easier than the arduous process of getting your “badge and swag” once you finally arrive at an event? How are events facilitating what participants typically come to an event for; information, opportunity and networking? And, is it easy for them to get that? Show organizers that think through the process of how to provide opportunities for attendees to get what they want, for exhibitors to be presented in as positive a light as possible and for sponsors and speakers to get the ROI they expected are sure to continue to succeed.
   
   
3. Wow, what we’ve seen exhibitors go through just to get what they were promised. The stories we could tell . . . “I don’t know, but they’ll have the answer in (name of room on other side of venue)”, “it’s not my job” and “that office is closed until tomorrow”. We’ve seen so many examples of events making it harder than necessary for their number 1 customer to get what they need and were promised. In a large manner, that’s why we founded BusyEvent. Exhibitors are forced to play by many different sets of seemingly arbitrary and constantly changing rules, plus foot the bill for errors and inefficiencies caused by other people. We can tell you that from the exhibitors and sponsors we talk with, they feel taken advantage of, rather than valued, and would choose other ways of attracting customers and marketing products if they could. Shows that do not provide a superior experience in connecting the right people at the right time might become increasingly at risk as other venues make it easier for exhibitors to reach their target audience. And most assuredly, those events that make the process harder than it should be, will not be around to celebrate their profits, in years to come.

In all, your clients (exhibitors, sponsors and other participants) and their clients (attendees) are having a heck of a time simply conducting business, making connections and getting what’s important to them, easily and quickly.

Events that provide tools and an experience to help them will survive and thrive, those that can’t, don’t or won’t, will be “last year’s news” and there’s nothing worse than that.

Tim asks: I’m looking for a handheld/portable solution that would work in a situation where a traditional keyboard is not practical (e.g. face-to-face interaction). Would love to hear your thoughts on Driver’s License scanning (barcode or OCR) and any other tactics you’ve heard of.

BusyEvent Answers: Your question has an entire industry of hardware and technology attached to it…

You can scan the 2D barcode from the back of drivers licenses with equipment that is easily rented. This is especially useful if you are needing to check the legal age for a product sampling. Please note that not all states have switched over to barcode so you may run into magstripe which means you need to rent some of that as well.

We gave up on this technology as it gathered a list, but not necessarily a list of interest. We’ve tried the following methods:

1. Handing out cards that get people to go back to a website and “register” for a prize. Typically we get 7-10% attachment to this offer.

2. Kiosks are good, but you need several of them to handle a crowd.

3. We find SMS works well as you can place your unique web-link right onto a personal cellphone which stays with the user. If their phone has web connectivity you may event get them to fill out a short form that day on their own. But the incentive has to be pretty powerful (free trip, free goodies on the spot etc.)

If the end goal is qualified leads, then you need to assess what make a lead qualified. Is it simply capturing a list that you can contact after the show? Do you need to survey the crowd somehow? Is it a numbers game?

The ROO - Return on Objective is likely more important to your client than which technology to use.

Brian comments: I like free stuff but how many questions and forms should you have to fill out to be entered to win? I’ll usually answer four or five questions about the product or service but when I’m on page 4 of never-ending. I’m done. I get these (sales) people calling non-stop about what level and my interest… it’s like 25 questions. I just hang up now.

BusyEvent: Brian, the problem is the process. Marketing professionals think that enticing people with giveaways is a great lead generation tactic. And over the years it has become more automated, lengthy, and painful.

In a perfect world, you’d profile yourself honestly in one place and qualified marketers would make you offers based upon what they think you’d like regarding your real interests, hobbies and spending habits.

To try to spoof the system and then get upset because it is too much of an inconvenience points to the fact that the process is broken. Marketing professionals might reconsider how to provide a “gift” based upon real steps in the qualification process. Simply generating a list of warm bodies is like trying to give away concert tickets to a show nobody really wants to pay for.

An honest communication about what you’ll have to do and what you’ll get for it is the place to start. If the line for the ride looks too long… then you don’t ride the ride. But if you really want to go - then just do it!

James asks: I am conference chair for a major industry conference that will have some of the top speakers in the industry. It is a one-day conference and I have been arguing with others that we should be charging more.

BusyEvent Answers: James - I will approach your question from a few different angles:

1. You are the show promoter and appear to be a local chapter leader. You might be too close to the product to set its value.

2. How many hours of exhibition time will be available that don’t compete with fantastic speakers, meals and social networking?

3. It costs the same to freight, setup, breakdown and travel to/from an event. Have you considered expanding this event a bit?

4. Ask yourself why they attend? Why do the expo vendors decide to come? Are they providing a valuable part of the show or is this just a revenue stream? If learning about new products is important, be sure you provide them a fair platform to do business.

5. Attendees, vendors, speakers and sponsors intend to network at your event. Help them get in touch with one another before/during and after the show. When you facilitate this process naturally, then you’ll be able to generate revenues in several areas instead of just the booth fees.

6. Vendors already pay $500 - $1000 for lead management equipment at other shows and all they get is a list. You can actually facilitate the qualification process and be paid very well for it.

Bottom line: If you focus on the reasons why each group of stakeholders come to your show, you will find revenues and success in multiple areas. Then you don’t have to worry about what to charge for a booth because you will be busy growing your show numbers which, in turn, will grow revenue.

“A rising tide floats all boats!”