CONFERENCE

INNOVATION

REPORT Completed by: Inventa

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TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... 5

METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 7

ONLINE ......................................................................................................................... 7

NETWORK .................................................................................................................... 7

PUBLICATION REVIEW ................................................................................................ 7

OUTCOMES .................................................................................................................. 7

BUILDING AN INNOVATIVE CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE ............................................. 8

WHY INNOVATE? ................................................................................................................ 9

ROI ..................................................................................................................................... 10

CONFERENCE INNOVATION ........................................................................................... 12

AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY AND THE CONFERENCE BRAND ....................... 12

WEBSITES, EVENT APPS & COMMUNICATIONS .......................................................... 14

WEBSITE ........................................................................................................................ 15

WEBSITE EXAMPLES .................................................................................................... 17

REGISTRATION ............................................................................................................. 21

MOBILE APP .................................................................................................................. 21

CASE STUDY: INTEROP ............................................................................................ 24

COMMUNICATIONS ....................................................................................................... 26

SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION ..................................................................................... 27

IBEACON ........................................................................................................................ 29

RFID ............................................................................................................................... 29

POLLING/AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: .......................................................................... 30

GAMIFICATION .................................................................................................................. 31

GAMIFICATION & MOBILE APPS .............................................................................. 32

GAMIFY APP FROM EVENTMOBI ............................................................................. 32

........................................................................................................................................... 33

EVENT FORMAT ............................................................................................................... 33

CROWDSOURCING & CURATION ................................................................................ 34

AGENDA PLANNING .................................................................................................. 34

DESIGN ELEMENTS: ................................................................................................. 34

CONTENT CURATION ................................................................................................... 35

EVANGELISTS/THOUGHT LEADERS ........................................................................... 35

TRENDS IN SPEAKER SELECTION .............................................................................. 37

ENGAGING THE SENSES ................................................................................................. 38

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VENUE SELECTION & DECOR ..................................................................................... 38

CATERING ..................................................................................................................... 40

SIDE EVENTS ................................................................................................................ 41

INTERACTIVE ZONES ................................................................................................... 42

AWARDS OR CHALLENGES ......................................................................................... 42

ONSITE MATERIALS ..................................................................................................... 42

AV ................................................................................................................................... 43

LIVE-STREAMING .......................................................................................................... 44

WIFI ................................................................................................................................ 45

AGENDA PLANNING ......................................................................................................... 46

INTERACTIVE LEARNING ............................................................................................. 46

TRADITIONAL & NON-TRADITIONAL PRESENTATION/PANEL FORMATS ................ 47

THE UN-CONFERENCE ............................................................................................. 48

TAKE A STAND/AGREE OR DISAGREE ................................................................... 48

CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER ............................................................................ 48

IGNITE LEARNING SESSIONS .................................................................................. 48

PECHA KUCHA ........................................................................................................... 48

THE WORLD CAFÉ .................................................................................................... 49

THE APP ARCADE ..................................................................................................... 49

CHALLENGE BARS .................................................................................................... 49

THE LOST LECTURES ............................................................................................... 49

CAMPFIRE SESSIONS ............................................................................................... 49

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SESSIONS ........................................................................ 49

THINK TANKS ............................................................................................................. 50

ROUNDTABLES .......................................................................................................... 50

EXECUTIVE EXCHANGES ......................................................................................... 50

FOCUS GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 50

PITCHES/CONTESTS ................................................................................................ 50

CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................ 51

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Conference Innovation Report provides insights into the evolving landscape of conference and events. Through in-person and online research, and in combination with our years of experience in this space, we have provided a comprehensive picture of the tools and techniques that could be applied to your conference event to:

Increase attendee engagement

Create “stickier” content, leading to increased participation, and post event application of learnings

Foster attendee engagement before, during and after the event

Increase the on-the-job results attributable to participation in the event itself

Elevate the attendee experience through the use of technology

Meet event performance objectives

Deliver unique and memorable event experiences In today‟s conference environment, attendee engagement is the needle that event planners are looking to impact. The most successful events are designed with the complete attendee experience in mind, and actively seek the participation of event attendees throughout the process. This engagement begins long before delegates cross the threshold into the venue, and when well executed continues long after they return to their everyday work lives. Organizational objectives for the event should also be balanced with delegate expectations and their reasons for attending, so that the agenda and overall event are designed to achieve both. In terms of key areas for consideration contained in the report, there are three primary areas that should be at the forefront of planning for a conference event:

Attendee engagement in the online space

Interactive agenda and session planning

Delivering an event experience that reflects the topic. Online engagement, whether this be a website, internal communications platform (cloud) or a mobile application (app), the conference event should include an area for attendees to go to find out more about the event before they get there, register online, connect with others in attendance before and after, and share their thoughts and results post event. Given the technology focus of the event – having attendees engage in the online space would be a „must‟ and should be optimized for use on multiple platforms (desk, tablet, and phone). Careful thought should be given to the agenda planning and session formats. Our recommendation would be to take a deeper look at any post-event feedback from past attendees, and engage a key stakeholder group to determine the topic areas of most interest/urgent for the event. Time permitting, these topic areas could be presented to the attendee database for their input. The chosen content should be presented in a manner that will engage and stimulate delegates to bring their learnings back to their respective workplaces and apply them. A

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variety of session formats should be considered to prevent „event fatigue‟. Consider bringing in thought leaders from key subject areas to host „Think Tanks‟ or „Roundtables‟ rather than panel sessions. Complement those sessions with keynotes that expand the subject matter beyond goods and services offered in that space, to application and common pitfalls in technology adoption in the workplace. A cross-functional Executive Exchange Panel may also be an impactful way for the attendees to gain an understanding of senior leadership expectations of technology in their sector, and foster inter-departmental partnerships. Finally the event experience itself should accurately reflect the topics being discussed. For instance, for a technology conference, technology should play a central role in the design of all the event components.

Hands on demonstrations allowing attendees to „test drive‟ some of technology being discussed, either in the common space, or in dedicated interactive zones

„Wired‟ networking areas allowing attendees to connect and cross pollinate while re-charging, literally and figuratively

Active audience engagement and participation in agenda sessions, be this through interactive means (app, social media, in-session polls), or in session design (participatory sessions, e.g. TED style talks)

And even down to venue selection and décor, which at the outset may seem inconsequential, but sets the tone for the entire event.

These recommendations are all addressed in greater detail within the Conference Innovation Report.

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METHODOLOGY Inventa has employed several research outlets in order to complete this project:

ONLINE An audit of current conferences both in a similar subject matter as well as cross functional events, looking at events from 2014 (completed) and 2015 (upcoming). Online audits will include agenda formats, session plans and formats, pre-conference engagement, post conference engagement, and where possible, attendee feedback.

NETWORK Inventa will work within its network of suppliers and partners in the conference and event delivery domain – meeting live when possible, to get their insights into the current best practices and innovative elements they are employing.

PUBLICATION REVIEW Inventa reviewed current industry publications for trends and examples that are relevant to the conference event.

OUTCOMES Based on the data and best practices collected during our research phase, Inventa expects to deliver specific recommendations in the following categories in their final report:

Delegate Engagement – this includes pre and post event engagement as well as on site tools and techniques. For example elements like conference apps, registration systems, session design, networking areas, etc.

Event Format – recommendations on event formats that lay the foundation for greater delegate interaction and participation. Things like use of space will also be addressed in this section.

Agenda Planning – provide feedback on agenda layout, session types, speaker engagement etc. being implemented that foster greater results in the workplace post-event.

“Other” – this will include tools and techniques that are being used at other events, that may warrant consideration.

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BUILDING AN

INNOVATIVE

CONFERENCE

EXPERIENCE

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WHY INNOVATE? The conference audience has evolved and is demanding more from conference organizers than ever, no longer content to just sit and listen to a talking head. While not every event can be a multi-million dollar investment, conferences and events of all sizes and types are caught in an on-going need to out-do themselves year-over-year, to ensure they keep their audience captured and garner value from the time spent at the event. This phenomenon drives innovation in the event space and a plethora of tools, vendors and technologies to support them. It is an exciting time to be in the business of creating audience experiences.

“No one accidentally goes to a conference … You have to treat everyone you are interacting with as a treasured guest, as somebody who has many choices and in this moment has chosen to trust you with their attention.” – Seth Godin

SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/marketing-expert-seth-godin-discusses-what-makes-an-event-worthwhile/los-angeles/story/27429#.VQnRC0KR_zI

Even if your attendees were happy with the last event, that doesn‟t mean that an event planner can simply „rinse and repeat‟. The data may validate hosting the next event, but it should challenge the organizers to not only meet but exceed expectations.

“Bottom line: just because you score a 10 on your event survey doesn’t mean you will again next year.” – Kati Quigley, Senior Director of Worldwide Partner Community Events at Microsoft

SOURCE: http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/partner-conference-microsoft-strategy/

The first step in designing an event or conference starts with defining the event objectives and audience. Assessing the needs and challenges of the audience will help lead to insights that will guide the planning team in how to influence behaviour through the event touch-points, pre, post and onsite at the event. These touch points may be indirect - such as a keynote speaker, or indirect such as a networking area, or online via social media. Based on experience design best practices, it is highly recommended that the planning team map out the attendee experience and how each touch point will reinforce or help achieve the conference objectives. Trends in conferences and events touch every element of the attendee experience, from the first click on a website to the thank you email they receive afterwards and everywhere in-between. There are big decisions to be made - such as venue selection, but the small ones can be just as significant and impactful. Looking at the trends in the event world is a fascinating exercise, as there is innovation happening within so many individual events. This report will showcase some of the larger trends and best practices, using real event examples wherever possible. Taking guidance from this document and armed with the knowledge of conference trends, tools and best practices, the conference event is sure to be a success.

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ROI Although often this soft-cost is not calculated in terms of event cost, the time out of office for attendees should be taken seriously in terms of economic footprint. As well, there should be systems in place to gather and measure the success of this time, not only based on attendee satisfaction, but also how well the ideas and principles of the conference are being translated back to their job roles, industries or lives. Some systems for evaluating success are: Meeting Metrics provides an online, D.I.Y. system, primarily suited to measure the effectiveness of business meetings and educational events. Planners purchase a license, currently priced at about $400 annually for a new user, that provides access to the online system, training, and support, and then they purchase individual surveys based on the needs of their events. Audience Metrix One of its most high-profile clients is SAP, for which the company provides evaluation services of the annual Sapphire Now conference and many smaller events throughout the year. SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/4-systems-for-evaluating-the-success-of-events-and-meetings/los-angeles/story/24744#.VQhWbEKR_zL

Conferences are also accountable to their stakeholders to ensure every dollar is well spent, which makes proving return on investment increasingly important. This is also a trend that the conference industry is encountering, although in some cases it is easier to measure with the more strict translation of ROI being sales dollars and conversion. But this can also be measured through measuring pre and post event behavioral or psychological markers based on a scale, such as:

• Knowledge/understanding (“I know”) • Opinions/perceptions/beliefs (“I agree”) • Feelings/attitudes (“I want to”) • Abilities/skills (“I can”) • Intentions/commitment (“I will”) • Behaviors (“I am doing”) • Business results/impacts – ROI (“I am delivering value”)

SOURCE: http://eventplanning.about.com/od/eventplanningbasics/a/event-roi.htm

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Based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as set by the conference organizers, surveys or onsite questionnaires can be used to evaluate the success of the event. In a research study by the Aberdeen Group on Strategic Meetings Management, “this is an invaluable tool for quantifying the effectiveness of a strategic meeting or event; attendees can provide feedback on speakers and presentations, helping the event-planning team to alter agendas in a positive manner”. SOURCE: http://www.eved.com/hs-fs/hub/305366/file-679539857-pdf/Strategic_Meetings_Management_A_Handbook_of_Emerging_Strategies_Aberdeen_Group_Jul_2012.pdf

Beyond year-over-year performance, event organizers need to be concerned with the effectiveness of their event objectives in terms of how successful they have delivered key messages to the audience, how well they have enabled their attendees to take new skills back to the office place to implement in their job role and that they have been inspired to look for opportunities to innovate. For example: Pre-conference questions could be: On a scale of 1 – 10 (disagree to agree) the following statement: I have the skills that I need to be innovative in my job role. Followed by a post-conference assessment of the same question to see how the needle has moved. Or using mobile platforms or RFID, the organizers can track audience behaviour and determine success metrics based on: time spent in the keynote hall, time spent at the device bar, number of social media engagements etc.

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CONFERENCE INNOVATION

AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY AND THE CONFERENCE BRAND Within the world of events and marketing, a strong, clear and authentic brand is key. Marketing audiences are keen, smart and engaged individuals who do not want gimmicky language or to be fed false pretences. Being transparent and authentic not only lends credibility to an event, but also allows the audience to engage more organically as they develop a level of trust with the brand. In the third report in the Cohn & Wolfe Authentic Brands series, research shows that “authentic characteristics such as communicating honestly about products and services (91%) and environmental impact and sustainability measures (87%) are more important to global consumers than product utility (61%), brand appeal (60%) and popularity (39%)”. Below is a graphic that shows the top seven behaviours that people believe are important for businesses to display and what those behaviours translate to in terms of business results:

SOURCE: http://www.cohnwolfe.com/sites/default/files/2014%20Authentic%20Brands%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

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Some ways of displaying this include a strong brand and clear messaging. Conferences like TED have developed eye-catching, bold, simple branding to match their no-nonsense, open approach to conferences. The branding is bold in colour palette but not flashy. And to match, the themes created for their conferences are broad, over-arching and simple in design, leaving room for each person to develop their own interpretation.

Other examples of building authenticity include driving the conference theme or objectives through everything that the audience touches. For example, a green-themed conference must be vigilant in its use of all eco-friendly products across the entire lifecycle of the event. One photo of a disposable water bottle tweeted from the event can put the entire brand‟s reputation in jeopardy.

Therefore, the conference team for the event should consider how to showcase their brand through every aspect of the event, from the design of the event logo and content to the onsite registration and catering.

“At its heart, authenticity is about practising what you preach; being totally clear about who you are and what you do best. When a brand's rhetoric gets out of sync with customers' actual experiences, the brand's integrity and future persuasiveness suffers.” – Authentic Brand Index

Source: http://www.authenticbrandindex.com/index.htm

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WEBSITES,

EVENT APPS & COMMUNICATIONS

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WEBSITE Large-scale events are usually given their own web presence and brand that stands alone from the corporate brand. Some smaller-scale events will be promoted via a page within an existing site, but this usually makes it more difficult to provide a full conference website experience, as corporate websites are not built for this purpose.

“Great web design instils trust in your business. According to web credibility research from Stanford, 75% of users admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility based on their website’s design.”

SOURCE: http://www.kinesisinc.com/the-truth-about-web-design/ The best conference websites include the ability to view the conference schedule via different filters including topic, type or track and build your own schedule. Also the site can connect the schedule easily to individual speaker profiles seamlessly. The content will also be either mirrored or synced with their mobile apps to allow content on all screens to be coherent and to avoid duplication of efforts updating two different places with content.

In terms of the site design, a current trend is single-page navigation sites, where the content rolls down the page, popularized by the increased use of tablets and scroll/swipe devices. According to Online Publishers Association/Frank N. Magid Associates, consumers use mobile devices to access the Web in the following manner:

As well, the aesthetic of the single-page navigation gives a sense of continuity to the content, encouraging traffic to explore further without committing to loading another page, therefore overall increasing the stickiness of the webpage for traffic.

99.5

63.1 62.1 49.2 46 41.7

15

0.05

36.9 37.9 50.8 54 58.3

85

Access

content/info

Access the

Internet

Check email Listen to music Play games Download

and use apps

Make

purchases

Usage of Mobile Devices on the Web

Access Does Not Access

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SOURCE: http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/opinion/2353616/mobile-now-exceeds-pc-the-biggest-shift-since-the-internet-began

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WEBSITE EXAMPLES https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/74927/149480/?&

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http://www.advertisingweek.com

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http://wavefrontsummits.com

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http://futurem.org

Sources: http://designmodo.com/ux-single-page-websites/; http://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/design/8-reasons-why-pageless-design-is-the-future-of-the-web

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REGISTRATION Event Registration software can make a big difference in the audience experience pre-event and reduce the administrative costs of managing registration lists internally. Some features of event registration software include payment processing, custom scheduling, audience profiling, online access to registration reports, customer support services, branded email confirmations/reminders/updates and onsite check-in tools. There are some integrated registration services included with mobile applications as well as many stand-alone online options such as:

EventBrite - https://www.eventbrite.ca

EventWizard - Online Event Registration Software | Event Wizard®

More: http://www.capterra.com/registration-software/ Onsite registration management has also evolved with the use of live conference data and onsite printing versus printed lists and badges. The advantage of live and on-demand registration services is reduced environmental impact - you only print the badges that you need, there is the option for on-site edits to name/company/title on the name badge, faster processing - staff are searching in a database rather than physical badges and a more streamlined experience for guests - who can even use self check-in kiosks to manage the process themselves and pick-up their badge at the counter - similar to an airport process. Many conferences have also adopted barcode scanning, so that guests are sent a barcode per-event that can be quickly scanned to pull up their registration data and print their badge. Some conferences even opt-out of the badge completed, using the mobile barcode for access to conference activities. Online and onsite registration management service providers:

Conexsys - http://conexsys.com/site/

Validar - http://www.validar.com

MOBILE APP Mobile apps, preferably integrated with a conference website, give users more functionality than a traditional website or in-person printed material ever could. Apps can engage the audience with custom messaging that make them feel welcome and included at the event or provide valuable and timely information. The app can also be used to encourage traffic to a specific area of the event or showcase a sponsor or solution.

Event apps provide the opportunity for live audience interaction which can ultimately change your entire event design. Instead of talking head presentations that the audience could just as easily watch on YouTube post-event, they are able to provide audience insight to the presenter with live polls and also submit questions or vote on questions for presenters to answer. This ensures that the content remains relevant, interactive and encourages the audience to get involved in the conversation, which in turn increases retention of information and overall satisfaction.

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Lastly, event apps can be used as a way for attendees to use as a networking tool. Attendees can create a profile on the app (which can be easily done by pulling their information from their LinkedIn accounts) then allow their profile to be posted in a directory which then can be accessed by other authorized event attendee accounts. People can see who is attending and message other attendees in order to connect and set up face to face meetings at the event.

SOURCE: http://www.cvent.com/en/media/mobile-apps-for-meeting-planners-infographic.shtml?cid=social_twitter_cvent_share_infographicmobilewave_jun12

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“Because mobile apps improve communication, reduce printing costs and carbon footprints, help you share last-minute changes to schedules, enhance networking opportunities, increase exposure for sponsors, and a whole lot more. Not to mention more and more of your attendees are expecting it. Think about it this way: knowing what you know now, would you ever consider not offering online registration? The same will soon hold true for mobile event apps.

Per person, a mobile app costs less than half of what a planner spends on coffee. For example, imagine a 3-day conference with 400 attendees, and two coffee breaks per day. You can spend anywhere from $24 to $42 per person just on coffee, not including tax and gratuity. In contrast, a mobile event app can cost as little as $10 per person. While you might not be able to imagine an event without a coffee break, in terms of ROI, the results are fairly obvious. Cutting back on coffee costs and diverting that money into an app will yield a much greater return on investment for your event.” – QuickMobile Survey Report 2014”

SOURCE: http://www.quickmobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/QuickMobile_SummerSurveysReport2014-FINAL.pdf

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EVENT EXAMPLE: The TEDConnect App launched in 2013 and aimed to enhance the in-person experience, rather than have attendees spend more time on their phones. The app includes the ability to network with other attendees and see the „top ten‟ attendees to meet. There is also the added feature of location based information and tracking using beacon technology called Whereabouts. This feature paired with „Introductions‟ allows attendees to connect and see where the other physically is at that given moment creating new opportunities for connections. “Now” is also included and this feature lets attendees see all the things going on at the conference at that specific moment via the schedule, map and detailed event listings. SOURCE: http://blog.ted.com/the-story-of-tedconnect-a-conference-app-for-real-life-interaction/

CASE STUDY: INTEROP Interop is a technology conference and expo designed to inspire, inform and connect the world‟s IT community. In 2011, they contracted doubledutch to create their first mobile event app. The organizers, UBM Tech, behind Interop identified three goals for the app:

App Goal No. 1: Drive community. They wanted the app to facilitate conversations and communication between attendees at the event, for the attendees to share what‟s exciting at a keynote or conference session, and for the attendees to make plans to connect face to face

App Goal No. 2: Drive communication. UBM Tech wanted the app to become an extension of their social media activity so that their staff can respond immediately to any questions that attendees have or identify and respond to any challenges that needs to be addressed onsite

App Goal No. 3: Drive brand. UBM Tech was lesser known than its event and media publications. They wanted to brand themselves as the tech community and their venture in mobile technology helped them further that effort

In order to design the right features for the app, they identified the users of the app, from event management staff, to exhibitors, and to attendees. In summary, event management staff wanted to keep a finger on the “pulse of the event” and provide great customer service, the exhibitors wanted to attract potential buyers by posting content in the app‟s internal feed and set up meetings with interested attendees, and attendees wanted to share what they‟ve learned to their peers and colleagues.

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The end result is:

“It’s extraordinary. People are posting photos all the time. People are engaging. There are three or four comments on every photo.” One poster commented on the chilliness of a session room, and the team sent a staff member to monitor the space. Another posted that a placeholder slideshow was distracting from a panel discussion. That was fixed in real time. “It’s a way for people to have a voice, and we can communicate back to them.” – Ally Thorndike, Director of Marketing for UBM Tech

The app also included features such as a scheduling/calendar tool, session information, exhibitor directory, and a detailed map which allows users to pinpoint exactly where a booth is on the show floor. In addition, they included a gamification feature where users can collect points and badges by visiting specific locations onsite (i.e. an exhibitor booth or attending three sessions a day). A leaderboard is in place so that participants can see how they compare to other attendees. UBM Tech was able to get data on audience behaviour by tracking where people go inside the app, what sections they visited, and what session they added to their personal agendas. Because they had launched the app prior to event dates, they could determine if a session was going to be too crowded and move it to a bigger space ahead of time.

“Each year, we’ve seen more engagement with the app and more people using it. Trend lines show that it’s been well-received by our attendees, and there’s no way we’re going back to paper programs at this point.” - Alex Dunne, General Manager of Online at UBM Tech

SOURCE: http://www.mpiweb.org/case-study/double-dutch/getting-an-app

Organizations that have used a mobile app for their events claim to achieve:

33% increase in attendee engagement at events 13% increase in sponsorship sales 7% decrease in printing costs

SOURCE: http://www.quickmobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/WhitePaper-4KeystoEventAppSuccess.pdf

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Our pick for the best Mobile App companies are:

Eventbase - Eventbase is based in Vancouver, British Columbia and has worked on large events such as the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games and the 2012 London games, as well as conferences such as SAP Sapphire Now, SXSW, and Broadcast Video Expo. Eventbase offers two mobile app offerings, a free version and a premium (paid) version. The free version offers basic features such as a digital agenda that can be modified and updated and interactive maps, with an option to add on paid features. For the premium option, the event team works with the developer to build out an app that fits their event goals. A custom build can range from $24,000 to $45,000 for one app. Eventbase does have iBeacon integration.

EventMobi - EventMobi is based in Toronto, Ontario and has worked with clients

from corporate to government, scientific to financial. Some clients that they have worked with in the past are I.B.M., Motorola, and Salesforce. EventMobi offers four pricing options that ranges from $1,000 (Flex plan) to $10,000 (Executive plan). There is the option to add-on features at additional costs but the Executive plan has the majority of the add-on features included in the plan. EventMobi does not have iBeacon integration. For a demo, click here: http://www.eventmobi.com/product/demo/.

QuickMobile – QuickMobile is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has

worked with clients such as Dell, Canadian Health Food Association and Jive Software. The most basic plan starts at $6,000 and includes all of the basic offerings except for live Q&A, posting on newsfeed, requesting meetings with other attendees, and live polling. These additional features cost extra.

Doubledutch - Doubledutch is based in San Francisco and has worked with clients like UBM Tech (see Interop case study), and American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council. Doubledutch offers all features and functions for content delivery, feedback tools, app engagement and support as well as analytics dashboard starting at $5,000. For every app developed for an event, Doubledutch will decrease the price further for the client. Customizable requests will cost extra. Doubledutch does have iBeacon integration.

COMMUNICATIONS Consistent communication with event attendees pre and post event can be done with traditional emails, via an event app and/or through social media. The intent of these communications is to keep the audience engaged and informed about the event as well as garner input and feedback. Many events will send out pre-event surveys or poll their audience for insight into key topics of interest but for the most-part the communications are a one-way street when done through email. Social media provides a better platform for two-way communication and informal input/conversation. It also allows the audience to connect with each-other, not just with the organizers.

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An integrated approach to audience communications can also ensure that your event can keep the conversation going throughout the year. Rather than just a point in time, the event can be used to connect your audience together with a common purpose and on a common platform. Pre and post event, communications can drive interaction via the online vehicles.

“Like most b-to-b conference marketers, Microsoft struggled with keeping the conversation going after its annual event. [The event team] tackled the challenge in year-two by executing a new digital community strategy. This included a partner-centric WPC Blog, two Facebook accounts, two Twitter accounts, a LinkedIn account and an internal platform and app called WPC Connect where attendees could join discussions by topic and, at the show, join or set up meetings and then reserve tables in a special WPC Connect area on the show floor. Since starting the digital strategy, the team has seen a 40 percent increase year over year in people visiting and engaging with the website, and a 197 percent increase in engagement.” – Jessica Heasley, eventmarketer.com

SOURCE: http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/partner-conference-microsoft-strategy/

SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION Social media provides attendees another layer of conversation before, during and after the event. It also provides the organizers a live view on audience satisfaction and issues that can be addressed onsite. The event can get free press from your influential tweeters as they share insights from the event to their network. Even with an internal event, letting the world know the great work that you do as an organization is a winning strategy.

First step is to assign a lead and have a plan. Resourcing social media needs to be determined first before going live, as you need to be present on your social media outlets as people interact with your event. As you plan for this resource, consider what other social media assets are present in your organization and whether to piggyback on an existing one, or create a net new account just for the event. In many cases, simply using an event hashtag (#) while using an existing handle or social media account is sufficient. Choosing that hashtag should include some research to ensure it is not in use by any other organization.

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As a rule, social media may be managed on a day-to-day basis by a junior team member, but a chain of approvals is important. Content should be pre-written and approved. As well, any escalations should be brought to the attention of the management team before responding directly. As well, it is encouraged to use a social media aggregator such as Hootsuite to keep things organized across platforms:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Onsite social media can be integrated in many ways to highlight the activity and encourage online interaction:

Social media hubs including lounge seating and twitter screens create a landing zone for anyone who wants to jump online

Social media concierge staff onsite with tablets can be positioned in different areas of the event to encourage and provide technology that audiences can interact with wherever they are, while also providing some assistance if needed

Device bars set to social media sites can allow audiences to touch and feel the latest technology while sharing their thoughts on social media if they do not have a device with them or available

Social media feeds in the keynote and session rooms provide live comments and thoughts from the audience to be shared on screen

Social Media Feeds:

Live Tweet App: https://www.livetweetapp.com/en/

HootFeed by HootSuite: https://hootsuite.com/hootfeed

Twitterfall: http://twitterfall.com

Crowdscreen: http://www.crowdscreen.com

Crowd Convergence: http://www.activatethespace.com/ModeratedSocialMedia.html

Audience Response/RFID/iBeacon

Eliciting audience engagement onsite at an event can be done in many ways. Traditionally this was in a post-event survey that would be used to help plan the next event. Now we can track individuals using RFID technology, send them location based information using iBeacon, engage with a mobile app to send questions to the presenter, or simply press a button or text to have your information shared on screen in an audience poll.

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IBEACON iBeacon is a cutting edge product that allows information to be pushed to mobile devices based on location. iBeacon has gotten considerable press for being used on SXSW. Around Me is a new feature in the SXSW GO app that allows attendees to see nearby attendees, and if they feel like networking, they can even introduce themselves with a quick message. SXSW organizers can also use beacons to send other timely, location specific messages. SOURCE: http://sxsw.com/news/2015/introducing-ibeacon-technology-sxsw-2015

“This year, SXSW partnered up with Vancouver, Canada, based Eventbase, a mobile event platform company, to build out what Eventbase co-founder Ben West told me is "the largest beacon deployment ever done at an event." They literally installed over 1,000 beacons, which come in two sizes: a palm-sized $35 AAA battery-powered device and a little blue one only a bit larger than a quarter. These beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy technology to connect with SXSW attendees who have downloaded the SXSW Go app. “iBeacon is a fairly new technology in the event space. It provides a new way to interact with content and attendees," says Ben West” – Lance Ulanoff, Mashable.com

SOURCE: http://mashable.com/2015/03/13/ibeacons-sxsw/

RFID Radio frequency identification, or R.F.I.D., refers to a variety of wireless technologies that create communication between a tag and a reader. R.F.I.D. can be used for long-range communication through ultra-high frequency, or U.H.F., tags or for very close communication using near field communication, or N.F.C., tags. These tags can be embedded in wristbands, badges, plastic cards, and other products that guests carry at an event. This offers organizers the option to track attendees and tailor experience for them based on time and location.

EVENT EXAMPLE: At the Tomorrowland music festival, which took place in Belgium over two weekends in July, R.F.I.D. wristbands replaced admission tickets and also provided a way for the 60,000 daily attendees to connect with one another. Prior to the event, festivalgoers registered their wristbands online and linked them to their Facebook accounts. At the event, if two people near each other pressed the heart-shaped button on their wristbands at the same time, each person's Facebook name was stored in the cloud and then sent in an email to the other person. So each attendee received a daily email of anyone they had met throughout the day. Organizers also illuminated the lights on the bracelets in coordination with some of the musical acts.

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SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/6-events-using-rfid-technology-to-improve-the-guest-experience/new-york/story/29159/#.VQpHNUKR_0c

EVENT EXAMPLE: At C2 Montréal in May, organizers adjusted the number of staffers and amount of food in areas where they saw high concentrations of attendees, based on data transmitted from R.F.I.D. badges provided by Connect & Go. SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/c2-montreal-c2-montreal-organizers-adjusted-number-staffers-food/gallery/157360

R.F.I.D. Vendors:

http://www.connectngo.com

http://www.alliancetech.com

http://www.itnint.com

https://www.intellitix.com/intellitix/home/

POLLING/AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: There are many integrated event apps that have polling and Q&A technology that can be used to engage the audience. Some standalone options include:

Poll Everywhere - http://www.polleverywhere.com Poll to Go - http://polltogo.com/info/audience

PigeonHole - https://www.pigeonholelive.com

Imprezion Web-based - https://inprezion.com/#home Some software, such as PigeonHole, have the feature where a moderator can monitor the questions that the audience is submitting during a live Q&A. That way, only questions that are relevant and appropriate for the topic is being shown to the speaker and/or on screen.

For low-tech or events with live voting, Audience Response Non-mobile Devices are also used - here are a few vendors in this space:

Freeman AV Audience Response: http://freemanav-ca.com/computer-solutions/audience-response.html

I-Clicker: https://www1.iclicker.com/government/

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GAMIFICATION

“Engagement is the antidote to passive participation. It allows the attendee to become a part of the experience, to actively generate their participation in the event. Engagement can be challenging, risky, exciting, social and is ultimately highly rewarding for everyone.” – Dr. Cathy Key, Event Technology expert

The threads that bind most gaming experiences are the five basic mechanics of gaming, specifically the ability to:

Collect points

Achieve new levels

Learn achievements such as badges and prizes

Participate in challenges

Compare progress with others via leader boards

When you incorporate gaming concepts to your event, not only are you encouraging your members and attendees to help achieve your goals, but you‟re also enabling them to reach their own. Many attendees find it hard to meet others, participate in conversations, apply learned materials, or keep track of their activities. A gaming layer incorporated in an event app, for example, can encourage attendees to act in that particular fashion and at the same time record and report their progress back to them. A great way to have more people engaged throughout the event while they can also measure their personal return on investment by seeing how much they have been able to be involved throughout the conference.

Possible ways to interject gamification to meet event objectives include:

Increase attendance to sessions

Increase engagement with exhibitors or different areas of the event

Improved networking, increasing the number of connections made at the event

Social media, increasing the number of tweets and social media hits during the event

Learning and retention of information SOURCES: http://www.eventmobi.com/blog/2011/12/06/using-gamification-to-better-engage-event-attendees/; http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-gamification#I5uvhUpYmJvckCMX.99

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GAMIFICATION & MOBILE APPS “Some consumer mobile apps like Foursquare and SCVNGR or event-specific apps like EventMobi include a gaming layer that sends attendees on treasure hunts to collect points for prizes, boosting the number of booths they would visit, for example. Or, the event app can award points for attendees when they answer short quizzes at the end of each session to show they understood the main concept. They then receive points for checking in at certain locations or correctly answering questions. Even more, the app can automatically award them custom virtual badges for completing specific challenges or receiving a certain number of points, which they can then recoup for prizes.

Attendees can track their progress on the mobile app or on a public leader board, which gives them incentive to get moving and play as often as possible, which in essence means being more involved at the event. There‟s nothing like competition to get people engaged and playing along.” SOURCE: http://www.eventmobi.com/blog/2011/12/06/using-gamification-to-better-engage-event-attendees/

GAMIFY APP FROM EVENTMOBI Using basic gaming principles like earning points, offering prizes, and displaying a live leaderboard, GamifyApp creates an environment where attendees are motivated, encouraged, and inspired to take action. SOURCES: http://gamifyapp.com/; http://blogs.forrester.com/elizabeth_shaw/11-06-30-gamification_defining_a_shiny_new_thing; http://lumiinsight.com/blog/mobile-app-gamification-benefits-events/

EVENT EXAMPLE: Game participants at I.B.M. Connect earned points for offline activities, such as building the tallest Lego structure, as well as online activities such as sharing conference content on Twitter and Instagram. SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/ibm-uses-gamification-to-encourage-offline-and-online-connections/los-angeles/story/27819#.VP-txkKR_0c

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EVENT

FORMAT

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CROWDSOURCING & CURATION Crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. The added value of crowdsourcing, above getting great ideas for free, is that the audience is more invested when they feel like they are a part of the process. Even if their design isn‟t chosen, the opportunity for peer recognition is still valuable. It may even provide an opportunity for someone to showcase a skill that their manager was never aware of!

Crowdsourcing has become very popular in the event scene as audiences engage with event managers throughout the event planning process. Planners openly share their conceptual ideas and ask for input from the audience, or request that the audience submit ideas on a specific topic. This can be managed through social media or via internal newsletters/emails. Some examples of how this can be used include:

AGENDA PLANNING How many and what sessions will be included on the agenda

What session formats are preferred

Choosing a keynote speaker or live band for the event

Meal times, choices or format can be voted for in advance

DESIGN ELEMENTS: A custom image for conference bags can be submitted on Instagram and then voted

on by attendees via a conference app

Crowd source ideas are aggregated onto a Pinterest board pre event and turned into a large scale visual backdrop at the event, a real world display wall or slideshow.

“If you take a large crowd of different people with access to different information and pool their predictions, you will be in much better shape than if you rely on a single very smart person, or even a small group of very smart people.” – Hannah Kaeter, QuickMobile

SOURCE: http://www.quickmobile.com/mobile-event-strategy/real-time-response-technology/implement-crowdsourcing-events

SOURCES: https://skeptools.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/mixing-curation-crowdsourcing-skeptic-event-apostacon-skepticon-qed/; https://www.gevme.com/l/blog/how-crowdsourcing-can-help-event-attendance; http://tweakyourbiz.com/marketing/2012/10/18/13-innovative-event-ideas-that-drive-engagement-discover-lost-lectures-fishtanks-and-speed-geeking/; http://www.innocentive.com/blog/2013/10/18/5-examples-of-companies-innovating-with-crowdsourcing/; http://www.quickmobile.com/mobile-event-strategy/real-time-response-technology/implement-crowdsourcing-events

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CONTENT CURATION Content curation is hot in the content marketing world, but also very relevant in the event and conference space. How and what content shapes a conference‟s agenda has changed in the age of curation, where event organizers tailor content to their audience‟s needs and look for the big themes that matter:

“The process of becoming a curator starts by identifying those target markets and determining what content will solve their needs. “Don’t give me a conference evaluation that asks, 'What sessions do I want to see next year?' Ask me what problems I am dealing with,” Hurt said. After identifying those problems, planners can select content that provides solutions. “When you do a Google search, what you want is filtered information. You want relevance. Your attendees are looking to you to filter that content and base it on their wants and needs,” he said. Planners that still want to use a call-for-proposals system should structure it around a small number of themes that each relate back to attendees’ needs.” SOURCE:http://www.bizbash.com/how_to_choose_dynamic_speakers_for_meetings_and_trade_shows

/orlando/story/25074/#.VQjE40KR_0c

EVANGELISTS/THOUGHT LEADERS In other instance, rather than crowdsource, events will create content leaders or evangelists to create tracks on major content themes – they can also help promote the sessions if they are thought leaders in their field and have large social media following.

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EVENT EXAMPLE: “BlogWorld bucks one popular new media trend: It doesn‟t crowdsource content, although it does ask followers for input via Facebook, Twitter, and its blog. Instead, to come up with material for the 150 sessions that run over the three-day event, Calvert and his team comb the blogosphere, looking for popular writers and hot topics. Since bloggers are a vocal - and opinionated - lot by nature, Calvert says crowdsourcing could turn BlogWorld into a popularity contest.

Once Calvert‟s team has identified a viable niche, they contract with an outside expert - often a top blogger in the field - to coordinate a minimum of one day‟s worth of sessions and act as a liaison between the production team and attendees. These track leaders, as they‟re called, are paid a small stipend to help recruit speakers, develop content, determine the size of the track, and help market it. Since crack blogging skills don‟t always translate into dynamic speaking powers, Calvert has begun encouraging entrants to submit a video along with other materials to gauge their comfort level in front of an audience.” SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/14_most_innovative_meetings_tips_from_ted_oracle_cisco_i_b_m_blogworld_more/new-york/story/20285/#.VQhvt0KR_0f

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TRENDS IN SPEAKER SELECTION One event trend that we noted based on our research is inviting speakers that have direct knowledge or experience - rather than leaning on subject matter experts or academics. For instance, rather than have a social media expert on a panel, a conference may invite the VP of Twitter to attend. We believe this is aligned to a growing trend for professionals to build an online brand as part of their career development.

INTERZONE EXAMPLE: At the Interzone event, the most anticipated session was the fireside chat entitled “The end of the silicon valley bedtime story” with some of the conference‟s heavy hitters – Steve Wozniak – Co-founder of Apple, Adam Messinger – CTO of Twitter, Arne Josefsberg – CIO of GoDaddy, Peter Coffee – VP of Strategic Reach at Salesforce.com.

As well, many events will include a dose of entertainment or an outside perspective to keep the event fresh and interesting. Consider a comedian to act as host or a marketing guru as a compliment to an otherwise IT heavy program. For example:

Adam Growe from Cash Cab - Adam Growe

Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation - http://www.twistimage.com/about-mitch/

Others can be sourced from:

Keynote Speakers Canada - http://www.keynotespeakerscanada.ca

National Speaker‟s Bureau - http://www.nsb.com

Speaker‟s Spotlight - http://www.speakers.ca

As well, some considerations should also be given to: Social Media Presence: A good speaker has a healthy and engaged following on different social networks. What you are looking for here is a sign of positive engagement and meaningful content. Audience Engagement: When selecting a speaker, you should ask them if they‟ve used polling in the past and to provide some examples. Modern attendees want to be involved and asking their opinion once in a while during the presentation is a great way to let them digest the content presented so far. SOURCE: http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/hring-conference-speakers

Innovative ways to track down the right speakers include scouring social media for thematic hashtags, seeing who is blogging on your topic, who the influencers are on Twitter or using online influence rating sites such as Klout (https://klout.com/home). SOURCE: http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/finding-conference-speakers

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ENGAGING THE SENSES When creating an engaging atmosphere, all of the senses should be considered from lighting, ambience, music, to seating and food selection.

VENUE SELECTION & DECOR Venue selection is a challenge for all events, as it sets the mood for the whole event. Large-scale events and conferences find themselves caught, as they almost always have to choose convention and conference centers to support the scale of attendees. Unique venue spaces can create a special feel for guests that can add to the experience, as showcased at event like C2 in Montreal, where an art gallery was transformed into AV heavy presentation stages, social lounges and hang-out bars. Even within a large conference space, the use of lighting, furniture and décor can transform an ordinary space into a totally different experience.

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IMAGES: http://sparksheet.com/art-business-conference-lessons-c2-mtl-2014/

CATERING Healthy eating is not just a fad and keeping a conference menu healthy is really important especially if you have a discerning audience! Also considering menu items that are gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan by design is a nice way to ensure you are catering to all audiences. Local or regional specialties are a great touch and also serve to bring down the event‟s carbon footprint. Some formats that work well to innovative the dining experience include:

Pop-up café‟s – create an actual café space within the event that provides on-demand coffee and treats to attendees

Food trucks – Although more suited for outdoors, food trucks can be a great reason for attendees to get outside and grab their preferred grub with vouchers

Food stations – Food stations are highly used for cocktail receptions to focus on the preparation of one food type, like sushi for instance, but also provide a more interesting lunch or breakfast format for attendees, especially if you want to give them an opportunity to mingle and network

Water stations – eliminating the ubiquitous, wasteful water bottle is common at high profile events. Many will provide a reusable branded bottle to attendees as they enter. Water stations can also be amped up with branding and water concierge staff to enhance the experience. There are many options for branded water bottles including the up-and-coming company Love Bottle - http://lovebottle.net

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VIP table service or picnic basket – Each table is provide a mini „bar‟ service at their table including beverages, sharable treats (from popcorn to pastries to cheese) and are encouraged to make friends and dig in

EXAMPLE: A picnic lunch Wednesday offered picnic baskets for groups of seven - so each person had to meet six new folks with whom to chat and chow.

SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/interactive-picnic-picnic-lunch-wednesday-offered-picnic-baskets-

groups-seven/gallery/110233#.VQm8P0KR_0c

SIDE EVENTS Great conferences often are surrounded by great parties (and after-parties) because other people want to capitalize on the congregation of that audience. SXSW for instance has hundreds of parties for attendees to attend, hosted by the world‟s largest brands, new start-ups or celebrity talent. Often side events are hosted by sponsors or associated brands/organizations and are after conference activities, usually evening or late into the night for after-parties. They can range from cocktail receptions to rock concerts. Other hosted side events can include philanthropy – the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference hosts an annual day of giving preceding the conference. In past years the day has been packing backpacks with goodies for a local school, painting a community building and an outdoor arcade fundraiser. Other events will choose a charity to donate funds to based on audience engagement from onsite games or challenges.

“Meeting pros say that the move toward meaningful meetings comes from an authentic industry-wide interest in social responsibility as well as from the bottom-line benefits. For those reasons, it’s a trend unlikely to wane.” – Alesandra Dubin, BizBash.com

SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/why-socially-conscious-meetings-are-a-growing-trend/los-angeles/story/29077#.VQnRG0KR_0c

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INTERACTIVE ZONES Experience marketing has started to merge with our idea of traditional events and conferences, as more interactive zones are being incorporated. From social media hubs with lounge seating, to sponsor branded experiences, interactive zones within conferences add an element of interest and added value to attendees. A common trend is photo capture area, whether the backdrop is a branded step and repeat wall or attendees get a photo with the president of their company, taking a piece of the experience with them is a great way to engage the audience and encourage them to share on social media. Other experience areas can feature new technology like at DX3 where the organizers create a „MAKER SPACE‟ – featuring software demos and 3D printing: “The Maker Space at Dx3 will showcase the relevance of this movement to brands, agencies and retailers, helping them make sense of how maker techniques should be applied to their respective businesses. From design to rapid prototyping all will be on display at The Maker Space on the Dx3 Show Floor.” Depending on the event objectives, experience zones can be a great way to leverage sponsors and get your audience engaged when they are in-between sessions or taking a break. The experience zone can even focus attendees on a learning objective, incorporating gamification elements.

AWARDS OR CHALLENGES Many conferences are the focal point of the year for that industry so will host an awards component as well as the conference. For example, the GTEC conference hosts an annual gala to celebrate excellence in technology. Adding this feature helps to enhance the celebratory feel of the event and provides a great incentive for attendance!

DISCOVERY CONFERENCE EXAMPLE: Young Entrepreneur – Make Your Pitch competition engages with local high school students to pitch new ideas via a 2-minute video submission. SOURCE: http://www.ocediscovery.com/news/2014/05/13/young-entrepreneurs-make-your-pitch-competition-winners-announced

ONSITE MATERIALS Many conferences are moving away from printed material in favour of mobile apps and online schedules or use QR codes on printed material to access further information online. The environmentally conscious message to organizers is to only print what is necessary and relevant. The cleaner the format - the more likely the participants will actually use it. As well, consider using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper when printing is necessary and have recycling bins available as attendees exit. Some stand-alone online options for conference materials include online publishing software and apps such as Issuu http://issuu.com/ or Lucidpress – www.lucidpress.com.

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Conference „Shwag‟ has also evolved to gifts that are more connected back to either the brand identity, the conference theme or feature a lifestyle brand that would be appealing to that audience. Examples would be Herschel‟s bags for an executive event or Beats headphones for a youth summit. The „shwag‟ also is often in the form of a gift or experience - a massage, free coffee or smoothie. Whatever the gift is for attendees is, it is important to consider how you can leverage the investment to support the conference objectives, like encouraging networking or driving attendance to the trade show floor.

AV Investing in audio-visual can have a big impact on the overall look and feel of an event or conference. Whether it is simple lighting and staging or an over-the top gala, consider how lighting, music and staging can help create the right atmosphere for the audience. Overall AV vendors are seeing more and more use of video in conference content, with the objective of delivering key conference messaging in an engaging format, building excitement, showcasing success stories and products, and bringing messages from leadership teams to the audience. This content is requiring their industry to create new ways of displaying content spurring an increase in the use of wide-screen formats – up to hundreds of feet long and the use of multiple content feeds to create dynamic screen content. As well, there has been a huge decrease in set-building or budget spend, where clients are preferring to invest in video production to deliver more of their content, branding and thematic. 3D projection can take this to the next level, making any surface a video display, like a building or wall.

“Buildings can be made to look like they are crumbling, or the interior walls of a ballroom can be transformed into a realistic-looking tropical rainforest.” – Mitra Sorrells, BizBash.com

SOURCE: http://www.bizbash.com/3d_projection_mapping_how_to_turn_any_surface_into_a_dynamic_video_dis

play/new-york/story/22705/#.VQreXVyR_0c

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IMAGE: http://blog.svconline.com/briefingroom/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/EMC-Pano_LRG.jpg

Vendors:

Freeman AV - www.freemanav-ca.com/

Proshow - http://www.proshow.com

Go2Productions - www.go2productions.com/

Brandlive - brand.LIVE

LIVE-STREAMING Live-streaming an event or conference keynote has become very popular, especially with large brand events, but can be equally as effective at smaller events. It can increase the potential reach of conferences, and can add value to the event by engaging the online audience in Q&A`s and polls. The key to success is to ensure that the hybrid experience is authentic and that the online audience is engaged throughout. Speakers should all be briefed to include welcomes to the online audience, ensure that they are providing clear communication of thoughts and ideas that can translate to an online audience and take questions from them during the presentation.

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WIFI It almost goes without saying that wireless for ALL is a standard now for conferences, not a nice-to-have. The addition of touch-down stations, charging stations and device bars are further ways to get your attendees online throughout the event and engaging with your content.

EXAMPLES

WWDC – Apple is well known for their use of live streaming keynotes, which are viewed all over the world. They are a true EVENT for Apple lovers and the online audience receives a rich experience of the content, including demos and video content. https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/events/ SAP AG’s Sapphire NOW – After experimenting with a virtual component at its 2009 customer and partner conference in Orlando, German software company SAP AG rolled out a fully integrated hybrid platform for the May 2010 run. The new meeting, dubbed Sapphire Now, mixed simultaneous gatherings in Florida and Frankfurt, Germany, with an extensive Web-based environment and resulted in record attendance levels. SAP estimates that the 2010 conference drew a total of 50,000 attendees (up from 18,000 the previous year), with 10,500 and 5,000 in Orlando and Frankfurt, respectively, and 35,000 online.

The centerpiece of the format was the construction of two high-definition broadcast centers on the show floors of both locations. Staffed with experienced news anchors, the studios provided interviews with keynotes, augmenting the session talks. Virtual attendees also could pose questions during a session via a facilitator, as well as participate in informal discussion rooms through the use of sound and video. And to incorporate the wider conversation, social media was built into the Web interface, linking Sapphire Now‟s Twitter feed, LinkedIn group, and Facebook page.

Those physically present at the conference could also connect to the online forums using touch-screen kiosks or access updates and tag content on their phones via a mobile platform. SOURCES: http://www.bizbash.com/14_most_innovative_meetings_tips_from_ted_oracle_cisco_i_b_m_blogworld_more/new-york/story/20285/#.VP8X_UKR_zL;http://www.bizbash.com/most-innovative-meetings-2014-3-sapphire-now/new-york/story/29687#.VP8-yEKR_0c

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AGENDA PLANNING Conferences are starting to evolve from the traditional lecture format in favour of more engaging and interactive formats. Instead of a traditional single or multi-track events with content presented by a single presenter or panel, the options are endless for exploring new ways to deliver information.

INTERACTIVE LEARNING We want your audience to get more value from their experience. We want to promote interactivity because active learners retain more information and will apply more of what they learn to their jobs, ultimately meeting the goals and objectives of the conference event.

For an effective conference to be called “innovative” by the participants who attend, it will likely have these characteristics:

It will be designed to address issues that have meaning

and are truly important to the participants The conference will engage people emotionally and

intellectually The results of the conference will create something of

value It will transcend a traditional meeting outcome to make

the participant feel like they have experienced something special

SOURCE: Bernacki, E. (n.d.). Bridging the Gap: Linking conference results to the work place. In Seven

rules for designing more innovative conferences. Ottawa, Ontario: The Idea Factory.

We also want to create (more) informal learning opportunities where people participate in experiential learning environments such as working in teams, peer-to-peer communication, exploration, and hands-on learning. In a study published by Education Development Center, “70% of what people need to know comes from experiential learning, about 20% is self-directed learning; if you need to know something, you look it up. For the final 10%, it‟s classroom-style learning” (Center for Workplace Development, Education Development Center Inc., 1998). We shouldn‟t leave experiential learning to chance at the conference event 2 via coffee breaks, luncheons, or social hours. Instead we have an opportunity to design and create contests, challenges, or online quizzes, complete with goals and objectives, which your attendees will want to participate in because they are fun and relevant to the content. They will leave better prepared to implement the new ideas they‟ve been exposed to and happy that they spent the time at your event and looking forward to next year. SOURCE: Center for Workplace Development, Education Development Center Inc. (1998). The Teaching Firm: Where Productive Work and Learning Converge

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TRADITIONAL &

NON-

TRADITIONAL

PRESENTATION

/PANEL

FORMATS

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THE UN-CONFERENCE The concept is fairly simple: at an unconference, no topics have been predetermined, no keynote speakers have been invited, no panels have been arranged. Instead, the event lives and dies by the participation of its attendees. They decide what topics will be discussed and they convene the individual breakout sessions. In other words, an unconference has no agenda until the participants create it. There are only two rules at an unconference, Kauffman says, “Nobody is giving a presentation – unconferences are all about conversations; If a session doesn‟t inspire attendees and they are not contributing, they should get up and find a different one. (It‟s called the Law of Two Feet)” SOUCE: http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabagley/2014/08/18/how-unconferences-unleash-innovative-ideas/

EXAMPLE MassTLC Unconference “Improvised and Interactive Sessions: It‟s a day full of user-generated content. If you have an idea for a session, pitch it. There are more than 50 sessions, if you don‟t like one, find another you like better. Sounds totally crazy, right? But it really works!” SOURCE: http://masstlcuncon.org

TAKE A STAND/AGREE OR DISAGREE Panelists submit potential topics beforehand, and at the event each panelist is handed a list of 20 numbered questions/statements. After very brief introductions, each panelist is asked to pick any question and then Agree or Disagree and explain why. The audience can also pipe up and add their opinion or ask further questions on the topic. It creates a fun and engaging format that doesn‟t feel rehearsed.

CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER These 75-minute sessions begin like a traditional lecture, with a content leader (or leaders) on stage presenting an idea to an audience seated at round tables. But after 15 or 20 minutes, the lecture stops and a room-wide discussion begins. For the next hour or so, the presenter becomes a facilitator, volleying comments and questions around the room and letting the audience steer the session

IGNITE LEARNING SESSIONS These sessions feature multiple speakers presenting at a rapidfire pace, creating a highly entertaining and sometimes frenzied atmosphere. Each speaker prepares 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, forcing him or her to create a choreographed presentation that is short and concise. If they start lagging on a point and the slides advance without them, they are forced to make up for lost time, often resulting in candid moments of good-natured anxiety. Speakers are encouraged to use their slides as illustrations, rather than crutches, and presentations tend to lean toward personal moments of enlightenment that may or may not directly relate to specific workplace issues. http://igniteshow.com/howto

PECHA KUCHA This well-known phenomenon is a fast-paced, fun presentation using 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide (6:40 minutes total).

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THE WORLD CAFÉ This format is designed to tackle one major issue that affects an entire industry. The process begins with a brief introduction and leading question about the problem and then attendees, seated at tables of four to encourage an informal café-style meeting, were asked to discuss the topic for 20 minutes. Once time was up, three participants from each table moved to a different table and repeated the process. One participant at each table stayed put to function as "table host" and review what concepts were discussed during the previous rounds.

THE APP ARCADE During CoreNet Global's 2012 conference in San Diego, organizers set up an App Arcade with iPads chained to love seats and couches so attendees who didn't own or bring their own tablet or other personal gizmo could still get a hands-on experience (without walking off with the gadget). "It's a basic learning principle: We learn better when we do," says Jeff Hurt. "This format allows members not only to receive information, but also to apply it on the spot." The App Arcade offered 30-minute demonstrations of relevant apps specifically related to the world of corporate real estate. For those associations where a hands-on experience might be difficult to apply within the confines of a conference center, Hurt recommends having attendees visualize going through the motions."

CHALLENGE BARS Mimicking a retail space, devices can be set-up at communal tables/bars to deliver a questionnaire or quiz to attendees in exchange for entry into a draw. This incentive will help drive home key messages and also assess retention of messaging with the audience

THE LOST LECTURES This takes audiences out of mundane corporate conference environments and transport them into secret pop up hideaways. The location has got to be interesting enough to awaken your audience‟s imagination and allow them to rejig their thinking. Examples can include derelict vacant space, a never before used space, a movie set, a mobile unit or going outdoors instead of indoors. Add to this, a surprise interactive element to one part or all of your speaker programme so that potential delegates are intrigued and announce the programme only hours before the event via social media to heighten expectation.

CAMPFIRE SESSIONS These sessions were the most interactive, set in a laid back environment, simulating the campfire storytelling time. The facilitator drove the discussion but not the content. The content was created by participating delegates in real-time. This was an excellent place to learn from peers through sharing own experiences. The interactive peer-to-peer format was also an excellent opportunity to naturally network with others.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SESSIONS Led by an executive from the vendor community, Thought Leadership sessions provide comprehensive overviews of current business concerns, offering strategies and solutions for success. This is a unique opportunity to access the perspective of a leading member of the vendor community.

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THINK TANKS These are interactive sessions that place delegates in lively discussion and debate. Sessions admit only 15-20 participants at a time to ensure an intimate environment in which delegates can engage each other and have their voices heard.

ROUNDTABLES Led by an industry analyst, expert or a member of the vendor community, roundtables are open-forum sessions with strategic guidance. Attending delegates gather to collaborate on common issues and challenges within a format that allows them to get things done.

EXECUTIVE EXCHANGES Offer one-on-one interaction between executives and vendors. This is an opportunity for both parties to make key business contacts, ask direct questions and get the answers they need. Session content is prearranged and based on mutual interest.

FOCUS GROUPS This allows executives to discuss business drivers within particular industry areas. These sessions allow attendees to isolate specific issues and work through them. Presentations last 15-20 minutes and are followed by Q&A sessions.

PITCHES/CONTESTS Another exciting option for session content is to highlight young entrepreneurs and give them a chance to pitch their idea to the audience or to a group of influencers.

EXAMPLE: Interzone kicks off with an exciting panel from AURO, Midokura, and Intel, where the top five emerging tech company finalists from Vancouver and Edmonton will compete for two winning chances to pitch to Steve Wozniak, Robert Herjavek, Bruce Croxon, and other IT leaders at Interzone.

SOURCES: http://blog.sli.do/5-creative-ideas-for-conference-sessions/; http://www.meetings-conventions.com/News/Features/Creative-Conference-Formats/?p=4; http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2010/07/during-the-meeting-how-to-deliver-content-that-engages/; http://www.ciosummit.ca/agenda.php

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CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

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In conclusion, conferences have a great opportunity to innovate and excite their audiences. By incorporating some of the ideas presented, we believe that attendees will take more value from the event and that you will be able to measure a higher rate of success.

Some of the key areas that we would recommend investment of time and resources are:

Event website – whether hosted on the company domain or stand-alone, it is recommended that this site use conference website best practices with features like scheduling, speaker profiles and social media integration.

Registration - Investing in a streamlined online (integrated with a mobile app) and onsite registration process with barcodes and onsite badge printing will add a high-tech experience element to the event, while speeding up the processing time for guests.

Mobile app – We recommend investing in a custom mobile app as a way to showcase innovation that adds value to the audience experience. Functionality would allow the planning team to manage your speaker and scheduling from one place and provide the option for attendees to build their own schedule. There are also some exciting gamification and registration features that can be integrated into the audience experience. We believe that releasing the app in advance of the event will give attendees an opportunity to connect with each other and the content pre-event, helping them to be more prepared and engaged onsite at the event.

Onsite Gamification and Social media lounge – To compliment the mobile app, we would suggest adding a social media lounge, device bar and concierge staff to assist attendees in using the mobile app, provide tablets for anyone who does not have a device and offer support. As well, screens in the lounge could feature live content from the conference, twitter feeds and photos being captured at the event. This could also support a gamification element to the event like an online quiz or scavenger hunt that attendees would need to complete that supported the key messages being delivered at the event.

Community building online hub – As an investment in a year-round conversation with employees, we recommend building an online hub for discussion and idea sharing. This could be as simple as a moderated message board or a FB Group but we would recommend a webpage hosted on the Gov domain with social media feeds built-in - that way the audience can easily share external content and ideas. Consideration would have to be given to programming throughout the year that would keep the audience engaged and active. One idea to solidify this community would be an Innovation Awards program that would run quarterly and then culminate at an annual Awards luncheon during the conference event.

Agenda Planning – From our research, there are endless ideas for presentation formats but the key is matching that to the content being delivered and finding ways, wherever possible, to bring the audience into the experience. As well, speaker selection can start by looking at community leaders (from big and small companies), but then adding unique and outside perspectives can be an excellent complement.

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Setting the stage – AV elements that we recommend include large scale screens with content modules including live camera feed of the speakers, as well as stage lighting and some investment in décor to dress the event space to fit the event theme and to give guests a unique experience.

Event elements – Lastly, there are many other elements such as printed materials, signage, catering and gifting to consider. For each, our recommendation would be to tie them back to the overall event theme and objectives while trying out some of the new ideas that we have mentioned in our report. Many of the best ideas will come from brainstorming as a planning team and collaborating with external vendors.

Keep in the know with these great resources for conference trends and best practices:

MPI - http://www.mpiweb.org

Bizbash - http://www.bizbash.com

EventManager Blog - www.eventmanagerblog.com

Pathable - https://pathable.com/blog/

Techsytalk - http://techsytalk.com

Event Marketer - http://www.eventmarketer.com

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