“Organising an event can be a lot of work for little return” is increasingly the refrain I hear from communication and marketing teams.
They take up a lot of time and resources to prepare and publicise but fail to attract commensurate audiences.
For some, there are just too many side events in competition with each other for audiences and even for speakers. This was certainly the case at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year, and at the AI summit in Paris – where I am told some events attracted as few as 15 attendees.
In Europe budgets are tight, and cuts in US funding are making international and non-governmental organisations reassess their priorities.
Some events previously considered a nice to have but not essential may now be shelved. Others, such as annual congresses, assemblies or UN World Days marking the goals of the organisation, may have to statutorily go ahead.
So how do you get more bang for your buck in these economically challenging times?
This month I was asked to give a talk in London to members of the Global Communications Development Network about the secret of engaging events.
Below are some observations/pointers from the roundtable hosted at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
• Think like a TV or radio producer when selecting your panel topic—make it timely and audience-focused. Identify key questions first, then reach out to potential speakers to assess their fit. Frame it as an initial inquiry, emphasizing that the final lineup will ensure diverse perspectives, geographies, and genders.
• Select high quality speakers well in advance. If you leave it to a few weeks beforehand you tend to get panels built around what people know about rather than what the audience wants them to talk about.
• Cast the panel to ensure different opinions and views. Many of the organizations I moderate for tell me that they want a lively “BBC style debate” but invite only people who say the same thing. The moderator at this point has no option but to play devil’s advocate.
• Have a few in-depth interviews – the so-called fireside chat – with a key speaker can be far more productive than organising a panel that as mentioned above requires a lot of editorial thought and advance planning.
• Choose a moderator who rigorously prepares. Insist that all moderators whether in-house or external hold briefing calls with the speakers.
• Entertain your audience as well as inform and educate them. Make sure your programme is varied and appeals to as many senses as possible – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
• Pick a date that doesn’t conflict with other major events in the calendar. It is unwise for example to hold an event linked to climate change at the same time as the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Climate Change Convention as audiences and relevant speakers may not be available.
In these economically challenging times, many organisations are not holding events themselves, but joining forces with others – as a way of keeping costs down and also attracting a potentially bigger audience!