Tag: social media

How LinkedIn Videos Will Help B2B Events and 5 Other Stories Planners Should Read

Posted on 23rd August 201717th December 2018 by Eventsforce

In this month’s round-up of top event tech news, we look at how event planners can use LinkedIn’s new video offering, as well as an interesting piece on how technology is revolutionising B2B events. We also bring you some cool new tech tools for meetings and events, including a fun augmented-reality app and an online platform that provides individualised lunches for event attendees. Finally, we look at Snapchat’s new ‘Crowd Surf’ feature which uses ‘video-stitching’ technology to create unique multi camera-angle footage of events on mobile devices.

The Drum: LinkedIn Adds Video Support to Become More of a Social Network

This week, LinkedIn announced that it will begin the global rollout of its new video offering to users after it began experimenting with the format last month. The update means B2B event planners can now upload videos onto the network – though no live streaming support is available to date. The tool can also provide key insights into which audiences have viewed posts, including the top companies, job titles and locations of post viewers. In addition, those posting native videos on the network can get feedback on how many views, likes and comments their posts have received.

For those of you using the LinkedIn mobile app, look for the share box at the top of the feed (on iOS) or the post button (on Android) and tap on the video icon. You can then record a video in the app or upload a video you may have recorded at your event. You can also access the analytics data in the dashboard section of your LinkedIn profile to help you better understand if you’re reaching the people and companies that matter. For more information, click here.

Event MB: Crowd Surf: Snapchat’s New Weapon in Event FOMO

New reports suggest that Snapchat’s user base is set to overtake Facebook amongst younger audiences in the UK and US markets – something worth keeping in mind if your events are targeting the 12 to 24-year old age bracket. The networking giant has also launched a new feature called Crowd Surf which will helps bring the event experience to a much wider audience in a completely new way. Using AI machine learning technology, Crowd Surf can stitch together Snaps (pictures and videos captured by the app) recorded by users at an event. It does this by using the recorded audio as a guide for putting the clips in order and in sync with the audio at the event. This gives social media users worldwide the opportunity to have a multi camera-angle view of the event on their mobile devices.

Snap tested out Crowd Surf a few weeks ago at pop singer Lorde’s performance at San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival. When she played her hit “Green Light” and everyone thrusted their phones in the air, Snapchat combined the clips using Crowd Surf.

As this article from Event MB points out, the new feature is completely aimed at sharing the emotion and excitement of the moment and in that sense, it’s perfect. For events with a high-level of fan engagement, such as sports and music festivals, Crowd Surf could be a very useful tool for extending the reach of event and sponsor messaging beyond the venue to a wider social media audience. And the best thing about it is that all of the work is left in the hands of the fans and the app’s AI.

Contently: How Technology is Revolutionising B2B Events

Events can be chaotic, complicated, and expensive. Yet in B2B marketing, there’s a reason they’re still incredibly popular. In fact, a report from market research firm Demand Metric, has found that events are second only to email when it comes to the most effective B2B marketing tactics. But that doesn’t mean B2B events aren’t affected by the digital revolution. A recent study from eMarketer shows that a new events technology stack makes all those conferences more effective than ever.

This story from Contently outlines how events should be tightly integrated into the rest of the marketing technology stack. Most marketers, for example, are already using CRMs like Salesforce to track and attribute sales deals to events. But many are also not integrating their event data into any CRM at all. The article also goes on to say that marketers are beginning to track as much as they can about events, not just sales deals won and lost. For example, tracking the quality of leads generated at an event offers a much more nuanced view of how to improve future events. Integrating events into marketing automation platforms like Marketo is also becoming more common as it can speed up post-event sales touches and make them a lot more personalised.

Integrating event data with CRM and marketing systems can help organisations drive more value from their events. Find out everything you need to know about event data integration by downloading this free eBook from Event Industry News and Eventsforce: The Event Planner’s Guide to Data Integration.

BizBash: 5 Cool New Tech Tools for Meetings and Events

BizBash has put together a nice roundup of five of the newest and updated technology products for events and experiential marketing. One of the highlights include Forkable’s online platform, which offers a new option to providing individualised lunches for office meetings and events. Attendees can put in their dietary preferences, after which they receive a message with a suggested lunch from a nearby restaurant – based on the budget determined by the event planner. On the day of the event, Forkable delivers the lunches, which are labelled with the names of each attendee. Users are also asked to rate their lunches so the system becomes ‘smarter’ over time.

Other tools include Bizly, an online platform for booking and managing small meetings and events with an AI-powered messaging centre and Skyrite – an augmented-reality app that allows users to upload content such as words, drawing, photos and logos in the sky above an event location. The app is free for content creators and viewers, but also offers a fee-based model for brands that want a more customised interface or if they want to ‘rent’ an entire zone.

EventPlanner: How to Learn More about Your Attendees Preferences and Needs

We all know how essential it is to have access to information about attendees’ demographics, preferences and needs in segmenting audiences and delivering personalised event experiences. Yet you can’t just run an app and miraculously find out what your attendees wants from your next event. What you need to do, as suggested by this article from Event Planner, is to analyse information from different data sources, including social media, surveys, interviews, registration forms and more. Check out what your industry influencers are worried about, for example, along with their followers’ opinions or reactions. This will help you make a comprehensive list of hot topics, reactions and interests – as well as a list of important influencers which you can invite to your event. Use survey tools to ask your past attendees what they would like to learn at your next event – and make sure to ask that question within registration forms too.

Read: 10 Effective Data Collection Tools for Events

Digital TV Europe: New Event Video Streaming Technology Tested at Edinburgh Fringe

This month’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe saw the first live tests of a new technology that enables live, high-quality, large-scale event video streaming over a WiFi network. The Bx-WiFi system allows simultaneous streaming of uninterrupted audio or video content from multiple sources – such as satellite feed, ‘live’ video or digital radio – to thousands of smartphone or tablet devices all located in the same hotspot (for example at an event). According to this article, it uses Forward Error Correction to maintain video quality despite potential Wi-Fi loss, as well as multicast technology that minimises bandwidth usage when a large number of users are streaming simultaneously. A certainly interesting development that will probably redefine video broadcast for large-scale events in the future.

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5 Ways You Could Use Virtual and Augmented Reality at Events

Posted on 24th November 201625th January 2019 by Eventsforce

Virtual and augmented reality are two of the hottest trends in event tech for 2017. In fact, with the launch of more accessible and affordable devices from the likes of Google, Samsung, Sony, Oculus, HTC and Microsoft in recent months, altered realities have become one of the most fast paced emerging technologies in our industry today.

We’ve seen some incredible applications of demos, videos and experiences that help brands differentiate themselves at exhibitions and conference-style events. At the recent Event Tech Live show in London, the exhibitors that offered interactive experiences were the ones that attracted the most people to their booths – from Noonah’s virtual mirror to a robot on the Festyvent stand that interacted with delegates and even sang songs. In the same way, virtual and augmented reality technologies are helping brands stand out and bring something a little different to the event experience.

Here are five great examples of how virtual and augmented reality have been used to attract crowds and create unique experiences at events:

Coachella Music Festival Virtual Reality App

US music festival Coachella recognized the growing appeal of VR this year by launching a new app and shipping Google Cardboard headsets to attendees alongside their tickets. Debuting ahead of the event, the Coachella VR app was designed to let Cardboard VR, Gear VR, Oculus and Vive owners browse through 360 degree photos from previous festivals and watch interviews from this year’s line-up of artists. 3D virtual tours of the festival grounds let fans familiarize themselves with the layout before they even left the house.[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id="2"]

AHS Fearless Virtual Reality Experience at San Diego Comic-Con

The annual comic book convention in southern California attracts more than 130,000 people each year with hundreds of media companies competing for the attention of fans. This year’s Comic-Con saw many exhibitors turning to VR to promote their movies and TV shows. One experience that particularly stood out was FX Network’s VR journey inspired by American Horror Story (AHS). A purpose-built dome was created outside the convention center where a psychological immersive experience took participants into the AHS universe.

Upon entering the dome, attendees were met by hosts in white lab coats while calming music played overhead. A series of ‘beds’ were positioned in a pentagon where they were asked to lie down, a sheet placed over them then a HTC Vive headset and headphones were fitted. The experience exploited common phobias such as clowns, vertigo and claustrophobia, and introduced the frightening characters and locations from across the multiple AHS series in a 5-minute video.

By adding group psychology tactics to cutting edge VR technology and some classic theatre trickery, FX was able to create a more intimate experience. Blurring the lines between reality and fiction resulted in a truly memorable experience for participants with some hardened horror enthusiasts describing it as “absolutely terrifying”. [tribulant_slideshow gallery_id="1"]

Cambridge Yourself Augmented Reality Booth by Noonah Experiential

Noonah Experential partnered with Cambridge University Press to create a fun experience that promoted the publishing business as a digital provider and not just print. Using an AR photo booth, delegates at the event used gestures to take their own photo and appear inside Cambridge University (with real-time video content) without the need for a green screen.

Noonah constructed a triangular structure that would fit onto the corner of the stand with additional viewing monitor to attract other passing delegates. Each visitor to the stand could choose to punt down the river in Cambridge or visit Kings College with each delegate receiving a printed copy of their photo inside a branded photo wallet.

The Cambridge Yourself photo both resulted in more delegates being drawn to the stand as well as increased data collection. Users were impressed by the digital technology allowing the conversation to link seamlessly into Cambridge University Press’ digital products. Noonah also plans to add social sharing to the AR Photo Booth’s features.

Radiant Event Technology’s Virtuacast Augmented Reality Experience

Radiant Event Technology’s Virtuacast was runner-up for the Best Augmented / Virtual Reality Technology Award at the Event Tech Awards. The company has been working with NBA Properties to bring its Virtuacast technology to fans, giving them the opportunity to interact with virtual versions of some of basketball’s biggest stars.

Using pre-recorded video and photo content, Virtuacast marries digital with live interactions in augmented reality. The technology creates the illusion of life size holograms that attendees can see and interact with, then share the resulting video or photo online or via social media. The system consists of a special mat that is set on the floor and an accompanying mobile app. The hologram appears wherever the mat is placed in view of a mobile device’s camera.

As the Virtuacast system just consists of the mat and an app, being a flexible, mobile and lightweight set-up is an ideal tool for consumer engagement at all types of events.

Boursin Sensorium VR Experience by Because Experiential Marketing

Another runner-up for the Best Augmented / Virtual Reality Technology Award at the Event Tech Awards. French cheese brand Boursin wanted to reach a wider, younger audience, and do something unexpected for a brand in a category filled with ‘me-too’ sales promotions. It teamed up with Because Experiential Marketing to create The Boursin Sensorium which toured key food events, combining a VR experience with live sensory engagement to immerse consumers in different flavors.

Using Oculus Rift headsets, consumers were taken inside virtual fridges to experience the best ingredients up close, while tasting various Boursin samples. Personalized videos of their experience were emailed to participants to share on social networks. The campaign resulted in an increased social reach of 5 million, 80k+ video views and 4,800 VR experiences.

To read more about what’s hot from Event Tech Live, see 6 Technology Trends from Experts at Europe’s Largest Event Tech Show. You can also watch our video on data integration from ETL at Event Tech Live 2016 – Do More With Your Event Data.

Event Spotlight: Women into Leadership Conferences

Posted on 2nd November 201617th December 2018 by Eventsforce

The annual series of Women into Leadership conferences has established itself as the main go-to event for people interested in seeing more leadership opportunities for women. The 2016 events were held in London, Leeds and Edinburgh, featuring over 50 speakers and more than 1,000 attendees.

EventTech Talk spoke to Claire Walmsley, Senior Content Manager at Dods – organizers of the event – about her experience of working on Women into Leadership as well as getting some insight into what it takes to be successful in event management.

How far in advance do you usually start planning and booking guests? Do you already have dates scheduled for next year?

Women into Leadership is a year-round project that not only covers multiple venues but also numerous sessions within each one that require extensive planning and advertising. As soon as one event finishes, we will move straight onto revamping the agenda for the following year. The conference agenda is shaped by the suggestions offered from our planning group so it’s essential to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

We already have the dates for 2017 and have added Cardiff to the list. So we’ll have four events next year, spanning across March, May, September and October. This means we have even more pressure on us to be organized and focus on every detail.

What would you say was the biggest challenge of planning the Women into Leadership events? How do you prepare for a crisis scenario?

There are lots of very high profile speakers at these events, and they really make the events what they are. The biggest challenge is therefore getting the dates in their diaries as early as possible, and keeping them there! It’s crucial we are as flexible as possible with the agenda for as long as possible, as our senior speakers have competing commitments making their way into their diaries all the time. In terms of crisis management, we always expect some last-minute speaker cancellations so we always make sure we have people who could step in at short notice.

Has anything gone wrong at one of the Women into Leadership events that required a quick response and how was it handled? For example, issues with the venue, tech problems, etc.

Yes – when we arrived on site for Women into Leadership Leeds last month, a miscommunication in our operations team led to no AV being ordered for the event. This meant that, in a room with over 150 delegates, there was no PA system, no microphones, nothing. Luckily, we were able to work with our venue contact to get a hand-held microphone straight away, while the in-house AV team worked on getting a more substantial system (lectern, microphone, panel table microphones, etc.) up and running. By the time our first speaker took to the stage, we were all set-up and ready to go, but it was extremely tight! We almost had to go into that first session with one hand-held microphone between the chairperson, keynote speaker and audience!

How big is the team involved in the planning and execution of the conferences? Do you work on multiple events at once? What project management tools do you use to ensure everyone is up-to-date with each stage of the process?

I work on Women into Leadership year round with support from various teams around the company, including sales and marketing. I have support in terms of agenda and speaker ideas from the FDA [the union for senior public servants and professionals], our event partner, and also a wonderful planning group of civil servants who contribute lots of great ideas for content. I also have my lovely colleagues to call on in particularly busy periods and a brilliant team of Dods staff with me on the day to ensure on-site execution is top notch.

How do you evaluate the success of your events?

The most immediate feedback comes from social media. Our delegates are really active on Twitter and we can always tell straight away how well particular speakers are going down [see @WiLeadership_UK]. We also have a more formal feedback form process, which I write up into an evaluation report and take with me to the subsequent planning meeting. This provides the basis for the next event.

How does the Eventsforce software benefit your events?

All of our delegates register via Eventsforce, so it’s an essential component of the events. We can tailor the sign-up process to our particular events and delegates always feedback that they find the system to be simple and straight forward – exactly what we need with this volume of delegates!

What do you see as the most important trend in the events industry today?

From a Women into Leadership perspective, speaker line-ups are definitely becoming more diverse and event managers are very aware that they are being judged on the diversity of their speakers – it’s very important. Gone are the days when an all-male panel was acceptable – our audience want to hear from a diverse range of people, which reflects the society we live in!

Which mobile app or social media platform couldn’t you live without?

Twitter!

Is there any advice that you would give to someone considering a career in event management?

Know your industry. Delegates are attracted to events which show a deep understanding and passion for the topic area. Get on Twitter and sign-up to news bulletins, follow all the relevant organizations/groups/individuals who regularly comment on your industry and keep up-to-date. Knowledge is power, and this could not be more true than when working in events – your agendas really need to reflect the most up-to-date policies and ideas to stand out from the crowd.

Do you have any anecdotes about any of the events? Or is there a special power you sometimes wish you had when planning/managing them?

I often think about Bernard’s Watch (anyone who grew up with kids’ TV in the 90s will understand the reference!) and how totally amazing it would be to have one of my own at these events. It’s basically a pocket watch which, when you press it, stops time for everyone but you. At the London event, there are six breakout sessions running at the same time and I am running all across the venue just to pop my head into a room and check all the speakers are there and the session is ready to start. I really do need to be in six places at once during these times of the day. If only I had Bernard’s Watch, I could actually do it!

Images © Women into Leadership

3 Things Event Planners Can Learn From The Paralympics

Posted on 4th October 201617th December 2018 by Eventsforce

After 11 days of competition across more than 20 sport disciplines, the Paralympics games came to an end this month with a celebration of 500 medal-winning athletes. Despite all the controversy around poor ticket sales (only 12% of tickets were reportedly sold just three weeks prior to the games), organisers still managed to sell more than 64% of the 2.5 million tickets as the curtains rose on the night of the opening ceremony. The success, of course, was not just limited to the stands. The class of 2016 ran faster, jumped higher and finished stronger than a lot of their predecessors in both London and Beijing.

So what can event planners learn from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games?

1. Help Your Audiences Understand

While the BBC is a veteran of sports broadcasting around the world, Channel 4 is still in its infancy. However, following the channel’s success in covering the London 2012 paralympic games, it went all out for Rio 2016. Not only did it increase live coverage, online streaming and in-depth information on athletes and events, it also introduced an upgraded version of its LEXI classification system.

LEXI was first introduced at London 2012 to help viewers understand how athletes are grouped and classified so they can compete fairly against one another. The system uses 3D animations to demonstrate the different classifications for each sport, replacing the more text-based system of 2012, with actress Julie Walters providing the voice element.

C4 Paralympic presenter Clare Balding said: “You have to make sure people understand who they’re watching, what they’re watching and why they’re watching.” And this applies to any type of event. Event planners need to ensure their audiences understand what is going on. Never assume that the content of your event is simple and self-explanatory. You should perhaps consider providing alternative sources of information, including video streaming, handouts or a resource section on your event app.

2. Ensure Your Tech Is Up To The Job

On the first Saturday of the Paralympics, 167,000 fans packed into Rio’s Olympic Park – 10,000 more than on any day during the Olympics. Coping with the connectivity needs of this many spectators is one thing – let alone all the teams, athletes and partners who will be streaming, tweeting, blogging, vlogging and posting the odd selfie at the event. While Twitter, Facebook and Instagram continued to be the dominant platforms for news and engagement, we also saw the explosion of bandwidth-hungry live streaming apps via Twitter’s Periscope, Facebook Live and Snapchat Live Stories (see Snapchat continues Rio 2016 push as it partners with IPC for first global Paralympic Live Story from The Drum).

So don’t get caught short with your tech capabilities. You may not be expecting 167,000 people to attend your event but, chances are, those who do will expect good, reliable WiFi connectivity at your event.

3. Make Your Events More Accessible

Accessibility options should always be a consideration for any event planner – e.g. availability of wheelchair ramps, audio induction loops for hearing aid users, BSL interpreters, service dog facilities, etc. However, it’s also worth considering some of the innovative ways the Paralympics and broadcasters have ensured global access to everyone.

Channel 4 announced prior to the Games that this would be its most accessible Paralympics ever. The plan included subtitles available across all coverage; live audio description and signage of both opening and closing ceremonies; as well as audio described and signed editions of selected shows.

Meanwhile, the Paralympic Committee unveiled its first multi-sensory selection of medals for the event winners. Not only do all of the medals feature the words ‘Rio 2016 Paralympic Games’ written on them in Braille, but they also make a sound when shaken that tells visually impaired athletes if they are gold, silver or bronze.

Each medal has a device inside that uses tiny steel balls to make a sound when they are shaken, allowing visually impaired athletes to identify which colour they are. Bronze medals have 16 balls and make the lowest sound, silver medals have 20 balls and the golds have 28, producing the loudest noise. Such a simple introduction to include visually impaired athletes has been praised by commentators but has led some to wonder why it wasn’t thought of sooner.

If event organisers fail to consider disabled people when planning their events, they’re ignoring an important and potentially sizeable part of their audience base. Similarly, ignoring an audience that doesn’t speak your native language could also present a lost opportunity. Catering to a multilingual audience online can be one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing your events, attracting new delegates and building relationships. See Why Your Events Could Benefit from Multilingual Websites for more on how to boost your event by having an international outlook.

These key takeaways from the Rio Paralympic games are important lessons for any event, regardless of size. Having additional information via event apps and handouts are always a welcomed addition by delegates so they don’t need to scribble down notes in a hurry. Having the adequate technology infrastructure that will support your audience needs before, during and after the event is also critical. And, ensuring inclusivity for all involved will increase ROI by growing customer satisfaction and partnership opportunities while building brand loyalty and recognition.

INFOGRAPHIC: The Pros & Cons of Periscope & Facebook Live

Posted on 4th October 201617th December 2018 by Eventsforce

So it’s finally over for Meerkat. The live-streaming app that made such an impact in the meetings and events industry over the last 18 months has just been pulled off the app stores. The app was the first one to generate excitement around live-streaming as people enjoyed a new and easy way of both sharing and watching live broadcasts from events on their smartphones. But its success was short-lived when Meerkat found itself caught up in a battle with Twitter’s rival service – Periscope. And when Facebook Live was launched earlier this year, all hope was lost.

Read: 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Facebook Live at Events

Live streaming has been one of the most interesting technology trends in our industry this year and its impact is set to grow, based on the investment we’re seeing pouring in – both from vendors and event planners. It is a powerful marketing tool that allows you to instantly reach out to your audiences, as well as build and engage with new ones too. Attendees seem to be up for the game too. Many of them now are using their phones to share their experiences and stream events live on their social media networks through apps like Periscope, Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Snapchat Live Stories. YouTube will also join this list soon, as the company prepares to launch its own live-streaming option to its mobile app later on this year.

So live video is definitely here to stay. The ability to watch and interact in real-time is proving to become more and more popular and the figures prove it. According to Social Media Today, people spend 3 times longer watching a video that is live compared to one that’s pre-recorded. Last month, we ran a poll asking event planners which social live-streaming app they preferred using around their events and the two that kept topping the list were Periscope and Facebook Live. In fact, Facebook’s app has made huge inroads with public events this year – the biggest being the Rio 2016 Olympic games where an estimated 277 million unique people had 1.5 billion interactions on the platform throughout the two-week event. And according to Omnicore Agency, Periscope has almost two million active users a day. Pretty impressive stuff.

No event is too big or too small when it comes to live streaming but both Facebook and Periscope do have some different features that can be better suited for one type of event over another. Facebook Live, for example, is very easy to set up and live streams can be used for Facebook posts or ads around your event – however, it does impose a 90-minute limit to your live streams. Periscope, on the other hand, has no time limit but videos are deleted within 24 hours.

Due to the unique features of each platform, it is important to understand the benefits and nuances of each so you can use it to your success. For a top line overview of the pros and cons of both Facebook Live and Periscope, have a look at the infographic below:

Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/23/12021232/youtube-launches-live-mobile-streaming-app

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/08/22/how-facebook-live-became-big-part-rio-olympics

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/top-5-facebook-video-statistics-2016-infographic

3 Tips for Calculating Social Marketing ROI for Event Management

Posted on 6th September 201617th December 2018 by Eventsforce

Social media has become a critical tool for the successful promotion and execution of events. Justin Guinn, market researcher at software review site, Software Advice, believes that this is largely due to how social has now such a great impact on event awareness and enrolment. It also helps that most event management software options on the market offer various social tools and integrations.

Event managers are catching on to the benefits of social strategies, which explains why 40 percent of businesses are already using social media for event marketing, and 78 percent of event organizers plan to increase their use of social media in the future. But with the rise in social media usage, many event marketers are still falling short in one critical competency: calculating the ROI of their social media strategy.

According to the 2015 Gartner report How to Measure Social Marketing ROI (available for Gartner clients), only around 56 percent of social marketing leaders are calculating an ROI for their social programs. And without proof that their social campaigns are contributing to the success of their events, social marketers will have a hard time making a case for additional resources down the line.

As such, proving an ROI on social marketing should be a priority for event management teams who market on social channels. That’s why we’re listing three tips to help you calculate the ROI of a social marketing for event planning. Follow these guidelines to build buy-in for your social strategy.

1. Track Attendance Driven by Social Engagement Campaigns

There’s no one right answer for how to track event enrolment via social channels. As a general rule, you should be tracking the number of times a visitor lands on your website from a social networking site and also the number of those visitors who convert into customers or attendees.

The most popular tracking method for social traffic to your site is to include UTM tracking codes on your hyperlinks. UTM codes are enabled by Google Analytics and require some knowledge of that platform. Google Analytics training, which Google offers for free, is a good place to start if you’re a UTM/Analytics novice.

The UTM codes themselves are attached to the end of the hyperlinks you include in social posts, and they work as identifiers for Analytics to track various valuable metrics. They offer an invaluable snapshot of traffic driven by each post.

As Michael Stancil of PracticalEcommerce explains: “You may be wondering, ‘Why do I need to know clicks and conversions if the Facebook ad dashboard tells me this?’ That’s a valid question. But with the data provided to you in Facebook’s ad dashboard, you’re only scratching the surface. You won’t see how that traffic actually interacts on your site. And if you’re concerned about other metrics (as you should be) —such as time on site, number of pages viewed and bounce rate—you won’t be able to find them.”

Regardless of how you go about it, accurately tracking the traffic your social campaigns are driving is hugely important. Proper tracking enables you to see just how much traffic each social post is driving, as well as how much money that traffic is generating. Monitoring these various metrics will make it more clear what works and what doesn’t, and enable you to steer your social strategy in the best direction for your business.

2. Recognize the Importance of Engagement and Social Listening

Tracking social-driven traffic and tying it directly to revenue is one of the most tangible ROI calculations you can provide. But there is plenty of other value that engagement on social channels can provide.

One important metric is social listening. Engagement through social listening manifests itself in many ways, but most often takes the form of responding to concerns and complaints launched by customers at your social accounts.

According to an event marketing-focused social media article from The Bizzabo Blog, there was an 800 percent increase in social media complaints about businesses in the U.K. over one year. Likewise, the Guardian reported that one in four social media users in the U.K. used social platforms to voice complaints in the first three months of 2015 alone.

Of course, you never want customers to complain about your business, brand, products, events etc. But there is a silver lining here—recurring complaints can signal trends that need to be addressed.

Even a single complaint has value, in that it organically opens the door for you to engage the customer and respond to their complaint. And if you’re going to respond, be timely about it. The Bizzabo Blog states that 40 percent of customers who complain on social media expect a response within one hour.

Your engagement, whether it’s to offer a solution, recompense or even simply acknowledge the complaint, is a successful social touch point that contributes to the overall customer advocacy of your organization. In fact, Bizzabo found that when a complaint is answered by a business, it leads to a 25 percent increase in customer advocacy.

3. Leverage Social as a More Efficient Channel of Communication

The third metric for calculating the ROI of social media marketing for your events is the cost savings. Social marketing is incredibly efficient when compared to more traditional marketing channels.

Take, for example, the Kissmetrics Blog’s stat that around 77 percent of event marketers are leveraging social to engage with attendees and build hype and awareness prior to events. How else would that hype have been built, if not through social channels? Emails, phone calls, print campaigns, TV and radio advertisements? These are all lofty investments in terms of additional resources, labor hours and materials involved.

Depending on your business’s size, you could potentially operate your social campaigns and manage customer/attendee questions and complaints through those channels with one dedicated employee.

The greater operational efficiency social offers can go a long way to winning greater buy-in and approval for even more resources from those in charge. Especially if you can turn a minimal-spend social strategy into an actual profit center for your business. Even if it’s only a percentage of your total revenue, it’s coming at virtually no cost to the business.

Justin Guinn is a Market Researcher at Software Advice, a company that hosts research and reviews of event management and registration software comparisons, and software for small businesses and nonprofits. His work has been cited in dozens of notable publications, including The New York Times, Forbes, The Huffington Post and TIME Magazine. His research explores the impacts of emerging software and technologies, and he has conducted primary research with both consumers and business owners to get a full picture of technology’s role in these markets today.

Why Events Need a Crisis Communications Plan

Posted on 3rd August 201617th December 2018 by Eventsforce

Terror attacks are now a constant threat to society and consequently, security has become top of agenda for many businesses – especially for those organisations involved in running events in big city destinations. Knowing what to do at a time of crisis has never been more relevant.

As an event planner, you may already have your organisation’s own crisis management policy that you and your team have to follow. The hotels and conference facilities you use for your events will also have their own health and safety procedures that need to be adhered to. What is equally important, however, is a carefully prepared crisis communications plan around your events. Knowing whom you communicate with in a crisis, as well as how and when you do that communication can mean the difference between failure or success. And this doesn’t just apply to a terrorist incident, but to any crisis situation that has the potential to disrupt an event – from fire outbreaks and flooding to any other kind of emergency evacuation.

Getting crisis communications right is not an easy thing. There are countless stories of how organisations got it wrong – from the BP oil spill in the US to the United Airlines passenger scandal earlier this year. The ones that have done it well are usually the ones who were well prepared. So don’t leave it to chance and don’t underestimate the consequences. Think about it now and have it as an integral part of your overall event management strategy.

Have a look at these five fundamental steps for an effective crisis communications plan around your events:

1) Find Out Who Are Your Key Audiences

The first step is to think about all the different types of people you deal with at and around each of your events. In most situations, the stakeholders will include your attendees, on-site suppliers (security personnel, technology, staff, venue, catering), partners such as speakers, sponsors and exhibitors, as well as journalists and colleagues (on ground and off-site).

2) Identify Audience ‘Owners’

Once you have these stakeholder groups listed out, create your internal crisis team by assigning the relationship ‘owners’ for each of your audience groups. You need to have these dedicated points of contact – you can’t have one person managing everything if you want to be affective with your communications. Each of these relationship owners should create contact lists for their audience groups, which can include mobile numbers, email addresses and social media handles. Collate these lists from your event management systems and make sure they are regularly updated so that you have the most current information on the day of your event.

3) Identify Your Different Communications Platforms

The next thing is to determine how you will need to communicate with all your stakeholders. Quick, clear and frequent communication will be appreciated at a time of crisis. It will also protect your organisation’s reputation on how well you manage the safety of your attendees. Social (especially Twitter) are very powerful communication tools, especially given the 24-hour information cycle we currently live in. However, it is important to note that social media does not guarantee mass reach. According to MarketingLand, about 2 percent of your Twitter followers see your Tweets. Similarly, AdWeek has stated that Facebook organic page reach stands at a fairly shocking 2.6%. Having said that, social media is key to providing information and access to media and key influencers who help amplify your message. In fact, journalists are the largest, most active verified user group on Twitter.

Aside from social media, you also have your email databases which can be created using the stakeholders lists you put together. You may have an event app, which is also a great tool to push notifications and update attendees on what they need to do. You can also put up notices on your event website or screens you may have up around your venue.

4) Find the Best Platform for Each Audience

Notifications via event apps, emails and social media are usually the best option with your attendees. However, not all your stakeholders may be at your event. Some may be offline and miss the notices you’ve posted online. So think of other options too like text messages and phone calls. The management team of your organisation, for example, will probably need to be updated by phone. Communications between your on-site team members may be better through group calls or messaging on mobile apps like WhatsApp or your own company app. Bear in mind that immediately after a major incident like a terrorist attack, mobile networks may be unavailable due to excessive demand. Sit down with your management team and identify the most appropriate crisis communications channels for each of your audience categories and have contingency plans for every situation.

5) Put Together a Communications Plan

Once you’ve identified your audiences and have a good idea on how you’ll be reaching out to them, the next step is to put together a communications plan. It’s difficult trying to figure out what you’re going to say if you’re not sure what crisis you’ll be facing. However, the last time you want to worry about on the day is putting some sort of plan together and chasing all the necessary approvals. Have your crisis communications plan pre-approved and ready to go. You could have a detailed plan for each type of crisis situation or you could have a more generalised one with clear action points.

Make a list of potential crisis situations – whether that be a terror attack or a power outage – and draft the key messages you want to communicate with each of your stakeholders. Be personal, transparent and genuine and make public safety your number one priority. Explain what has happened, what actions need to be taken, what information is available and the contact details of each stakeholder ‘owner’. Include what your organisation’s stance is on the on-going situation, as well as details on when and where they should expect another update. The more information you provide, the less chance of creating an information vacuum, which often causes unnecessary panic and false speculation.

Lastly, train your team members through life-like simulations of all the different crisis scenarios outlined in your plan. Make sure they don’t talk ‘at’ your audiences at a time of crisis without listening and responding to them first as this will undermine their trust in your organisation. Conduct these exercises annually or around each event.

Are there any other steps you’d like to add to the list? We’d be happy to publish your views!

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