{"id":4763,"date":"2015-08-23T16:32:06","date_gmt":"2015-08-23T20:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=4763"},"modified":"2015-08-23T16:32:06","modified_gmt":"2015-08-23T20:32:06","slug":"promoting-and-leveraging-meeting-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/promoting-and-leveraging-meeting-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Promoting and Leveraging Your Meeting Content"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Phil<\/a>
Phil Forte, Blue Sky Broadcast<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tight budgets and growing competition are prompting\u00a0associations to squeeze extra value out of their\u00a0conferences. Web-based libraries of digitized abstracts\u00a0and recorded sessions are dramatic value enhancers for\u00a0members. As we\u2019ll see, they yield many other benefits, too.<\/p>\n

The Evolving Event: Changing Success Metrics\u00a0from Conference Attendance to Conference\u00a0Participation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Microphone\"<\/a>
While nothing replaces the face-to-face networking value of attending an important conference or symposium, combining an on-demand library of meeting content with a well-developed social media outreach program, sparks member conversations and interactions.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An important first step in developing a plan to leverage\u00a0your meeting content is for your entire team to achieve buy-in\u00a0on the premise that your conference content has value\u00a0beyond the actual show. Once this occurs, it allows you to\u00a0create a plan to efficiently cultivate a tradition that will benefit both the live and virtual audiences. Traditionally when a\u00a0presenter is selected for a particular presentation, the audience\u00a0size is limited to the size of the meeting room. Now,\u00a0that presentation can be delivered to a significantly broader\u00a0audience.<\/p>\n

You may have heard of the term \u201cwebsite impressions,\u201d\u00a0which indicates the number of times a website ad was\u00a0viewed or delivered. Presentation \u201cimpressions\u201d can now be\u00a0expanded beyond the four walls of the meeting room and\u00a0include non-attending members as well as potential members\u00a0who find value in your content. Even though a meeting has\u00a0100 attendees in the room, that presentation can be delivered\u00a0as part of an online e-newsletter or an e-learning module. As\u00a0a result, it is possible to multiply the presentation \u201cimpressions\u201d\u00a0by a factor of 10. With the use of reporting tools and\u00a0analytics, your team can aggregate all the viewing statistics\u00a0(both live and virtual) and determine the entire participation\u00a0of the conference content rather than just the live attendance\u00a0of the conference.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, the American Institute of Architects<\/a> set out to\u00a0expand the conference participation of their event and was\u00a0highly successful. Kevin Novak, vice president of new business\u00a0development and digital strategies, saw a dramatic\u00a0increase in involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe streamed 14 general and other sessions resulting\u00a0in 2,200 onsite participants and more than\u00a017,000 virtual\u00a0participants. Our actions have resulted in the\u00a0most positive feedback from the membership\u00a0on any initiative in the recent memory of\u00a0the organization. We met our targets\u00a0for onsite attendance and as a result\u00a0of the offering experienced our\u00a0highest ever participation.\u00a0We were and continue to\u00a0be very excited with\u00a0our results and are looking forward to doing much more next\u00a0year,” he said.<\/p>\n

This initiative allowed AIA to grow its session\u2019s participation\u00a0rate by a whopping 672 percent!<\/p>\n

The American Association of Orthodontists<\/a> has become\u00a0very effective at managing its spoken word knowledge. AAO\u00a0captures sessions from their live meetings and webinar series\u00a0and has built an impressive content library that is only available\u00a0for members. This content can\u2019t be \u201cGoogled\u201d and\u00a0provides\u00a0a significant value of membership.<\/p>\n

Anita Craig, director\u00a0of education and membership explains, \u201cEducational membership\u00a0benefits have become increasingly valued by member\u00a0doctors and their orthodontic staff teams. (We) provide\u00a0continuing education through recording of conference sessions,\u00a0an online distance learning program and webinars. We\u00a0consider these products, as well as our live conferences,\u00a0as the\u00a0core of AAO\u2019s continuing education. The convenience these\u00a0products have provided added value and CEUs for our members\u00a0who increasingly take advantage of the any-time, anyplace\u00a0access. And, the non-dues revenue is a welcome addition\u00a0to the bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating a Content Lifecycle Is Not a New Idea<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a member of several associations and look forward\u00a0to participating and learning at each group\u2019s annual meeting.\u00a0However, many times I realize the show will occur during a\u00a0time or place that makes it impossible for me to attend. Many\u00a0organizations do not offer an alternative way to participate\u00a0and learn from the event. It strikes me that their message\u00a0is\u00a0\u201cyou either attend our conference in our chosen city, at our\u00a0chosen time, or you get nothing.\u201d\u00a0Other groups such as the sports industry deliver\u00a0their games via alternative means for viewers\u00a0unable to travel to the live event. Why not\u00a0association meetings?<\/p>\n

A great example\u00a0is\u00a0how Hollywood recognizes the value\u00a0of their content. They leverage the\u00a0value of their movies by delivering\u00a0their content through\u00a0a\u00a0very established life cycle\u00a0that initially delivers via a theatrical release (in a movie theater),\u00a0which requires its audience to go to a specific venue to\u00a0watch the content at a predetermined time. Not too different\u00a0from our industry. However, that\u2019s where the similarities end.\u00a0Hollywood then takes that content and delivers it through\u00a0a number of other channels such as online services (iTunes\/Netflix), pay-per-view, DVDs, premium cable, basic cable and\u00a0then \u00a0eventually network television. Theatrical (cinema) revenues\u00a0only account for about 25 percent of the total revenues\u00a0of a typical movie!<\/p>\n

Upward of 75 percent of\u00a0associations now offer some sort of\u00a0e-learning programs through their\u00a0websites, with many more planning\u00a0to offer them within the next year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your Members’ Content Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s professionals expect to be able to get access to\u00a0meeting content anywhere, anytime, via any device. Meeting\u00a0attendees are likely accustomed to getting access to most of\u00a0their information immediately through their mobile devices.\u00a0If meeting sessions are streamed live or available soon after a\u00a0session, it can help attendees get more out of their busy conference\u00a0schedules. Online access is also invaluable to members\u00a0who cannot make it to a particular conference because\u00a0of schedule conflicts.<\/p>\n

Member recruitment and retention both benefit when\u00a0your conference lifespan extends beyond the event itself.\u00a0While nothing replaces the face-to-face networking value of\u00a0attending an important conference or symposium, combining\u00a0an on-demand library of meeting content with a well-developed\u00a0social media outreach program, sparks member\u00a0conversations and interactions. These can continue long after\u00a0the conference is over, turning up the volume for the association\u00a0as a whole. Event sponsors likewise may be delighted to\u00a0pay for a presence in this virtual market space.<\/p>\n

e-Learning Statistics Show Growth!<\/strong><\/p>\n

In years past, association executives expressed concerns\u00a0about cannibalizing meeting attendance if they put meeting\u00a0content online. Quite the opposite has occurred, according\u00a0to implementers. Early adopters have discovered that live\u00a0audiences have remained steady. These associations have also\u00a0built whole new audiences that are often willing to pay for\u00a0online access.<\/p>\n

Many position their online meeting libraries as part of their\u00a0e-learning programs. According to Tagoras, 89 percent of respondents say their association offers tech-enabled or tech-enhanced learning, and 11 percent of respondents say they plan to start using tech-enabled\/enhanced learning in 2015.\u00a0These programs provide professional development\u00a0opportunities for members, who often have exclusive or lower-priced\u00a0access to them than non-members. About a third of\u00a0associations charge for all of their e-learning offerings, while\u00a0about half charge for some.<\/p>\n

\"Association<\/a>According to the Tagoras June 2014 Association Learning\u00a0and Technology Report<\/a>, it is clear that e-learning has become\u00a0critical for many associations. Here are some highlighted facts:<\/p>\n