Category: Strategy

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Getting More From Leadership Meetings

Go Team! Wait...what are we cheering for?
Go Team! Wait…what are we cheering for?

Oh Joy!  Another Leadership Meeting where we’ll discuss big ideas like STRATEGY and CULTURE and GROWTH.  We’ll have breakouts, keynotes, and maybe even paint a local school.  Then we’ll head back to our offices, slowly forget the firehouse of information until the next meeting rolls around.

There must be a better way.

Fortunately, Bob Frish and Cary Greene, partners of the Strategic Offsites Group, have penned a great article in this month’s Harvard Business Review. Packed with practical recommendations, it’s a step-by-step template for a successful Leadership Summit, specifically:

  1. Assign clear roles that have real authority.
  2. Define a clear set of objectives for the conference.
  3. Start the conversation before the event (hint: pre-event surveys).
  4. Design the event around the objectives.
  5. Engage participants before they arrive onsite (think webcasts).
  6. Pay attention to pacing and rhythm (mix up presentations, tablework, etc.)
  7. Be flexible by using real-time feedback.
  8. Go for three-way communication (stage to audience, audience to stage, peer to peer).
  9. Use high and low tech to kickstart ideas.
  10. Be deliberate about connecting attendees to each other (uber-networking).
  11. Create succinct takeaways for post-event cascade.
  12. Follow up on promises made at the meeting.
  13. Keep the conversation going.

Included in the article are: a pre- and post-event calendar, a chart of tools to solicit attendee input, and a list conference of roles and responsibilities.

While I disagree with the relegation of meeting content to a mid-level strategy or communications person, the rest of the article rings true.  Any event should be part of an overall corporate communications calendar.  Without this context, companies risk over-communicating with employees and diminishing impact.  A webcast for one initiative may overlap with the kick-off presentation of another, or employees may receive several teasers, surveys and invitations – all on the same day.

With a Leadership Conference in particular, what is being said – and how – must 1) align with the communication strategy, 2) promote the internal brand, and 3) adhere to corporate brand standards – all 3 of which are driven by senior leadership within the corporate communications department.

That being said, it’s a well-written, thought-provoking article that will help you develop a leadership summit that actually produces results.

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5 Ways to Avoid Charlie Brown Teacher Syndrome

The impatient drumming of fingers…
The swivel heads that are looking anywhere *but* the stage…
The bright lights of mobile screens that illuminate the ballroom…

These are signs that your audience has left the building – at least in spirit.

According to researcher John Medina, who penned Brain Rules, people check out around the 10-minute mark during presentations. If they haven’t actively moved on to something else, all they are hearing is the waa-waa-waa Charlie Brown speak.

Not particularly memorable.

So how do you get your audience to stay with you for your entire talk? Try these tips from Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.

1. Use Video
Most people start their presentations with video, but this is a missed opportunity. Get more mileage by embedding it within the speech.

2. Ask a Rhetorical Question
Our minds perk up when we hear an upward inflection, and when asked, immediately race to answer.

3. Tell a Story
We are hardwired for stories. And as soon as a presenter gives the setup, we tune in. Of course, if you are going to include a story, make sure it’s a good one – with a beginning, middle and end, some characters, and a challenge to overcome.

4. Do A Demonstration
There’s a reason why actions speak louder than words. The audience can listen to you go on and on about the new website, app, or process…or you could bring it to life – via a product demo or even an comedy sketch.

5. Introduce another speaker
Share the load by having another speaker present with you, either on the stage or in the audience. It can be a panel, interview, or joint presentation. We have even helped our clients do presentations from different parts of the room – for example from satellite stages – very effectively.

The most important thing to keep in mind is the importance of breaking the pattern.
(Well, that *and* having really great content!)

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You Have It In You! Unleashing Employee Potential Thru Internal Communications

This morning I listened to a fascinating HBR interview with Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, senior adviser at Egon Zehnder. He’s the author of It’s Not the How or the What but the Who and one of the top thinkers in the talent management arena. His comments on human potential sparked some ideas about how internal communications can support employee engagement.

First, a little background…

According to Fernández-Aráoz, competency is only part of the picture when it comes to identifying and managing high potential employees. But when I think about the way most success stories and awards programs are done, the emphasis is on what the individual or team has done well. Not to be too precious about it, but that’s kinda their job. They are highly competent – and most communications programs focus on this select group of high performers.

But what about the high potentials? How do we identify and encourage those individuals with the potential to be higher performers?

Fernández-Aráoz defined 5 indicators to help spot, measure and manage this potential within each employee:

  1. Fierce commitment combined with deep personal humility

As corporate communicators, we can be so focused on getting the “big story” that we forget to ask for all of the characters – the unsung heroes who made the success possible.

  • Communications Tactic: Find the “assists” – the person who made the introduction, championed the project through R&D, or just kept morale up when enthusiasm waned. At an event, solicit nominations for the best “assist” and share these names at the end of the day.
  • What it does: Gives recognition and makes people feel valued.
  1. Curiosity

The “why” behind what we do is a big motivator in business and personal life. Curious people take everything in, then ask a lot of questions in their never-ending quest to understand. They are open to experimentation, knowing that the “right” way to do something may come after trying several wrong ones.

  • Communication Tactic: Ask employees what question they saw that needed an answer, and what process they used to solve it. At an event, setup a media wall – or a WHY poster board – where people write down what they’re interested in right now.
  • What it does: Highlights your organization’s curiosity and identifies it as a component to success.
  1. Insight

We live in a complex world, and the ability to connect the dots is an essential skill.

  • Communication Tactic: Ask employees for an example where they untangled a lot of data, perspectives, or dependencies. Follow up by asking how they avoided information overload. At an event, hire improvisers to craft a scene with 10-20 audience inputs solicited via an event app. Project these onscreen and check a box each time the suggestion is used. (Low-tech – a suggestion box with slips of paper). Or give attendees a MacGyver Challenge – a box of random items with the challenge of building something the rest of the audience would value, complete with a marketing strategy.
  • What it does: Encourages using what you have to make something great. (Something we at Bricolage love!)
  1. Engagement

Having an idea is one thing. Getting people to believe in and spread the idea is another. True engagement happens when we engage the hearts and minds of the people around us.

  • Communication Tactic: For employee profiles, interview co-workers on how their colleague inspires them, with specifics on what they do or say that makes them want to work with this employee. For events, revamp awards presentations to highlight the impact this individual has on others – not just the achievement itself.
  • What it does: Strengthens corporate culture by encouraging employees to connect to each other.
  1. Resilience

Whether a deadline is pushed up a week, or a mistake is caught just before the product ships, employees who work well under pressure model the type of behavior our Black Swan world requires.

  • Communications Tactic: Ask employees what obstacles they have overcome and how they kept their focus. As a bonus, ask how they manage stress. Everyone has it, but it is our reaction to their stress that determines whether we will be overwhelmed by it. At an event, create a Problem Board with common challenges – better yet, solicit them ahead of the meeting, then crowdsource solutions either in a working session or thru audience responses.
  • What it does: Emphasizes the importance of grit.

You probably have 5 high performance stories you can rattle off the top of your head. Now imagine how it would feel to have 500 or 1000 of those stories. By aligning corporate communications to the 5 indicators, you can help realize the potential of every individual in your organization.

That’s your potential.
What will you do to unleash it?

 

 

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Think BIG! Isn’t Enough

Think BIG!
Act Now!
Be the Change!

If you’ve been to a meeting in the last 5 years, you’ve seen these themes. These are the imperative statements that are supposed to inspire your attendees to take immediate action – you know, wind them up so tight they leave scorch marks on the ballroom carpet when they leave.

Here’s the problem:

They give employees the “what” without giving them the “how.” Think a destination without a map. Oh, they’ll get there…eventually. But how much time and energy could have been saved if you’d said which route to take?

Let’s take a sales meeting where you want your team to emulate the top 5% of performers. Sure, you could do a success story video on their big deals, but unless you communicate how they accomplished those numbers, you’ll have an audience inspired to clap hands and high five, but stumped when they get back to their office and try to emulate their colleague’s success.

To really drive the message home, you need to distill the behaviors that can become practices for the other 95%.  And don’t assume people are just going to “get it” from hearing the story live or watching a video. Break those practices out of the narrative with questions like, “what are the top 3 things you do every day?” then get cut through the corporate speak – “I focus my efforts of maximizing value for my company, its shareholders and my customers” to get to those daily practices that differentiate these top performers. Maybe they spend an hour prep their days the night prior, or get ask current customers for referrals.

Bottom line: find out what they do, not just what they think.

Throughout the meeting, your content should focus on the behaviors that set the mind, not the mindset itself. Fewer pictures of things that are big and more examples of actions from people who think big.

So, the next time you’re developing a meeting theme, just remember:

Perspective (theme) + Performance (By doing these 3 things) = Inspiration your audience can put into daily Practice. 

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The 4 P’s of Compelling Stories

If you studied creative writing, communications or any other major where people ask if you plan to teach when you graduate, then you already know what makes a good story:

something happens to someone for some reason.

But in the business world, the elements of good storytelling aren’t as widely known as say SWOT analysis. So our job as communicators is to bring clarity through process.

Enter the 4 P’s.

  • 1. People – Who are the main characters and what makes them unique? If it’s Sandra from accounting and Tom from corporate services, what details make them people and not placeholders?
  • 2. Place – Where did this happen? Getting specific not only paints a more interesting picture, but also provides an opportunity to highlight other players (e.g. Sandra, out of the Tuscon office)
  • 3. Problem – What challenge was the main character trying to overcome? Every story must have a reason for being told. This is the emotional hook that gets your listeners invested in the journey and its outcome.
  • 4. Props – What processes or desired behaviors did the main character use to solve the problem? If it’s a new internal system, a mindset, or maybe just the values that guide the company, give these elements a place in your story to show how they shaped the outcome.

Whether it’s aligning a success story with the company’s core values or making an executive’s opening remarks more compelling, using the 4 P’s has helped us shape our clients’ stories – making them more engaging and effective.

The 4 P’s wield some powerful mojo, so use them wisely.

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6 Steps to Sell Your Big Idea

The biggest challenge in corporate communications is coming up with new ideas.
The second biggest challenge is selling them to internal stakeholders.

Too often we’ll settle for the status quo because it’s easier and safer than stepping out into the unknown. This hesitancy comes from fear. But great ideas are a precursor to growth. They demand to be heard – or they’ll just keeping nagging at your subconscious until you give them an outlet. Instead of driving yourself crazy with “what if” scenarios, use these 6 tactics inspired by an ex-BP employee on how to change the system from within.

1. Make the Business Case – Why?
Ideas without a strategic anchor are great for your ego – not so great getting buy-in. By stating upfront the business issue your idea addresses, you immediately get past the knee-jerk reactions of “we’ve never done anything like this” or “well, that will never work with this group.” In the back of their mind, your stakeholders are already thinking about ROI, so meet them where they are by stating the return upfront.

2. Show the Practical Application – How?
Demonstrate the thoroughness of your thinking by sharing how you would implement the idea. This does not need to be an in-the-weeds discussion, but rather an overview of tactics – a very simple project plan with tasks, timeline and resources.

3. Anticipate the Objections – Why Not?
Right about now, the naysayers will have a litany of objections to your plan – the timeline is too aggressive, the company doesn’t have the resources…That’s ok. Fortunately, you’ve done your homework and already know how to respond to these issues. Rather than be defensive, show that you take their concerns seriously. “That’s an excellent point, and one that I considered when developing this plan, which is why I recommend X.” Then ask if the recommendation is clear. You may not have answers to all of their objections, but this open the door for a great dialogue.

4. Build Support – Who Else?
Before your presentation, seek out individuals that can support your idea. The benefits are twofold. First, these people will be your tire-kickers to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Second, you can leverage this support in your presentation, showing that a number of people share your perspective. Remember, there is strength in numbers and comfort in consensus.

5. Describe the Expected Outcome – What If?
Your approach has been very practical up until this point – engaging their minds. Now is the time to shift to some blue-sky thinking and engage their hearts. In this stage, you’re asking your stakeholders to imagine a better world – one filled with unicorn and rainbows – well, your company’s version of it. In this cause-and-effect discussion, you link your tactics from step 2 to the expected results – for example, a changed behavior or a cost-saving. It may not be the key to world peace…but it’s a start.

6. Know When to Save the Idea – Well, OK.
As any poker player – or 70’s song aficionado knows – You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away…

Sometimes the timing just isn’t right, and despite your best efforts, your idea simply won’t find traction. Ideas before their time can come across as visionary…and delusional. If after you’ve laid out the master plan, the power that be still don’t see the value of your brilliance, it’s time to preserve your sanity – and their patience – by saving it for another day. You may present a variation of it in a few months, incorporating the suggestions you heard during your presentation. Or you may need to wait for a fresh set of stakeholders. Either way, the idea isn’t dead – just placed in suspended animation.

And don’t worry – you’ll have plenty more.

Ideas without support are just pipe dreams. How do you get the support needed to bring yours closer to fruition?

Make a plan.
Take a stand.
And pave the great ideas yet to come.

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Efficient Brainstorming – The Marathon Schedule

Maybe you need a new theme. Or a new set of activities to better engage your attendees. You could try to develop fresh ideas on your own – just you, your squish ball, and your blank whiteboard. But you risk coming up with a mere variation on a theme, versus an entirely new approach.

An efficient brainstorm lets you bounce ideas off of your colleagues, and kick the tires of each suggestion. They can be a challenge to schedule, but with the right structure, can be easy to manage. By following the sample brainstorm schedule at the end of the post, you and your team will walk out with a sense of accomplishment and clear next steps.

The Process:

Distribute agenda and team assignments in advance
Set expectations early and keep your brainstorm session focused on deliverables – not logistics – by distributing this information ahead of time. And write it on the board as your framework for the day to keep you and your team on track.

Designate a Scribe
The facilitator is not the scribe. Writing while talking is a skill – and if you aren’t that good at it, best to delegate this function to someone else. These notes should be in an outline format and follow the agenda.

Schedule 90-minute chunks
The next time you’re in a meeting, check your watch at the 90-minute mark and note the energy level in the room. It’s probably flagging. The average person’s attention span is 90 minutes – often shorter if they aren’t engaged in the discussion. While it’s tempting to keep pushing ahead, you’ll get more out of your team if you take a break.

Choose 4 Topics to Discuss
Each 90-minute section should focus on 1 area. For a day-long session, you’ll have time for 4 topics to cover. For example:

• Theme
• General Session
• Audience Participation
• Pre- and Post-Communications

You topics may vary, but stick to 4 and let your team known ahead of time what they are. It’ll let their subconscious start thinking about it before they set foot in the meeting.

Work in 30-minute Increments
Break each 90-minute section into 30-minute segments.

In the first 30 minutes, identify the issue and briefly provide any background information. For the remaining time in this first section, you and your team can engage in blue sky thinking. Allow enough discussion for each idea before moving to the next.

In the next 30 minutes, review your ideas and identify any potential challenges. This is the time to prune the ideas that lack traction with the group.

In the final 30 minutes, resolve any outstanding issues and rank your ideas for presentation to the group later, including identification of any problems and your group’s solutions to these. If you need more information before reaching a decision, flag the idea for follow-up.

Schedule 15-minute breaks
Write these times on the board and stick to them. This gives your participants windows to schedule phone calls and check emails.

Take 1 hour for lunch
The brain needs food to function. Rather than scheduling a “working” lunch, which is often more lunching than working, take the full time to break. This not only gives the mind a rest, but also allows it reset for the afternoon sessions.

Plan Next Steps
Once everyone has completed the report outs, summarize plans for next steps. If there are outstanding issues, task a team member to get the information and report back to the group at the next meeting. Schedule this follow-up meeting no later than 2 weeks from your initial brainstorm.

Sample Schedule

8:30 – 8:45 Intro
• Objectives
• Format
• Schedule

8:45 – 10:15 Topic #1
• 30-minutes – Blue Sky
• 30-minutes – Nuts and Bolts
• 30-minutes – Summary

10:15 – 10:30 Break
• Snacks

10:30 – 12:00 Topic #2
• 30-minutes – Blue Sky
• 30-minutes – Nuts and Bolts
• 30-minutes – Summary

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 Topic #3
• 30-minutes – Blue Sky
• 30-minutes – Nuts and Bolts
• 30-minutes – Summary

2:30 – 2:45 Break
• Snacks

2:45 – 4:00 Topic #4
• 30-minutes – Blue Sky
• 30-minutes – Nuts and Bolts
• 30-minutes – Summary

4:00 – 4:15 Break

4:15 – 4:30 Group Report Outs

4:30 – 4:45 Summary and Next Steps

Conclusion

Scheduling a daylong idea cramming sessions are exhausting – no question about it. But they are an extremely efficient way to gather and integrate many perspectives. Avoid the creative, but chaotic free-for-all by creating a schedule and sticking to it.

Your colleagues – and their brains – will thank you for it.

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How to Incorporate External Perspectives

Talking to yourself in the mirror can feel incredibly validating…and redundant. After all, you already know what you’re going to say, so the conversation can only go so far.  The same thing happens when you have the same internal speakers present at your meetings, which is why it’s important to incorporate external perspectives.

Think of these people in the following 3 categories:

People You Serve

These are people your audience interacts with on a regular basis. In this age of customer service, hearing directly from this group can be a valuable experience. You can incorporate these presenters in several ways, depending on the speaker’s content, style and schedule.

Presentation – Invite a customer to give a presentation that supports your meeting’s theme. You’ll want to work closely with them to shape a story with all of the key narrative elements – characters (hopefully ones in your audience), a plot, a turning point (moment of suspense) and a resolution. If they are open to it, also schedule a moderated Q&A following the presentation for some valuable audience interaction. And don’t be shy about planting questions ahead of time to get the ball rolling.

Interview – When a potential speaker has valuable content, but is concerned about presenting, having someone from your executive team conduct an interview can be a possible tactic. The same amount of preparation is still important, but the performance anxiety that can sabotage even the best talking points, is reduced. And now framed as a conversation, the content is often more free-flowing.

Panel Discussion – Sometimes having a number of perspectives on one topic, or different chapters of a single story is more appropriate. This approach also alleviates the pressure on single presenter, particularly if you are concerned about their presentation style. The panel should have a moderator, who can not only provide a framework the discussion, but also be mindful of focus and timing for each panel member.

Video – Sometime, the logistic gods just aren’t on your side. Or a speaker is simply not comfortable onstage. Using video can not only get the story across, but can also provide a richer experience with the inclusion of b-roll and interviews to give a complete picture. If the story is particularly long or complex, consider using it as a 3-part runner throughout the meeting by diving it at key turning points or cliffhangers to keep the audience hooked.

People You Pay

If there is a book that your company or audience is reading – or should be reading – invite the speaker to deliver a keynote. By giving your attendees access to this level of expertise, you immediately add value to their investment- be it in time, attention, or money. Moreover, you shortcut their learning curve because these keynotes usually hit the highlights just hard enough to provide insight, yet are enticing enough to encourage people to learn more. Be sure to spend time prepping the speaker about your audience and objectives so that they can tailor the content. And ask about additional elements such as Q&A’s and book signings. These are things you’ll want finalized well in advance of your meeting.

People You Respect

Sometimes the best external speaker can be found right in your own backyard. People often think of “external” as meaning outside of the company, but we have seen companies successfully leverage the expertise found within the company, but at another division. The key to making these internal speakers resonate is to find success stories or outcomes that parallel your audience’s experience. These presenters provide valuable insight into the challenges unique to the organization and what tactics they used to overcome them. They can also strengthen the relationship between divisions and open the door to future collaboration and shared learning.

Audiences appreciate hearing a new voice. By working closely with presenters to develop the most targeted content, and choosing the presentation approach that best supports it, you’ll deliver external ideas that everyone will listen to.

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Perfecting the Performance Persona

Light as a feather…stiff as a board…

Does either of these extremes describe your presenters?

Helping senior leaders deliver a compelling performance can be a tough job. But in order for their message to come through, they need to find the authentic voice that lets them shine.

Everyone has a role they naturally play. And it is this role that informs our onstage persona. When a presenter is at odds with this natural function, the audience senses the disconnect and spends more of their time dissecting this dichotomy instead of concentrating on the content.

This is where you can be of the most help.

Go one step beyond helping them craft their message and help them uncover their onstage persona by asking the following questions:

  •  When are they at their best?

Ask presenters to imagine a time when they were at their best. It doesn’t have to be business related, but it should feel authentic.

  • What role do they play?

There are 7 functions that we can serve in any situation. One of these functions is your presenter’s natural persona.

  • Teacher – Your presenter recalls an instance when they had to explain something or impart some life lesson.
  • Coach – Your presenter had to motivate a team through a tough situation…or just enjoys working with his or her son’s little league team.
  • Entertainer – Your presenter may have an artistic streak reserved for the weekends. Or maybe they are known around the office as the one who can always make everyone feel good through “performance’ – even in a small setting.
  • Salesman – Your presenter had to convince someone, using facts or anecdotes (or just their supreme powers of persuasion).
  • Counselor – Your presenter had to offer comfort, support or advice.
  • Connector – Your presenter brought ideas or people together.
  • Doer – Your presenter is someone who gets stuff done, for example, was given a big project with an impossible deadline and still managed to come through with flying colors.
  • How would that persona present the speech content?

This is where your communications expertise comes in. You will now help translate the message for the presenter’s most natural persona.

  • If a Teacher, make sure to add plenty of explanation.
  • If a Coach, use plenty of motivational language.
  • If an Entertainer, inject some levity.
  • If a Salesman, provide  a setup and payoff for key points.
  • If a Counselor, give reassurance for any bold statements.
  • In a Connector, find similarities to show the overlap between subject areas
  • If a Doer, sprinkle in examples of the speaker or employees taking action

Presenters want to do well on stage, but self-analysis is a trick business. By helping them define their offstage persona, you’ll ensure that no matter what they say onstage, they’ll be speaking the language of leadership.

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Taking Your Post-Event Comms Online

Being onsite is like living in a bubble where everything has been designed for “maximum engagement” – Team-building! Motivational speakers! Networking! Dine-arounds!

But once your audience leaves the ballroom, the bubble starts to deflate. The messages you worked so hard to craft start to fall by the wayside as daily reality sets in. You can try to tap into your second wind with the typical post-comm strategies like follow-up emails (We Did It!) or swag (Every time you see this, remember – We Did It!), but for a sustained engagement, you’ll need more that these one-offs to really have an impact.

The Meeting Microsite

The web is built on connections. And your intranet is a fantastic opportunity to foster connections – attendees to each another, and between attendees and content. The amount of information covered in a meeting can be overwhelming, and often people need more time to process it. The microsite gives them this time. They can review highlights on their own time, at their own pace, which means greater absorption and application.

Depending on the number of events scheduled during your meeting, attendees may not have the time to network. Or they may need a networking nudge – some topic to start a conversation. Having the meeting content on a microsite gives them this platform, from which they can initiate conversations and start to build a greater sense of community.

What Content Should You Have?

The microsite is a virtual vault of key messages, videos, audio and photos that tells the story of the meeting. Stories help us remember, so the microsite content needs to be organized in a way that makes sense, connecting what the audience heard onsite to what they do every day.

Start at the beginning – if there was a meeting theme, what was the rationale behind it? For each element – motivational speakers, team-building exercises, volunteer activities, explain how the actions tie to the corporate strategy. The more your audience hears the why behind the what, the more they will internalize the reasoning and apply it in their daily activities.

How Do You Make It Successful?

Start with a plan – actually two.

Your first plan will be a communications plan with the themes, talking points and activities of the meeting. From this you will generate your meeting’s story, e.g. Our global sales force achieved record numbers by doing the following 3 things: A, B, and C. Our target of $XMM this year will come from focus in 3 areas: X, Y and Z. You’ll want to develop this story before you go onsite.

Your second plan is your production plan, which has the onsite schedule so you know when to capture quotes, audio and video. Laying this out ahead of time lets you plan for any additional resources you will need to assign to content capture. Essentially, this is your reporting team – it can be as streamlined as one person with a video camera or as robust as a full production crew.

For general session videos, capture highlights rather than the entire speech. Your objective is to create the cliff notes version for viewers. To make the video edit process easier, note the highlights during the speech – either by time of day or time code.

During breaks or walk-in/walk-out, capture attendee quotes. If you can get them on camera, great! But if not, photos with text or text by itself is fine. Remember that the final product is a multimedia experience, so content in multiple formats makes for a richer experience.

Take a lot of pictures – or hire a professional photographer. People love to see themselves – sometimes serious, sometimes palling around, so make sure to mix up the tone, framing and composition.

Engage leaders by giving them a platform. Whether it’s from managers to their direct reports, or from senior leaders to the audience, the onsite video has impact because it has immediacy. Capture as many as your schedule allows and use these in post-show emails to drive traffic to your microsite.

Make the IT People Your Friends – Really

Your IT team is essential. Get them involved early and invite them to share their ideas for what would make the meeting microsite successful. They may suggest developing a smartphone app that creates a shortcut to the microsite as a way to increase engagement…or have file size limits that impact how much content you can capture. Knowing these things early enough in your process lets you adjust as needed and keeps everyone in the loop and – hopefully – happy.

Get Started!

The meeting microsite is an upfront investment of time and money with a long-term payoff. Use it as your post-event communications platform to keep attendees engaged…then deepen the connection – and generate excitement – as you introduce content for next year’s event.