By Ken Rosen and Ron Weissman
You’re busy. I know. Me too. And I suspect for both of us, it’s getting harder to convince us to leave our office to travel to live events?
Why? The content is usually available online. And networking opportunities with wonderful, thoughtful, senior people are at our fingertips with tools like Twitter…which can lead to rich phone, email, or in-person relationships. So what’s the benefit always cited about event? Live Networking!!
Image via WikipediaFair enough. Yet networking at events can be hit or miss. My partner recently relayed a story by Donald Trump: he went begrudgingly to an event only to accidentally sit down next to exactly the banker whom he wanted to finance his next deal. His moral of the story: “Go! Always go! You never know!!” But really? Even if The Donald’s story is true, that’s a rather non-deterministic way to run our lives isn’t it?
Event organizers need to rethink live networking. The competition from social media, global communications, and online content is fierce. What can they do differently? What do you want then to do differently?
Two mindset changes we recommend:
• Take nothing for granted: Let’s start with a simple example: People have been doing events since Grog gave a seminar for 10 berries on how to make fire. And I bet nametags were almost the same then as now. How can nametags work harder? Make type big enough to read? List interests, not just company? Color code based on birds-of-a-feather meetings so people know they’ll share a table tomorrow? If we can rethink a nametag, imagine how much you can rethink the schedule.
• Borrow and steal: People meeting people is just as ancient
—after all, how did Grog and Grogette’s relationship lead to little Uggie and Muggie? How about “speed dating” sessions? Use social media proximity tools to find those with common interests? Organize topic tables at lunch? Spin-offs on old 70s party games driving attendees to talk to each other to win (gamification meets events!)? Look for tactics from all walks of social life.
Takeaways
- Event organizers must realize competition for “their” dollars is fierce. Between social media and posted content, the perceived ROI on travel to live events is under pressure.
- Event organizers must rethink live networking to dramatically improve expected value and perceived ROI.
- Take nothing for granted in your assumptions of how events are supposed to work and Borrow and Steal tactics from other walks of social life to reinvent live networking.
