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October 09, 2009
How to create a killer conference
So how in the world did the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association nearly double the attendance of its annual summit from 600 in 2008 to 1,100 this year?
- Provide killer content. This one-day event had 5 tracks with enough variety for everyone: Fundamentals, Strategy, Tactical, Trends and Technical tracks. Sessions tackled key issues such as legal problems in online marketing, diversity in the interactive industry, and job strategies for a sucky economy.
- Its members are fiercely loyal. Five years ago, MIMA had 200 members. Two years ago, it had 700. Now it has 1,200. By focusing on a long-term loyalty strategy of membership growth, plus great content, attending the annual conference was a no-brainer for many members.
- Technology was everywhere. MIMA set up home bases on Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, and YouTube. They live-streamed the conference over the web. They created an iPhone app for attendees to browse the schedule and manage their conference experience. They encouraged attendees to download Bump, an iPhone app that allows people to exchange contact info by "bumping" their phones together.
- Best customer service ever. Whacked out customer service isn't usually part of most conferences, but it was here. Masseuses gave neck massages in the speaker green room and in the press room. A hospitality station offered laptop and phone charging. There was hand sanitizer galore to combat H1N1 flu fears. There were private breast pump rooms for moms. My favorite: Snuggies for those who were too cold (why are conferences forever freezing cold?)
- An event coordinator brimming with imagination. MIMA smartly put Jennifer Kane from Kane Consulting in charge of event management. Brimming with energy. Always smiling, even under stress. Always focused on the attendee's experience. It was her idea to do the hospitality station. The conference was managed like a fun, bustling restaurant with great service. There was even an official MIMA cupcake in conference bags.
- They were bold. In tough times, it's tempting to be conservative. Bare-bones everything. MIMA wasn't. It secured Seth Godin as the luncheon keynote speaker to drive attendance. They were right. The conference sold out 2 weeks before it happened.
- Humor. Maybe it's Minnesota, but humor was rich in its abundance at the conference. Weeks earlier, MIMA showed how by using the Seth Godin action figure to create a YouTube video called "Little Seth Godin at the Minnesota State Fair." In it, Little Seth gets rolled into a lefse. (It's a Scandinavian Minnesota thing.)
- Absolutely nutty creative. I asked Jen Kane if a TV would be at the reception party on Sunday, the night before the event, because my Steelers were playing the Chargers. (Yeah, I'm a fanatic.) Sure enough, they had a TV and, to my utter shock, they assembled a "Steelers lounge" just for me. They called it Jackie's Joint, and it came with VIP Reserved Chair, popcorn machine, gold pom poms and large screen TV. It was sick, and I loved it. (More pics here.)
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Jackie -
First, let's just be honest and say you were incredibly awesome! I need to write a blog post titled "How to be an awesome conference keynote speaker." You fit the bill perfectly. Thank you!
Second, we owe everything to MIMA's membership and the Twin Cities community. We're very fortunate to have so many people who want the Summit to succeed.
Thanks for the great post, and thanks for coming to Minneapolis to rock the house.
Best,
Tim
Wow, they really pored it on! those are some great ideas!
Dr. Wright
www.wrightplacetv.com
They definitely treated you right. How fun! Did other fans join you in "Jackie's Joint?"
They definitely treated you right. How fun! Did other fans join you in "Jackie's Joint?"
Good post Jackie. I can only hope business and technology conferences will hear and learn from experiences like yours at the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association.
For me the summary is content, content content. Make is useful, make is creative, make it personal and make it interesting. What can I get there that I'll regret missing if I stay home? Too many conferences act as though their very existence makes attendance worthwhile.
Thank you, for sharing your idias.
Great Info! Thanks for the post!
I can't believe they had Snuggies! Were they listed as a sponsor? The other things you mentioned were great ideas but this just struck me as being genius. Those conferences are ALWAYS freezing!
Sonds great. I'm going/supporting a conference next week in Vancouver called Resilient Cities, we'll see if it is well attended. They seem to have no shortage of partners and media partners, but average people who paid to attend...
We'll see.
WOW...what great ideas you have! Thank you for a great read.
It's true, it's always been true and it always will be true - when times are tough the leaders who succeed are those who use more imagination, work harder and try a few different tactics.
Well done the MIMA!
