Analyze Your Attendees
Meeting planners and show organizers go to great lengths to analyze their attendees. By employing a number of measurement techniques, from simple people-counters to electronic badges tracking movements in real-time, organizers gather extensive data on their show's attendance. This data can then be broken down neatly into spreadsheets and charts that can be readily inserted into presentations. But does this information tell the full story? So much effort goes into gathering measurements and statistics on attendees that it is easy to overlook their goals and motivations. These factors, as much as any measurable data, should be addressed when planning for future events.
MAYA Design, Inc. conducted a study on the unique attendee experience and found that the overall impression of an event is based on several key factors. First, attendees are concerned with the number and quality of companies associated with the event, whether they are exhibitors, sponsors, co-organizers, or involved in some other capacity. Secondly, they are concerned with the "buzz" surrounding the event. Attendees form a symbolic construct of the perceived level of quality based on a number of factors, whether aesthetic or content-driven. Most importantly, they expect the event to meet their expectations based on the relative value of their time and money.
Attendees are protective of their time. Most cannot afford to devote their attention entirely to their environment at the expense of monitoring the day-to-day operations of their organizations. Advances in technology have rapidly increased the quality and capability of communication, leading to ever-increasing demands on their focus. This trend and others are putting pressure on organizers to create a more immersive environment that all but demands their full attention. Of course, there are several theories and recommendations on how to achieve this goal. These theories, however, are often too focused on the physical environment rather than the overall "information community" created by the event.
According to the MAYA study, first impressions of a show "...are greatly affected by the quality of the physical arrangement of the show and the signage that simultaneously identifies, advertises, and directs." Upon entering the event, these materials serve to connect attendees to places, helping them devise a plan of attack. These materials, however, are often finalized and printed weeks in advance, making it impossible to denote changes in an ever-fluid event environment. Attendees are, in large part, unaware of this disconnect and are therefore thrown off course by mismatches in information. One of the most effective ways to combat this disconnect is to introduce a human element. Knowledgeable associates placed strategically around the event area can form information communities between attendees and show organizers, reducing over-reliance on the impersonal by facilitating personal interaction.
In addition to connecting people with places, organizers also look to connect people with the necessary tools to accomplish their objectives. Some attendees prefer to plot out their course of action ahead of time by making detailed plans and practicing effective time management throughout the entire event. Others prefer a more spontaneous approach, mapping out activities upon arrival. In either case, studies have indicated that attendees are likely to coordinate their plans with other attendees, forming informal information communities within the confines of the event. Show organizers must do everything within their power to foster these connections by creating an environment that serves as a sort of convergence point for these communities. As much as anything else, attendees assess the value of their overall experience based on the quality and number of personal connections they have forged.
Almost all attendees at any given event are there to take part in a mutual, rather than individual, experience. By forming information communities with their peers, as well as experts available on hand, they can readily exchange information about problems facing their organizations, as well as solutions to various problems they have encountered along the way. These personal connections are one of the primary ways an attendee judges the overall value of an event, yet they are not always easy to understand or measure. Regardless, event planners and organizers should go out of their way to install support mechanisms designed to increase the likelihood of high-quality connections being made. In doing so, they can go a long way toward increasing the overall perceived value of their event.
The Expo Group a Single Source® general service contractor fulfilling the needs of show organizers, corporate planners and exhibitors. The Dallas-based company also has offices in Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
