Every year more and more events take place and understandably attendees are continuing to feel event fatigue; turning up to at best average events. Organisations are continuing to question the ROI and value of business events. Everyone should be thinking which are the events to attend in 2014.

However not all events are the same. Those events displaying some of the points below will be the stand out events and the ones that attendees and businesses should be supporting.

Gallus Events helping you find the best events

This blog at the end of the year has become a regular feature at Gallus Events. 

1. Go Visual

Too many events still promote and engage only through the written word. The cutting edge events will use pictures and videos to promote the event and engage the audience. This commitment to content before the event is likely to be reflected in the delivery of great content during the event.

2. Curate the conversation

Great events sit at the heart of a wider conversation. The cutting edge events will focus on the conversations building around the issues covered at the event. They will be using technology and social media platforms to curate those conversations and they will place the event at the very heart of those conversations.

3. Get more from speakers

The content at events is crucial. This is of course obvious for conferences but with exhibitions now developing into massive content hubs it is crucially important that every event with content receives a meaningful engagement from those delivering that content. Long term, more meaningful engagement between speakers and events is crucial.

4. Create moments to share

Great events will create moments that attendees want to share via social media and word of mouth. They will have interesting, engaging and exciting things happening on site and in the lead up to the event. They will be concentrating on their attendees desire to share great content and this will be evidence that these events will be thinking about creating amazing experiences.

5. Engage all of the senses

The events that you should attend will look, feel, sound, taste and smell like great events. The organisers will have considered the differences in how people engage with each other and with content and will have texturised the event. Events with their own theme tunes, smells and brand evidence their desire to create something special and memorable. Attend these events.

Here’s our visual representation of this list!

6. Use white space

With every event there is the temptation to cram as much into the day as possible. But the great familiarisation trips and away days will allow you time to reflect; great conferences will have time to assimilate the content and the top exhibitions will have time between meetings for attendees to ponder the options available. Creating some down time is exceptionally crucial if we want our events to deliver maximum value. White space is key in the thinking event.

7. Use Social Media to amplify content

Organisers have quite rightly jumped on the back of Social Media to help them promote their events and they must do the same to use it to amplify the important messages and content from their events. It may be information on new research, new positioning by the client or key statements made by the organisation. The events that are thinking big will be using the power of Social Media to connect well beyond the physical confines of the event.

8. Extend the event life cycle

The events to attend will want keep in touch: not just a few weeks before the event but months before and months after. They will truly value your engagement and they will want to make sure you get value from the physical attendance before and after. If you only hear from the events you normally attend when they want your money find some true love elsewhere.

9. Create an environment

The fantastic events will be choosing great venues and they will be ensuring that the environment and the atmosphere supports that event. No one should attend events in boring, lightless and soulless basement hotel rooms. The great events will understand the importance of the environment in supporting your objectives. Events for networking will be in informal and fun spaces. Conferences will be in spaces that support creativity and remove the stress from your experience. Exhibitions will be removing the barriers that stifle interaction. Look out for creative events in creative spaces.

10. Personalise the experience

At the exceptional events you will be made to feel special. You will have an experience that you can tailor. You will not be harangued into sessions if you are doing business and you will not be told when to have coffee. You will have control of your experience and you will be creating that experience.

Events that include some of the above  will be the events that are stealing everyone else’s audiences and delivering wonderful experiences. Make sure you are running those types of events. 

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