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Business conferences and conventions are incredible opportunities for both a business and its employees, especially for larger national brands. Conferences allow individuals from all across the country to come together to promote the company, offer training sessions, and generally help employees and clients get excited about the work they are doing.
While a conference can seem tedious at times, there are several ways to generate interest and help to make the event more exciting to all attendees. Here are 3 surefire ways to make your next business conference a big success and to inspire your employees about their work in the process:
- SWAG
“SWAG” aka Stuff We All Get is a big component of these larger events that creates a fantastic opportunity to boost company morale. By offering your employees and conference attendees merchandise, you are not only promoting satisfaction within your company, but also promoting your company’s brand and name itself. “SWAG” is easy to come by as you purchase many types of custom merchandise such as conference bags by Printkick. Useful in terms of utility and easy to personalize, such free apparel offers your business the additional opportunity to advertise in a fun and inclusive way. Plus, everyone loves free stuff.
- Location, Location, Location
While options may vary from company to company, the location of said business conference can easily draw in a much larger attendance number. With many factors to consider such as budget and accessibility, we realize that not every location is an option. However, cities that are built for heavy tourism traffic also tend to have much larger hotels and convention centers for just such events.
Places like Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, and many more have several venues to choose from. In addition, the cities themselves offer many attractions and amenities during any down time one might have throughout the duration of the conference.
While it may be a business trip, it’s always smart to make traveling as fun as possible for your guests. Even if the conference takes place in a city with few attractions, look into hotels or convention centers that are luxurious and accommodating for your guests. They will most likely end up spending the majority of their time there.
- Guest Speakers
Most conferences are comprised of events such as panels, workshops, and other gatherings that must cater to larger crowds. It can be a lot of pressure to entertain such a large and wide variety of people for days at a time. A great idea is to recruit guest speakers, especially those with a larger following or fan base to keep your attendees entertained and excited throughout.
Some ideas for guest speakers might include sports players, motivational speakers, high profile media figures, and any big names your company may have in the way of sponsors, affiliates, and clients who are eager to promote the brand in an engaging and exciting way. Additionally, having guest speakers from within one’s company may be an excellent opportunity to motivate younger or newer employees who are eager to learn from their superiors about what the company can offer them in the future.
Bottom Line
Conferences can be a lot of pressure, but they are a fantastic way to improve morale and educate a captive audience with exciting features and presentations. Additional ideas such as banquets, networking opportunities, and even social events are also good ideas for ensuring that your conference isn’t a tedious waste of time for your attendees.
No matter what product, brand, or idea it is that you sell, make the experience as interactive and fun as possible. By the time they get home, you’ll want them to be not only ready but also excited and proud to work for your company! For new and seasoned employees alike, they will be reinvigorated, motivated, and maybe even looking forward to the next business conference they attend.
