no wayIs your conference shrinking or does it experience high turnover? If this is the case, chances are your attendees have not received the kind of treatment they should have; either when registering for the event or at the conference itself. They have the budget approved and they want to be there – but something went awry in the process.

Here are the top three things that drive customers always as identified by Bill Murphy, Jr., an author specializing In leadership and entrepreneurship. He recently shared his thoughts with Inc. Magazine. I have tailored his findings to the meetings industry.

Driver #1: Being secretive

In the industry, there seems to be a progression to a conference that follows this order:

Sponsors, Exhibitors, Attendees, Speakers, Content

It is almost as if the event organizers are keeping the sponsors, exhibitors and attendees in suspense as to who the speakers will be and what content they will deliver. But the truth of the matter is, if you reversed the order to be…

Content, Speakers, Attendees, Exhibitors, Sponsors

…think how much easier your sell cycle will be! Content drives everything and if you start with that, you will be amazed how much more open you can be with everyone and how the rest of the revenue puzzle will easily come together.

 

Driver #2: Being hard to contact

When you and your staff don’t return phone calls, emails or respond on social in a timely fashion, it sets up a barrier with meeting participants. What is timely? One study I recently read said 42% of Social Media users expect a response within an hour. 

Here’s what I know – when you ignore potential attendees you are sending a signal that your time is more valuable than theirs.

Make it very, very easy for attendees to connect with you at your conference. Rent iPads at your meeting so attendees can connect with you on social with any questions, comments or concerns they might have.

Marriott knows how to do this best – here is a question that appeared on Twitter: