Have you ever wondered, "Why is my meeting not growing in attendance?" or "Why aren't attendees excited and engaged in the event?"

If you have thought one or both of these questions, you are not alone. Below six meeting problems and their fixes aimed to help you with meeting growth and attendee engagement. 

Reason #1: Your event is stale. 

If you are producing a meeting or tradeshow the same way you were 3-5 years ago, something is wrong. It says to your attendees that you have not adapted to change because you are either afraid of it or you feel "if it isn't broke, don't fix it".

Embrace change. Ask attendees what changes they want and why they want it. Much of your change will come in the form of interactive technology tool rentals. If you are uncomfortable with technology, by all means recruit someone from your team to help you with it.

Reason #2: Your event provides no value to the attendee.

Do not have a meeting just to have a meeting. If attendees fly or drive long distances, you don't want them saying to themselves and others, "That was a waste of my time!"

Your event needs to provide attendees with fresh and valuable content. By asking your audience what they want to hear and who they want to hear it from, you can be assured that you are addressing the age-old adage, "What's in it for me?" 

Reason #3: Black and white printing abounds with no imagery. 

Your handouts and surveys are black and white with many words and no visuals. 

In 2013, we are a very color-orientated, visual world. Videos, photographs and color can be delivered effectively through digital signage, video wall rentals and touch screen kiosks. Not only are you cutting down on the amount of paper, but with these technology tools you have eliminated shipping and storage of your paper, and your organization is presenting a greener, cleaner image to attendees.  

Reason #4: Too many sponsors and exhibitors. 

Meeting planners rarely turn away sponsors or exhibitors even when these organizations have little to do with the meeting theme or demographics of the attendee. 

Having too many sponsors or exhibitors can overwhelm your attendees and allow your message to be lost in the process. It is all about balance. 

Reason #4: No social sharing. 

Your conference does not allow attendees to post information to social backchannels. 

Rent iPads and have the social channels already preloaded onto the systems. Create a hashtag for the conference and promote it to attendees well in advance. Encourage participants to post before, during and after the conference. Respond in a timely manner when they post a question, comment or complaint to social. 

Reason #5: No comment. 

You are not surveying attendees to find out what they like and dislike about the conference.

Wireless Audience Response Systems provide an easy way to take the pulse of your attendees in a quick and confidential manner. 

Reason #6: Comments are ignored. 

The worst possible scenario for your meeting is to question your attendees and then, ignore their feedback. 

Once the data is gathered and analyzed, post on your social media channels what is going to be different at next year's conference. Or better yet, consolidate the comments and recommendations in a visually-based report that attendees can review and download from your website. 

Are you event planning in California? Contact AV Event Solutions for all your audio visual needs!