How to think out of the box for your next conference

Whether it’s a workshop or a weekend-long strategy session with your team, conferences have the potential to be truly epic or quite a bore. Maintaining the attention of your delegates, whilst delivering on your objectives – those who are tasked with organising conferences certainly have their work cut out for them.

So, what does it take to make your next conference a hit? How will you innovate in 2019? Here are several avenues to consider.

From interactive maps to streamlining the sharing of information and tech that helps open up networking opportunities (ever heard of a Blendology badge or the app, Names and Faces?) – it’s worth investigating both the tech available at your conference venue and digital innovations that will set your conference apart and make it truly worthwhile.

Sitting in a boardroom or auditorium is only fun for so long, until someone starts falling asleep. When you’re planning your next event, think about how to break up the day with interactive sessions, discussion groups and any opportunities to get people out of their seats, networking and moving – going to the bar doesn’t count.

Speakers often get carried away with their topic causing the event to run overtime. For a slick event that runs like clockwork, brief all speakers and hosts on how much time they have available. You may have to emphasise a hundred times or even install a little countdown timer on the speaker’s lecture stand.

Let’s be real, conferences can sometimes drain your energy so steer clear of the carbs and serve more healthy, energy boosting snacks, smoothies and lunch options. Fresh fruit, whole foods and grains, that’s one way to ensure your conference stands out from the crowd.

If there’s one trend to have at the front of your mind in 2019 it’s hyper-personalisation. What does this mean? Well it’s literally ‘the business’ when it comes to digital marketing – think how Amazon use their big data to recommend products you love – but we can also use the idea of how much people value the ‘personal’ in the real world too.

So think about how you can personalise your conference – this can be as simple as custom-branding lanyards, pouches, notebooks, stationery and pens so that it’s your business logo and design that’s on the table rather that the name of the conference venue. There’s also nothing stopping you going that bit further and custom-branding each item with the name of your attendees or investing in great branded (and useful gifts) like drinkware, tote bags and more.

We love nothing more than conferences and we’re here to help make yours epic in 2019. So get in touch, let us print and custom-brand everything you need and deliver it to your door. Get your free quote today.