Meaningful Meetings--Darlene Lyons, T3 Events Group: Focus on ROI, Blow Up Event Formats
A veteran meeting planner says the climate is right for organizations to place much more emphasis on the return on investment of their meetings and events and to radically change event formats so that people are spending up to 80% of the time collaborating or sharing experiences, and only 20% in presentations and traditional panel discussions.Click here for links to RRN Preferred Solution Providers. Click here to subscribe to the RRN weekly e-newsletter. Click here for an RRN media kit.
Darlene Lyons, Executive Vice President of T3 Events Group in California believes it’s time to elevate the meetings and incentive experience in two significant ways: by making return on investment measurement essential for every meeting or event and by turning traditional formats on their head to place much more emphasis on collaboration and shared experiences.
Click here to watch or listen to the YouTube show.
Lyons brings to the topic of meaningful meetings over 30 years of experience in the events industry, including event marketing, incentives, and digital events. She says she has successfully planned and executed over 5,000 live events, incentive programs, and unique experiences. As the Executive Vice President at T3 Events Group, she leads a team of talented event professionals “who deliver innovative and impactful solutions for clients across various sectors and markets.”
She says her “mission is to create memorable and meaningful events that engage, inspire, and delight attendees, while achieving the strategic objectives and exceeding the expectations of the stakeholders involved. I have a passion for excellence, creativity, and continuous learning, and I am always looking for new ways to leverage technology, trends, and best practices to enhance the event experience. I am proud to have won eight awards for my work in event marketing, public service, and radio advertising, and to be an associate partner at T3 Sixty, the leading consulting and research firm in the real estate industry.”
Here is a summary of key insights from the show.
• It’s more important than ever to establish a measurement system for every event. Start by identifying what “win” the organization is trying to accomplish: base the measurement metrics on what that win looks like. Despite the traditional lack of measurement at many events, demand for results measurement is growing, she believes.
• Don’t just survey audience sentiment related to the event. Measure the anticipated results six, nine months or a year later against what the organization hoped to accomplish in terms of sales, retention, productivity, learning, or whatever was on the list of hoped-for wins.
• Reduce the focus on outputting messages at events and increase the focus on listening and encouraging collaboration. Instead of the traditional emphasis on keynotes and panel discussions, find ways to engage participants, even in plenary sessions. For instance, when using celebrity speakers, give the audience a chance to get on stage with them as well for a few minutes to share their stories as well. Likewise, find ways to get speakers out into the audience with attendees or involved with breakout collaborative sessions.
• People want shorter sessions and more choice than ever. Offer a variety of different types of sessions or activities instead of pushing everyone through the same funnel. People want more peer-to-peer learning and exchanges. Even in a large auditorium with thousands of people, use technology to give the audience a voice as well.
• Training and networking still rank among the most desired outcomes for business events among participants. People want to feel they have taken something home from the event; information they can use later. The ultimate opportunity is to emotionally touch them in a way they won’t easily forget that supports the event purpose.
• Find ways to reduce stress at events through yoga, walks, or other activities that leave people feeling refreshed and more receptive.
• The business meetings industry has not yet fully adapted to the need for change in meeting formats.
• If an organization doesn’t have a chief marketing officer or someone else with meeting planning expertise, hire one, or otherwise risk wasting money and achieving little in the way of measurable results.
• As a business owner, Lyons advises CEOs to invest in their people and get good advice from experts, whether it be in strategy, accounting, or legal matters.
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