What’s an Event Worth?

Posted on by

There is no magic formula for what an organization should spend on producing events, but there are some facts and trends that can be used to better calculate the event line item in 2018 budgets. Beyond venue rental fees and food and beverage purchases, there are many more elements that factor into the cost (and eventual ROI) of an event.[Tweet "There are many elements that factor into the cost of an event. #GovEventsBlog"]

We've pulled together a couple of guidelines from industry research as well as advice from our organizer members, to help with budget allocations for events. Continue reading →

Know Your Audience

Posted on by

Knowing your audience means more than knowing their names and titles. It means understanding what impact demographics, geography, behavior, and attitudes will have on how they participate in your event and what they take away from it.

Here are a few items to consider:[Tweet "Know Your Audience - demographics, geography, behavior & attitude. #GovEventsBlog"]

  • Demographics - While stats on age, gender, and ethnicity can paint broad brushstrokes of generalizations, they can also provide some really interesting insights that can make your event more personal for attendees. Take advantage of growing diversity in your attendees by highlighting different types of cuisines. This will serve to make some people feel at home while introducing others to new foods and traditions. If your attendees skew to a younger demographic having free, reliable wifi will be expected and critical to their event experience.[Tweet "Take advantage of growing diversity in your attendees. #GovEventsBlog"]
  • Geography - Do your attendees live near your event site? If travel is involved for many, providing a city guide will be a good addition to all of the event material. Do many of your attendees take public transportation to get to your event? Hand sanitizer in the event goody bag (handed out at the beginning of the event) may be a welcome Will a good number of people be getting a cab or Uber to leave your event? Picking a venue with heated porticos during the winter months is a nice consideration.
  • Behavior -- How many of your attendees are active on social media? If you have a group with low participation, then scaling back social media efforts at the show makes a lot of sense. While it can still be a great way to attract new attendees, if social is not used by the majority of people attending, things like hashtag contests and photo booths will not be of interest.
  • Attitude -- Knowing what is going on in your attendees' professional sphere is important. For a government audience, is sequestration looming? If so, stress and tensions may be high. This can influence the tone of information presented (recognizing the stress) as well as the activities offered (yoga or massage chairs for relaxation).

[Tweet "Knowing the audience allows for the event to be tailored to what they want to hear. #GovEventsBlog"]More than the things you do at the event, knowing the audience allows for the event to be tailored to what they want to hear, not what you want to tell them. What are some examples of "know your audience" changes you've made or seen at events? Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

Planning for the Worst: Making Disaster Recovery a Priority

Posted on by

Hurricanes, wildfires, gun violence, data breaches. It's been a rough news cycle and an even rougher reality. As painful as it is to think about these recent events, it is important for organizations to plan for the worst. This includes the logistical (if we lose access to our building, how will we work?), the technical (how do we maintain access to our data and IT systems?), and the personal (how do we contact and support employees during a disaster?).[Tweet "Hurricanes, wildfires, gun violence, data breaches. Be prepared for any disaster. #GovEventsBlog"]

Lucky for those of us who shudder at thinking about worst-case scenarios, there are professionals whose job it is to map out a plan that can be used in the event of disaster. These disaster recovery experts share theoretical and tactical guidance at a number of events throughout the year. Below are some upcoming events listed on GovEvents that can help anyone be better prepared for a disaster:[Tweet "Planning for the Worst: Making Disaster Recovery a Priority. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Are We There Yet? Achieving IT Reform in the Federal Government

Posted on by

In this post, we provided an overview of The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) and the various other Acts that have been passed to help streamline the procurement and use of IT for a modern government. Even with all of this focus on improving IT infrastructure, compliance with FITARA has been slow. Grades on the self-assessment scorecards are stagnating, and compliance with other related acts has been just as slow. It's easy to agree that government IT needs a boost to meet the expectations of citizens, so why, with all of these incentives and compliance checks in place, is progress so slow?[Tweet "Are We There Yet? Achieving IT Reform in the Federal Government. #GovEventsBlog"]

In an IT and "business" environment as complex as the federal government, there are many reasons for the slow improvement toward FITARA goals. Here are just a few of the challenges agencies are facing in meeting what seems to be "no-brainer" directives: Continue reading →

Death, Taxes, and Social Media

Posted on by

Whether we like it or not, social media is here to stay and it is an incredibly powerful way to promote brands and ideas. For event organizers and attendees alike, social media is a valuable tool to utilize.

For attendees, events provide a terrific way to quickly expand your follower base. By using event handles and hashtags you can expose like-minded people to your thoughts and account. Try it just once. Tweet at an event using the hashtag and see how many new followers you gain. Likely the number from just a couple of tweets will be greater than you typically see in a week or even a month's time. For organizers, social media can drive attendance and expand the exposure to your content during and after the event.[Tweet "Social media is a valuable tool for both event organizers and attendees. #GovEventsBlog"]

With the value of using social media clear, how can we make it less burdensome? Here are a few tips: Continue reading →