Why do we have one-time attendees at our events and never see them again? Delivering value goes far beyond just delivering content. Just as we see the trend in virtual and augmented reality to overlay our environment to provide more to the experiences we have in every day life, attendees today want more to enhance their overall experience at your events.
As per a white paper from Work-Learning Research, Inc., How Much Do People Forget?, people forget 40% of what learned in about 20 minutes and 77% of what they learned in six days. Wow! That is an amazing statistic. Think about your attendees and how much value they see in your education and training after six days. By providing takeaways at your events, you are increasing the value of your session beyond six days. Here are some takeaways that will increase the expiration date of your session:
White Papers, Toolkits and Other Resources – Require that your speaker for your next event provide some takeaway for the attendee. It can be as simple as a step-by-step checklist on implementing a process or a white paper on the topic discussed. Whatever the takeaway is, make sure your audience leaves with it after the event
“What Will You Put Into Action” Sheet – At every session, provide a sheet that asks the attendee what they learned and what they will implement. Ask them to write down two things. In addition, start the sheet by adding some key ideas they can put into actionright away in addition to what they write down. By doing this, we are asking them to put into action what they learned and giving some ideas at the same time
Post-session Tips / Best Practices or Blog – After the session, ask the speaker to provide some tips or best practices that can be sent to your attendees one week after the event and time a few more emails in the weeks that follow. In addition, ask the speaker to start a blog on the topic and get your members to continue the conversation
By reinforcing what an attendee has learned with some of these tips, you are helping them not to forget your session and the value it provided. Also, don’t forget to brand the materials with your speaker so when they use them, they think of your organization and the speaker. Do it right, and watch your first time attendees become regular attendees!
