Most people attend a business convention for learning, networking, and finding collaborations. Most attendees find business conventions boring. You can make business conventions different by making the attendees engaged and entertained. There are various ideas that you can incorporate into your next business convention.
- Post-Event Entertainment
After a long day of attending a business convention, the attendees need to relax their minds. Offering post-event entertainment is the best way to make the attendees engaged. Also, during the post-event entertainment, attendees get to know each other and network. The post-event will entertain and offer an opportunity for people to create business relationships and collaborations. Most people would want to be part of the business event. Also, bring along some soft music, and at this point, you can even decide to partner with a 3D video company to offer virtual product demonstrations during the entertainment.
- Lighting Talks
Long presentations are always dull, and attendees often lose concentration in the middle of the exhibition. Lighting talks are short presentations that last a few minutes. Different speakers come with different vibes, giving the audience a new feeling. With lightning talks, the speakers have limited time, and they will use it to speak out the most relevant points. Therefore, this will restrict the speakers from including irrelevant things in their presentation, and it becomes easy for the attendees to capture vital information. It becomes more effective because the attendees are more attentive when the speaker takes a shorter time. The main aim of the business convention is to teach attendees essential strategies, and incorporating lighting talks enhances the effectiveness of the business convention.
- Jigsaw Sessions
Sitting the whole day and listening to a speaker is one of the reasons why people find business conventions boring. However, incorporating jigsaw sessions makes business conventions more fun and engaging. A jigsaw session divides the attendees into small groups called jigsaw groups. The groups have 3-5 members, and an external instructor guides the groups. You then divide the topics of discussions into different segments. If the groups have five members each, you divide the issues into five parts. In each group, you give one member a specific piece—individuals from different groups who have the same segment meet and discuss the topics. Later on, individuals return to their jigsaw groups, and each member presents their topic to the group.
- Get Great Content
As you plan a business convention, you need to understand your audience well. The content you present should suit your audience. Business conventions have themes, and your content should align with the theme. No matter how interesting a particular topic is, do not present it if it does not suit your audience and the convention’s theme. You might have a mixed audience and fail to know much about them in various cases. As the attendee’s check in, let them register and give details on their age, career, and skills levels. This will be an excellent guide to your speakers so that they know exactly what to present. Nobody wants to spend time in a business convention and listen to topics that are irrelevant to them.
- An Accessible Environment
Where you hold the business convention will either make it a success or a fail. The venue you choose should be easily accessible to the attendees. Everyone wants to be comfortable and access various services when at the business convention. Please do not set the venue in a hidden place; let it be in an accessible location. Also, ensure your venue accommodates everyone. Choose an area with ramps, a staircase, elevators, and special seats for people with disability. Also, if you offer food at the business convention, provide all sorts of foods. Consider the omnivore and the vegans. Making the event accessible is making it comfortable for everyone. With an accessible environment, you will get a good turnout, and the business convention will be more effective.
Managing a business convention can be complex, considering that you want it to benefit all attendees. For the business convection to be memorable, you need to incorporate some exciting activities in the middle of the significant activities.