Three Important Pieces of the Puzzle for Your 2021 Event
As you prepare next year’s event design and marketing plan, amid the uncertainty of what 2021 will bring, here are 3 key factors you should consider.
1. Monetization. By now, we all know that for your 2021 event to succeed, you must adopt a new approach to increase revenue and improve operating margins. And to do this, a new monetization mindset is required. Here how to get you started.
First, convene your industry partners and learn what they will invest in, how much they will invest, and how they think your event can help them achieve their goals.
Second, develop new inventory that your industry is looking for, and propose new ideas for accessing your audience that they are seeking to attract.
And finally, make it clear to your members and event audiences that they must double-down on interacting with the industry as a means to subsidize their membership dues and event registration fees.
2. Asynchronous learning. Learning takes time, patience, focus, and multiple modalities that match learning styles and schedules. In a nutshell, learning doesn’t happen all at once. Remember college, when you attended a lecture and later moved to a lab or study group, and then individual study? This is a good model for how to learn over time—building intellectual connective tissue and allowing for the processing and absorption of information to distill into knowledge and insight.
3. Gamification. Yes, it’s real. It works. And you must adopt it. When you do, you’ll see why it’s so important. Every video gamer, gambler, sports fan, or anyone with a competitive streak is on the lookout for a way to get more engaged with the things they love. The basic principles of game playing can be applied to your event, too. Point scoring, discovery, and problem solving can be integrated with your program to stimulate fun and enjoyment in myriad ways.
Now, before you write these terms and ideas off as just another wave of business jargon, remember it wasn’t that long ago that virtual, hybrid, and event tech platforms were barely part of our collective vocabulary.
I believe we will be delivering the majority of events in 2021 via a screen, at least until Q3. So applying and mastering these three key concepts will go a long way to making next year more successful, more profitable, and more engaging for the events you design and deliver.
Maybe you could get the help of an enigmatologist to help you as you put the pieces of your 2021 event puzzle together.
Game on!
Don Neal
Founder & CEO
360 Live Media