By Tony Carey, CMP, CMM
Proving your Professionalism One of the most difficult tasks facing a conference organiser is how to measure the value of a meeting. Traditionally, success has been based on hearsay and (often biased) opinion: “People said they enjoyed it.” or “The chairman was pleased.”
But, increasingly, CEOs are demanding tangible proof that an event achieved a good return on investment (ROI) - and it is the meeting planner who must justify the time and the money he or she has spent. Fortunately, there are now systems for evaluating an event, which help planners prove their professionalism and measure ROI Like many aspects of conference management, the procedure involves a series of logical steps
that start in the early stages of preparation and may continue for weeks after the event is over. The quantifying of ROI is something that should be threaded into the tapestry of planning. The first task is to identify the stakeholders in the meeting; those who have an interest in its outcome. This is due to the fact that these are the organisations and people who have invested time, money or reputation and wish to see a return on this commitment. Stakeholders may vary but will always include the client organisation, the sponsors and the attendees, as well as, of course, the organiser. And for an event in Slovenia, the town or city, the venue and all the suppliers will want to be associated with its success, but for varying reasons. Satisfying such a range of interests can be difficult because only the stakeholders know what they hope to achieve. Thus stage two is to ask them. You can incorporate surveys into the delegate registration form, send questionnaires to speakers and meet with sponsors to discover what each expects from the event. Attendees may be seeking information or business relationships, speakers may wish to present new ideas or meet potential clients, the organisation may wish to motivate, educate or reward; a less well-known city, such as Maribor, may wish to enhance its reputation. Sometimes, making a profit is a secondary motive. Once the needs of the stakeholders are understood, it is a logical step to design an event that aims to satisfy them. This may involve changes to the planned programme, such as for example a visit to the awesome Postojna Caves where everyone will be together, instead of a shopping afternoon in Ljubljana where they all split up. And systems of measurement should be put into place. On behalf of sponsors, this may mean researching the delegates for product awareness before, during and after the event. For example, they can be asked their opinions on Slovenia before they arrive and after they depart. Research can take many forms. During the meeting measurement may be made via audience response systems or by students with questionnaires. Focus groups will also furnish useful opinion. Follow-up surveys provide feedback. For product launches and sales conferences, tangible results may be expressed through the subsequent sales figures, but these must be measured - and conveyed to the meeting planner. Finally, all this information should be analysed and processed into a digestible report. All this is extra work for the conference organiser, but it is he or she who stands to benefit most from measuring ROI. To be able to present a client or a boss with a printed report which shows that objectives were achieved, money saved and the corporate image enhanced is the mark of a true professional deserving of a pay rise, or at least a few days holiday at magical Lake Bled!
Tony Carey is a trainer, presenter and consultant to the international conference industry. He can be reached at tonycarey@psilink.co.je. or via www.tonycarey.info
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