PREDSEDOVANJE EU 2008 EU Presidency 2008 PREDSTAVITEV ...

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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