Ensure Event Success - Make Education an Experience
In a 15-minute conversation between Exempla's Colm Clarke and our very own CEO Sebastien Braun, we explored how associations can turn educational programs into engaging experience at their events.
Q1: Our topic today is how associations can ensure their event success by making education an experience – and we’re joined by Colm Clarke from Exempla – a boutique consultancy in Brussels focused on international association strategy and events.
Welcome Colm! can you start by telling us why this topic is so important?
Experiences are now valued far more than content. Whilst €10 per month may provide access to an almost unlimited volume of content to watch, read or listen to, people spend 10 or even 100 times that amount for a few hours long experience that will be memorable and shareable.
For association leaders, whether we believe this is right or wrong is irrelevant. It is a commercial reality that must be addressed within association business models which have traditionally relied on access to information and education (whether at events or through publications) as a core revenue stream.
Q2: Ok got it – but when I think about “the event experience”, what comes to mind first things that happen outside the educational program rather than the conference – and you’d like us to think differently about that, right?
Right - In the events world, much of the focus on the “event experience” goes towards things that happen outside of the conference rooms – entertainment or networking functions, food and drinks, impressive venues etc. That’s all well and good but when the majority of the programme time is still dedicated to some form of conference, and the educational component forms the key factor for the attendee’s budget justification, we mustn’t forget to consider it as the most important part of the overall experience.
Q3: Indeed, for association attendees, the content, the professional development has to upfront when you’re creating and promoting the event – so how do you get started on this type of programme design and improvement?
We first get in the right mindset by repeating what we like to tell kids – “learning can be fun”!
The major difference when it comes to adults however is that fun doesn’t just happen naturally when you put them in a room together - so quality event programmes require deliberate design.
We need to think intentionally about what makes it special to be in a room together in person – and what type of content can we provide that will leverage that?
Exempla’s experience shows two key factors that turn educational moments into experiential ones - interaction and controversy.
Q4: Makes sense – when I take the time to go to events, the ones where I can get into interesting discussions and debates are way more enjoyable and memorable – when you mention controversy though I can imagine that’s a word that makes a lot of association organisers or conference chairs nervous – can you expand on what it means to you?
Embracing controversy doesn’t mean contrived arguments or stoking artificial outrage. Tension exists within professions and industries that events are natural platforms to address, and associations can play a vital role as facilitators of such debates.
For example:
- Bring keynotes external to the profession/industry who can talk more freely about uncomfortable challenges them (and provide support to one another if needed)
- Place your next generation professionals in key roles – what does the future look like from those who have the most important stake in it?
- Diversify perspectives – what do professionals from underrepresented groups think and how might that challenge the status quo?
- Hear from customers/patients/other professionals about how your community is viewed by those who interact with it, rather than only addressing “them” from the safety of your bubble
Then immediately provide follow up discussion formats so your community can harness the emotional energy onsite start and addressing.
Q5. Clear – and already starts to sound more interesting! Taking it a bit further then what sort of discussion formats do you like to create?
Emphasising interaction should be a pre-requisite in today’s conference design, but creating interaction in the context of the educational programme is very different than unstructured or serendipitous networking functions. To make interaction of educational value, thoughtful planning is required.
For example:
- Identify collective challenges and build workshops around them
- Go one step further and deliberately build teams within those workshops that have diverse viewpoints on the topic
- Create realistic but fictious scenarios that encourage collaboration and creative solutions
- Use the time pressure of fixed schedules to intensify the energy and experience
Q6. We started this conversation by talking about business models and there’s an additional element you bring in which can unlock new revenue – generating opportunities – can we conclude by briefly outlining that?
Looking at the event business model from another perspective, careful educational design can also unlock new revenue generating opportunities by offering content-driven sponsorship models. Event sponsors are often key suppliers whose products or services play a vital role in the value chain, and they often have excellent insights and experience which if harnessed correctly, can add another dimension to the learning on offer.
To be totally clear - no-one wants to pay to listen to sales pitches by sponsors so these must be created together with the organiser’s input and with a common understanding that making a valuable educational contribution will be more beneficial for the sponsor than regurgitating their marketing materials (that has its place in the exhibition, not in the conference room).
By thinking differently, thinking creatively and being willing to change programme development processes, associations make the educational programme at their events the key experience, unlocking new forms of value and assuring sustainable success.
Thank you for the insights – if you would like to learn more, feel free to connect or read more about Exempla’s ideas on their website exempla.be
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To find out more about how our tool can enhance your educational offerings, contact us.