This weeks blog is kindly guest written by Mike Fletcher, a very good friend of mine with a huge amount of experience in the corporate events sector.

In a former life I was a scriptwriter for the sales director of aUKfinancial services business.  Every new year we held a conference; and every year the main event was always his closing address.

One year I was sitting with some sales people at the post-conference dinner.  As usual the boss had been charismatic, entertaining (and of course he had a killer script!)  I asked them how they found the speech.  Brilliant, they said, ‘classic Charles’.  “So,” I ventured, getting a bit cocky: “What did you take away from the speech?’.  Silence.

A University of Texas study in 1997 found that people remember 20 percent of what they hear; 30 percent of what they see; 90 percent of what they do and say.  Think about conferences you’ve been to – you may have enjoyed the event, but which ones stick in your mind for actual content?  Frankly we’re all pretty self-absorbed when it comes down to it, so the more you involve your audience, the more they will walk away with and the better your key messages should stick.

There are plenty of ways to inject some interaction into your conferences.  They don’t have to be hi-tech – here are a few of my ‘low-maintenance’ favourites:

• Table exercises – these can be anything from table discussions between presentations, to competitive activities (at one conference we had the tables compete to build the highest tower out of newspaper and cellotape, and were treated to the sight of the CFO hanging off a table trying to stop his tower collapsing!)  They’re cost-effective and easy to organise, but you generally need a table leader – who will need not just briefing but engaging. Take my word for it – don’t try and do that on the day!

• Expo spaces can be really effective if you are introducing new ideas, technology or processes.  Stalls or kiosks give delegates the chance to explore new things at their own pace, and work particularly well if they get to ‘do stuff’ (even if it’s just a question of running competitions).  But you need time built in – generally around lunchtime when you have a captive audience – otherwise most of your audience won’t take full advantage.

• Break-out sessions – these are a good way to break up the rhythm and physically take people out of their ‘comfort zone’, encouraging them to use what they’ve seen and heard.  They are time-consuming though, and the more break-outs you run the less concrete results you are going to get out of each.  At the extreme end of the break-out approach is the ‘boot camp’, where your delegates spend the day in small groups doubling from session to session – quite a good way of building team spirit in new teams, but don’t expect anybody to remember session content!

All the above can be delivered as a ‘DIY’ option, but there are other tools on the market to give your conference an extra spark.  Here are just a couple of them:

• Online technology (such as Clear’s Reply Plus Audience Response System, a real-time feedback package) allows delegates to participate by voting when asked, or even by sending through questions or comments during sessions.  What’s more the content is stored and can be used at a later date, so you don’t lose the value of the feedback . It’s very visual and as a delegate you feel far more a part of the party than if you’re sitting there listening and making notes.  However it does takes careful management (and a very relaxed podium team!) to make real use of the technology, and it can be a victim of its own success – the more people contribute, the less chance each has of being featured.  (This is where the ability to revisit content later is not just handy but essential!)

• Games can be a great way of getting people involved and ensuring they leave the event with some fun ideas or memories.  There are a number of people on the market who will provide or even come and set up fun games for your delegates.  Once again it can be costly and difficult to manage, particularly for a large group –and as with most activity-based stuff, you need to spend time making sure people actually make the link with ‘real life’!

• Out-of-the-ordinary activities – my favourite by a long way is drumming.  This is a really powerful way to get people working together, breaking down barriers, as everybody gets to make a noise together and the effect is always remarkably uplifting.  The downside is that you need specialist facilitators – it’s not just a question of making the session fun but of making sure delegates get the link between bashing a plastic tube for two hours and being more effective in the workplace!

So which approach is best?  It all depends on what you are trying to achieve.  Your first question has to be, ‘What do I want people to do as a result of this conference?’  Are you trying to educate them, bring them together as a team, prepare them to handle change or even challenge their mindset?  The clearer you are on what you want people doing at the end of the event, the more chance you have of selecting the right interactive element.

But whichever route you go down, the more you get your audience involved, the more fun they’ll have – and the more chance that they’ll still be talking about your event six months down the line!

If you want more ideas for interactive events or how to make your conferences more engaging, drop me an email at gmw@clearpresentations.com