Get More Impact From Your Annual Conference

How can you get more attention for your conference and your association? Use some of these Power Marketing? tips and ideas. It won't cost much. It just takes a creative approach. The payoff can be huge. First, see everything as a marketing opportunity. Second, enlighten all staff and every member to realize their responsibility in marketing the association. Third, read "Secrets of Power Marketing".

There are many ideas here. If you are already using some - wonderful! Try some new ideas this year.

Before:

Contact the local media. Offer the press interviews with your expert members - about the association issues and importance to the local community. Send your media package to the media before you arrive. Include information about your association, your publication, your conference outline, and key contact names for interviews. Ask the local convention bureau to help establish contact. Then follow-up.

Get more value from your speakers. Ask your high profile speakers to donate a speech to a school, charity group, service group, community association or city hall. You might be spending several thousand dollars for their presentation and travel. Ask them for a little bit more. Offer the speaker a token amount to do this additional community work on behalf of your association. Make sure the attendees to this community speech know you are the sponsor. And tell the media.

Ask your speakers to do media interviews. Get a media kit from each. Give them your media contacts and encourage them to contact the media directly. Remind your speakers to talk about your association when they are interviewed.

Connect with the local community. Invite local students from the high schools, college or university to attend (free) portions of your conference. Make contact with teachers, professors, or department heads. Ask your host chapter to arrange this. The teachers might select the students or you might hold a contest to pick the winners.

Arrange an event with a local school, group or charity. Contact the university, college, high schools, Junior achievement, Chamber of Commerce or charity. Ask what you can do for them to help their cause and issues.

During: Send post cards to your members who did not attend. Give every attendee five post cards to mail. Buy local tourist shots or custom print them. "Wish you were here."

Feed the media. Write a news release each day. Collect advice and quotes from your speakers and attendees and send it to the media each day. Send information to the local radio and TV hosts - all of them - especially the weather announcers - they are always trying to be entertaining. Conduct interviews of the person in the street. What do they think of "members of your association?" Publish these comments in a news release and on your web-site.

Make it easy for the media. Post a "Media check in" sign at the registration table. Assign one or more of your people to help the media when they arrive. Pick up the local papers and magazines. Add the names and addresses of editors and reporters to your media database.

Create a newsworthy event. Plant a tree - plant 100 trees, offer free financial advice to unwed mothers, clean up a park, give a seminar for small business, give advice for the unemployed. Do something in a public place that gets attention. Grant an honorary membership or award to some distinguished member of that community. Get all attendees to sign a gigantic thank you note and present it to the mayor for being such a wonderful host. Think photo opportunity.

Give each of your attendees business cards to distribute that read - "Hello - I am a member of the xxx Association attending our annual conference in your fine city. I gave you this card because your smile, service, attention, helped make my day."

Make local contact. Arrange for your president and executive director to meet the mayor for lunch or breakfast. Arrange breakfast or lunch between some of your high profile members and prominent members of that community. Visit the President or CEO of local companies who may have or should have members in your association.

After:

Encourage your attendees to call three members who did not attend and tell them what they missed.

Summarize the conference - the highlights and best ideas. And why the location was perfect. Send it to the local media, your members and post on your web-site. Write letters to the editors of the local media. What you loved about the location and people or what you disliked. Encourage your attendees to do the same. Make copies of all media coverage for next year's media kit. Put in on your web-site. Log all media coverage you received and post on your web site.

Ask the mayor to write a letter of introduction to the mayor of next year's conference.

And you thought it would be a vacation. It is a marketing opportunity!

About The Author

© George Torok is co-author of the national best-seller, "Secrets of Power Marketing". Torok is a Radio Show host, consultant and keynote speaker. He can be reached at 800-304-1861. For more information about his programs visit http://www.Torok.com.

info@torok.com

---

Quality Standards with ISO 9001

Standardizing Quality SystemsThe ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was... Read More

Poly Bags and Pallet Shrouds - Just Get it Right

For many companies, procuring the right packaging, such as Poly... Read More

Crisis Management Tips

The term crisis management has different connotations. In this article,... Read More

Quality Improvement is Free

The point of a quality improvement program should not only... Read More

Business Innovation ? Organizational Culture

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching

Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training... Read More

Business Innovation ? Ignoring Content

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Counseling Interviews for the Marginal Employee

ACTIVE LISTENING: The most frequent cause of failure in therapeutic... Read More

The Leadership Imperative: Making Your Leadership Your Life

Nearly all leaders I've encountered are underachievers. They're getting a... Read More

Credibility - A Golden Key to Becoming More Influential

You have been named a new leader in your organization,... Read More

50 Great Ways to Motivate and Not Break the Bank

Quick, Easy, and Even Fun! 1. Smile, say "Hi! How... Read More

Problems with Group Decision Making

DECISION BY AUTHORITY RULE: Many groups start out with-or quickly... Read More

Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!

As a business asset, they don't sit well on the... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Organizational Structure of Our Growing Business

This article relates to the organizational structure competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

How To Get What You Really Want

As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's... Read More

Classifying Motivational Needs

While there exist several useful definitions of motivation, for our... Read More

6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives

These factors where determined by interviews with and books from... Read More

Human Resources: The Misidentified Subject

Interest in the field of human resources has exploded in... Read More

Eight Key Steps to Building B2B Major Account Client Alliances

Audiences who saw the fabled Broadway musical, Chorus Line, marveled... Read More

Keep The Faith - Transform The Fear

FEAR! To what extent does fear rule your life? How... Read More

Making Your Workers Your Partners

There is an inherent conflict between owners and managers of... Read More

Inventory Management 101

Inventory management may seem complicated to some, but if one... Read More

Rapid Culture Change is Possible

Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success... Read More

Setting Clearer Performance Expectations

The annual performance review.Stating this phrase guarantees some reaction for... Read More

Vampire Meetings and How To Slay Them

Meetings can be like mythical vampires ? sucking the life... Read More

Why Do Managers Create Low Morale? Or Does My Bum Look Big In This?

Why do managers create low morale as a product of... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Responsibility for Job Security

This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

Create Your Dashboard for Success

Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital... Read More

5 Management Decision Making Lessons from a Long Shot. A Heartening Belmont Victory

Like many, I watched the 134th Belmont Stakes hoping to... Read More

Invite Self-Managed Staff

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to... Read More

How To Conduct Effective Meetings

Before you call your next meeting, the FIRST step is... Read More

A Facilitators Guide to Running a Stakeholder Analysis Workshop

This facilitator's guide to running a stakeholder analysis workshop is... Read More

Leading Meetings: The Top Three Challenges

What do people really find challenging about leading meetings? Here... Read More