--- title: "Behavioral Science: Know Your Event’s Attendees" id: "15332" type: "post" slug: "behavioral-science-know-your-events-attendees" published_at: "2013-01-14T18:56:05+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:27:58+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/14/behavioral-science-know-your-events-attendees/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/14/behavioral-science-know-your-events-attendees.md" excerpt: "PCMA uses behavioral science for a comprehensive report on meeting attendees. Also: As e-book sales slow down, the industry reexamines the future of print." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "attendee behavior" - "event planning" - "Meetings" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Behavioral Science: Know Your Event’s Attendees Can you use behavioral science to improve your event planning? PCMA’s latest study shows you how. That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links: **Give psych a chance:** Thanks to PCMA Education Foundation’s report “[The Appliance of Science: 39 Ways to Improve Your Meetings (opens in a new tab)](http://www2.pcma.org/docs/pdf/39-ways-to-improve-your-meetings.pdf) ” [PDF], you don’t have to be a geek to apply science to your next meeting. The study is based on behavior and attitudes of meeting attendees. According to [this article from Engage365 (opens in a new tab)](http://www.engage365.org/2013/01/10/new-report-from-pcma-education-foundation-reveals-scientific-ways-to-enhance-attendee-experience/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Engage365+(Engage365)) , PCMA used research and historical data from the Harvard Medical School and Carnegie Mellon University. The company says that analyzing this data is worth your time: “Deciphering what really matters to attendees and improving their performance at meetings may be even more difficult than planners think, particularly if they are making assumptions instead of using information generated from in-depth scientific studies,” they explain. **Don’t plan to say goodbye to books just yet:** A Pew Research Center survey finds it unlikely that e-books will replace print, an impressive revelation after years of talk that print would be dead in the next couple of years. This WSJ article, [“Don’t Burn Your Books—Print Is Here to Stay,” (opens in a new tab)](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323874204578219563353697002.html) dives into the results, suggesting e-books will just become an alternative form of learning, not a substitute for print. According to Pew, nearly 90 percent of e-book readers continue to read physical volumes. “E-books, in other words, may turn out to be just another format—an even lighter-weight, more disposable paperback. That would fit with the discovery that once people start buying digital books, they don’t necessarily stop buying printed ones,” the article notes. Last year, our very own Ernie Smith [reported on a similar study](http://associationsnow.com/2012/12/the-kindles-sales-are-fading-long-live-e-books/) from the IDC, examining the future of e-readers. How can associations take advantage of this type of market change? **Get the scoop from the digital monarch:**Amy Jo Martin is (almost) literally digital royalty. Her company, Digital Royalty (see what we mean?), is dedicated to social media strategy and digital integration, mostly for corporate and entertainment brands as well as professional athletes. Hear from the monarch herself on embracing change and mistakes, innovation and entrepreneurship in this [interview with CMSwire (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/digital-royalty-founder-amy-jo-martin-on-social-business-entrepreneurship-gender-nmx-019107.php) . What cool stuff have you been reading today? Let us know in the comments. (Maciej Frolow/Photodisc/Thinkstock) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Tags: [#attendee behavior](https://associationsnow.com/tag/attendee-behavior/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F01%2F14%2Fbehavioral-science-know-your-events-attendees%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !