Social Media Roundup: Welcoming In Your First-Time Attendees

Make first-time attendees feel welcome among your conference community. Plus: secrets to tradeshow success.

Conference newbies need a little help getting going—the right push could be what encourages them to sign up and return for a second event.

The details, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Help your Newbies

Engaging Conference Attendees At Hello Results In Big Rewards http://t.co/9Mu0ZZcsNO  (opens in a new tab) #pcma  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— Dave Lutz (@VelChain) November 22, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

Keep the first time from being the last time: Attendees have taken their first step—they’re on the conference floor. The next step, however, is up to you: You need to make them feel welcome so they’ll return. That’s especially true if they’re first-time conference-goers, writes Midcourse Correction’s Dave Lutz  (opens in a new tab). Among his suggestions: Make a positive first impression. For example, Lutz points out how the iPad presentation software app Haiku Deck sends out a personalized email from the CEO after download—a similar approach could be useful at an event. Encourage mingling among first-timers and loyal attendees, he suggests. By actively engaging them, you can make them feel a part of the conference community. How do you make your first time attendees feel welcome? (ht @VelChain  (opens in a new tab))

Slap on the Smile

Travelling abroad for a trade show? @Inc  (opens in a new tab) list 4 ways you can dominate at the big event. http://t.co/sdkGtlqqaT  (opens in a new tab)

— Fly Away Travel (@Flyaway_travel) November 21, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

Tradeshow tips: Here’s a little something for the industry partners out there looking for some secrets to wowing attendees on the tradeshow floor. Writing for Inc.com, Laura Montini says  (opens in a new tab) that if you “can make them laugh and send them home with something of your company’s, there’s a chance that they’ll remember you.” (Why not have them flaunt your tote bag?) Montini suggests that you research the tradeshow before it starts, identifying who you want to talk to before even getting there. The post-tradeshow follow-up is where the hard work comes in: Writing down key details from each meeting, sending individual emails (mentioning a child’s name, a game they’re going to that weekend) to show your personal interest while reminding them who you are. (ht @Flyaway_travel  (opens in a new tab))

What are your tips to get the most out of tradeshows? Tell us in the comments.

(iStock/Thinkstock)