Don’t Put ‘Em to Sleep: Recapture Your Audience’s Attention

When the sound of snoring is all you hear during your conference sessions, it’s time to find out where the disconnect lies between you and your audience.

Hints on insightful input you can provide, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

“Now What Was the Point of That?”

Don’t let your members leave your meetings wondering any of these things! #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) http://t.co/GDCl0O7cLo  (opens in a new tab)

— MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) April 15, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

A bored audience is every event planner’s nightmare. MemberClicks’ Sarah Hill knows  (opens in a new tab) it’s impossible to cater to each attendee’s interests, but she notes the five things they should glean from the event.

Providing contact information for attendees who might want to get in touch with you afterward and requesting volunteers for special committees are great ways to boost engagement, Hill writes. And since you can’t read minds, be sure to ask for feedback: “Always schedule a few minutes to open the floor up to questions or send a follow-up email double-checking that everyone got the input they needed.” (ht @MemberClicks  (opens in a new tab))

iHide-and-iSeek

An #iBeacon  (opens in a new tab) Scavenger Hunt for Your Event? Here’s What’s Involved http://t.co/SEIfWi7o7C  (opens in a new tab) by @briand  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)

— Julius Solaris (@tojulius) April 16, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

On the hunt: At last week’s MacWorld/iWorld event, it was all about the budding Apple iBeacon platform.

The location-services technology alerts applications via Bluetooth when users are near a particular location. And, just as you’d expect, a conference that’s all about Apple took an innovative scavenger-hunt approach to the technology  (opens in a new tab), according to Event Manager Blog contributor Brian Duggan.

The use of location-based technology is becoming increasingly popular among marketers and event planners, and it was on full display at the event. Conference organizers used an app that is already on everyone’s phone, Passbook, and stored content for the hunt that iBeacon automatically picked up when attendees were near each station.

However, Duggan notes, there were downsides to the approach—particularly on the technical end with the Bluetooth implementation and the use of QR codes.

“Maybe it was just because of all the other devices in the neighborhood, and sometimes a phone restart made everything all right, but the project was not without its need for some tech support (and some forgiveness!),” Duggan writes. (ht @tojulius  (opens in a new tab))

Have you considered a location-aware approach for your event app? Offer your take in the comments.

Don’t put audience members to sleep. (photo by William Warby/Flickr)