Meetings

Thursday Buzz: Falling Down on the Twitter Job

Pitfalls event planners should avoid if they want to keep their social feeds working for them during the event. Also: The pros and cons of sharing conference venues with another association.

Have a Twitter feed running for your event? Good for you. But simply being on social media during an event isn’t enough, argues BrightBull’s Ricardo Molina.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen quite a few examples of event companies jumping on the social bandwagon, just to have a presence,” he notes. “They’re not using it to add value, engage with their audience or even post interesting things about their events—they just populate it with links to their registration pages, standard event information which could be easily sourced online, and repeat tweets of their updates.”

If that sounds like your event, be sure to read Molina’s tips, which include this one that might be of particular use to associations: Don’t forget about your speaker until the day of the event.

“Conference speakers are typically well connected, articulate, and in most cases social media savvy individuals,” he emphasizes. “Assuming that they’ll only want to participate at their allotted time in the conference program is a rookie mistake.”

Should You Share?

Setting up a split conference with another association could prove a huge financial benefit to both associations. That said, it’s important to know the pros and cons, according to MemberClicks’ Sarah Hill.

“Splitting the rent is a huge deal, and cutting costs may mean that a more convenient or trendier spot could fit into your budget,” she explains, noting that it can even drive beneficial crossover traffic and collaboration.

But there’s a down sides, too. For one thing, it can be confusing for attendees. For another, you might find yourself dealing with a ton of party crashers—or worse, a ton of people in general.

“Ultimately it’s up to you if the pros outweigh the cons. There’s nothing wrong with seeking out your own space! It’s expected and you never HAVE to share if you don’t want to or it doesn’t work with your association,” Hill emphasizes. (ht @MemberClicks)

Other Links of Note

Building software on the wrong platform can cost a bundle to fix, according to CMS Wire.

Finding the new interface of Google’s Inbox platform to be pretty snazzy? You’re not alone, but if you want to figure out how to maximize that experience, check LifeHacker.

Thinking of taking your association to the cloud? On LinkedIn Pulse, OSIbeyond President and CEO Payam Pourkhomami notes the considerations you should have in mind when making such a move.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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