Tuesday Buzz: A Convention Center’s Funny Ad

Hartford's Connecticut Convention Center uses a hilarious new video to promote the city as a great destination for conferences and events. Also: How to use employee email to increase conversion.

When you think of dream destinations to host your next annual meeting, Hartford, Connecticut, is probably not at the top of your list.

But a satirical and funny new video from the Connecticut Convention Center shines a light on many of the great things about the city in hopes of changing your opinion, reports the Hartford Courant.

The video showcases the bars, restaurants, arts, and culture of Hartford, as well as the convenience and amenities of the convention center. The clip, starring actor Jeremy White, also takes a bit of a stab at boring conferences.

“Now I’m not saying the National Association of Underwater Horticulture is a boring event, just that we’ve got a lot of really great bars for after the conference,” actor Jeremy White says in the clip—while dressed as a bartender.

(There is no National Association of Underwater Horticulture.)

“A lot of people wouldn’t necessarily think of Hartford or Connecticut as a tourist destination, but there’s all these other things around,” said Annika Deming, the center’s communications manager.

The video is gaining some virality on social media. Since being posted on Facebook last week, it has received more than 16,000 views and been shared about 130 times. A nod to the fact that short, high-quality videos perform well on Facebook and can help any organization spread its message.

Signature Conversion

Email is one of the best ways to reach members and potential donors, but you may be missing out on a valuable piece of email real estate: employee email signatures.

“Your employees interact with prospective customers, current customers, job candidates, partners, vendors, and industry influencers daily on a personal, one-on-one basis—and they already have valuable, authentic relationships with these important contacts,” writes Brad Beutler in a recent post for HubSpot.

Take advantage of these contacts by giving all email recipients an opportunity to learn about your priority initiatives. Add a call-to-action banner in the signature space to promote a conference, share a whitepaper, drive webinar sign-ups, and more.

Other Links of Note

Are you prioritizing desktop technology over mobile? CMSWire reveals why you shouldn’t.

A spreadsheet is not enough to tell the true story of your organization’s impact. A Classy blog post discusses the power of storytelling.

Increase your exposure. Blue Avocado shares several ways to promote your group’s cause.

(YouTube clip)

Raegan Johnson

By Raegan Johnson

Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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