- Article courtesy of The Townhouse Hotel
It’s so easy to overlook social media when organising a conference and it is often added only as an after-thought. The reality is that with a little planning and strategy, it can be a powerful tool that will help promote your event and allow you to engage with your attendees and their networks.
Tracey Bisset, Conferencing Manager at Townhouse Hotel, says: “We’ve seen a big increase in attendees using their smartphones during conferences over the last few years. That is why we have invested in state of the art facilities to encourage conference organisers to make the most of attendees’ connectivity. We have also ensured our website is completely responsive, so it can easily be viewed on smartphones and tablets.”
“Hotels and the conferencing industry are closely entwined, and with that in mind we’ve compiled the following top social media tips for conference organisers to maximise their online reach.”
Engage with your audience – Social media is the perfect platform to interact with your audience – ask questions, answer queries and provide information in real time. This interaction will be seen by people who are not necessarily attending your conference, thus creating awareness within that audience. Even if you’re just answering questions, the interaction creates exposure.
Limit your social media channels – Pick one or two platforms and put all your efforts into those. Its best to choose a channel your audience uses the most. Limiting your platforms also allows for easy tracking and monitoring throughout the conference. Keeping it simple is key.
Broadcast handles and hashtags – Make sure your audience knows exactly what your social media handles are and what the event hashtag is. This makes it easy to talk about the event on their social media channels. Print it on their conferencing packs or include it in your slides and encourage them to share their experiences.
Try live video – With apps Periscope, Meerkat and Facebook video streaming is extremely popular. Video content on social media receives almost 30% more views than a text post, so why not broadcast clips of key speakers or exciting moments? Townhouse Hotel offers fast, free Wi-Fi to get your message across.
Check in to your location – While the event is in progress, all attendees will be in one specific location. Make sure your Facebook page’s address is the same as your conference venue, so that attendees can “check in” and show it to all their friends on Facebook. Spreading the word about your conference has never been easier.
Enjoy the conference – Even though it’s your conference, you should have fun too. Step away from the computer, lift your head from your smartphone and take the time to speak to your attendees about their experience.
Bisset concludes: “The social media world is so dynamic, that’s why it’s so important that event and conference organisers stay up to date with trends and developments in the social media space.”
For more information about the Townhouse Hotel, email eventsmanager@townhouse.co.za, call 021 465 7050, visit http://www.townhouse.co.za/
