Managing Attendees During and After Your Event

S&A Cherokee’s meetings and events staff have coordinated everything from international, multi-day conferences (Canada counts as international, right?) and annual meetings to awards banquets and retail store grand openings.

Over the years they’ve compiled best practices for communicating with attendees throughout the entire process from registration to follow-up. In last month’s S&A Cherokee newsletter, we addressed pre-event attendee communications. This month well take a look at what to do during and after the event.

During the Event

“The key to easing a lot of attendee confusion is signage, signage, signage!” says Marilu McQuilkin, S&A Cherokee’s director of meetings and events. “Probably the number one question we get is, ‘Where is the so-and-so room?’ Having plenty of directional signage on-site should address that.”

McQuilkin also recommends using signage that employs the same logos, font and colors from pre-conference marketing. Not only does it help brand your event, but consistent signage also serves as visual cues for your attendees.

Setting up a Help Desk at big events is a must. Attendees will ask you just about anything, so anticipate and be prepared to answer questions like: How long is this session? Where is the workshop? Can I get a receipt for my expense report? Where are the bathrooms?

After the Event

Post-event surveys are a great way to gather feedback. Here are some items to consider including in your follow-up communications:

• Thank attendees for coming
• Ask what you did right and what you can do better
• Ask for testimonials for future event marketing
• Provide dates for your next event
• Provide speaker presentation slides if promised
• Provide the registered attendee list if promised
• Give incentive for completing the survey (e.g., contest for prize or credit for next event)

To discover how S&A Cherokee can help with your meetings and events needs, contact us for a free consultation at (919) 674-6020.