One of the trends I wrote about in my January 1, 2021, column was that virtual engagement with members through e-conventions and expos, webinars, meetings, hybrids and the like will continue to be a part of an association’s service offerings.
As we in the association community now know in organizing virtual events, it is not the delivery platform that matters most; it is the content, design and production woven into a total member experience. Associations that conduct virtual events need to rethink, redesign and reimagine how online programs can enhance knowledge dissemination, attendee participation and peer networking. Simply plugging in your “old” face-to-face program agenda into a virtual platform will no longer work as attendees nowadays have become discerning and demanding.
This quest for great attendee experience reminds me of the webinar, “Redesigning for Engagement in a Virtual Environment,” organized by the Asia-Pacific branch of the Chicago, Illinois-based Professional Convention Management Association last September 2020. The resource person, Elaine Ann, founder and director of Kaizor Innovation, a strategic innovation consultancy, provided a framework using the acronym “VISUAL” to emphasize the need to further boost attendee experience.
“VISUAL” stands for:
V for Visual: The attention span of an attendee is getting less and less. Based on studies, presentations with graphics and visuals are much better retained by attendees than text-heavy ones.
I for Interactive: Having attendee participation via Q&A, polls or games is also found to be an effective way of drawing and retaining attention.
S for Surprise: An element of surprise, e.g., audience participation, breakout room ‘meet and greet,’ giveaways and others, provides attendees with more memories of the event.
U for User-centricity: The whole virtual event needs to have users (your members and other attendees) at the center of everything you do in organizing and delivering the program.
A for Audio: Nothing beats great visuals plus great sounds and acoustics for any event, especially virtual events.
L for Learning focus: In the end, attendees have to have great takeaways from the educational sessions of the event.
In the last 16 months, many virtual association events saw increased attendance, attracting members and non-member participants alike in different time zones around the globe. Part of this growth – which has improved the reach and brand asset of association-organizers – can be significantly attributed to free or reduced registration pricing, as well as to continuing innovation in event design, content and production systems.
Last year, attendees, sponsors and exhibitors were more forgiving of virtual events of associations than they will be this 2021. This is because they have already experienced “screen fatigue” and will have a much higher expectation this year, especially virtual events that demand investment in time, energy and money. Thus, it is imperative for associations to design their virtual events to attract attendees who will help improve their long-term sustainability.
So use this opportunity to re-assess your virtual event offerings by considering this simple “VISUAL” experience framework.
The column contributor, Octavio ‘Bobby’ Peralta, is concurrently the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific, Founder & CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives and President of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations. The purpose of PCAAE—the “association of associations”—is to advance the association management profession and to make associations well-governed and sustainable. PCAAE enjoys the support of Adfiap, the Tourism Promotions Board, and the Philippine International Convention Center. E-mail: [email protected]