ABPCO Column
Your event’s most important quality might be
the one most difficult to measure, says ABPCO’s
Heather Lishman
LIKE SO MANY intangible
concepts, the meaning of
legacy is different for
different people.
However, there are
some basics we can all
agree on — association
events should
recognise that success
is about being bigger
than the event itself,
with content created
to have a far-reaching,
positive and meaningful impact.
In an ideal situation, a legacy changes
something for the better. Depending on
your audience, that could mean changing
the mindset of one person, or it could mean
changing the world. Ultimately, legacy is not
a one size fits all concept — it is personal
and relevant to each individual and their
specific needs.
To truly define whether or not an event
has a positive meaningful legacy, we
must first establish what that looks like
for an association through the creation of
objectives, goals and KPIs. Some — such as
financial results, delegate attendance, or
media reach — are easy to identify in terms
of hard facts and figures.
Others are less tangible and harder to
establish, such as determining whether or
not the event benefitted those in the room
and beyond it. Ask yourself: is your event
about the relationships built in the room,
or is it about messages and content? To
truly understand the positive meaningful
legacy of an event, we need to understand
why we are holding it and what organisers,
attendees and the wider world can hope to
benefit from it.
The most obvious benefit is knowledge
exchange: without some form of
communication an event is, in most cases, a
waste of time. That communication can be
from organiser to delegate, from delegate to
www.aenetwork.co.uk
delegate
or even those
at the event
communicating to an
external audience.
Whether it is formal or informal, ideas
must be shared, networks must be built and
relationships must be developed
if an event is to have any form of tangible
legacy. Whatever the channel, the ability to
share and disseminate content long after
an event has finished adds huge value, and
creates a significant opportunity to develop
a long-term legacy.
It might sound cynical, but it’s true: in
the commercial world we all need to justify
our existence, whether at an individual
or organisational level. We all need to
demonstrate value to our audiences.
When it comes to events, a meaningful
positive legacy is crucial, and one we should
all be looking to achieve. This is why ABPCO
describes itself as “proud to enable human
enrichment through face to face gatherings.”
“Ask yourself:
is your event
about the
relationships
built in the room,
or is it about
messages and
content?”
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