Curator of your community
By Danica Tormohlen , Society of Independent Show Organisers ( SISO ) publisher and editor-in-chief
s the event industry
A continues to emerge from the pandemic , one of the biggest buzz words for B2C events in 2022 is : Community . After two years of isolation , there ’ s pent-up demand to connect in-person with like-minded individuals and brands . How is your organisation embracing community for your sector ?
“ As event producers during the pandemic , we transformed our businesses by creating a deeper connection with our partners , sponsors , exhibitors and attendees ,” said Michelle Metter , partner , Fast Forward Events , producer of B2B and B2C events like the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival . When her community couldn ’ t come together in-person at events , she says : “ We had to find ways to create more value for our communities .”
To share ideas about development and innovation , the SISO Consumer Events SIG ( special interest group ) recently hosted a Think Tank to talk about the role community plays in today ’ s evolving event landscape . Here are six key takeaways :
1 . Be the mayor of your community . “ The key to creating good communities is to be a leader ,” said David Adler , chairman and founder , BizBash . “ It ’ s about inspiring your audience by providing creative ideas . It ’ s not just about providing transactional content or one-way communication . Your audience won ’ t seek your content if they are not inspired .”
2 . Find the right people for your community . “ We are in the information industry . It means that people come to us for the right information . It ’ s about trying to get the right people to share the right stuff with other people ,” said Michael Weiss , co-founder , Ai4 , producer of Ai4 2022 . To build community for new show launches in the cryptocurrency market , she said : “ Most of my time is spent thinking about who are the right people to include in our brands . Knowing the key leaders to invite is half the battle .”
3 . Be true to your brand . What is your brand ’ s personality ? “ If your show were a human being , what would that human being be ? Try thinking about your event as a living , breathing entity ,” Adler recommended .
4 . Convert virtual community to IRL . During the pandemic , many event producers expanded their communities online . “ Our community grew by leaps and bounds because we were able to reach much deeper into markets that typically don ’ t come to our live events ,” said Metter , who launched a subscription streaming service for her community . “ The streaming platform was an affordable way for people to come in and get content , and sponsors paid to have access to this audience .” Now she ’ s hoping to convert those new community members to attendees at her inperson events .
5 . Create value for your community . What benefits and privileges can you offer your community members ? Think awards programmes , meetups , networking and walls of recognition . To create interest and engagement from top brass in the industry , fast forward developed Mentorship Circles to
Below : San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival connect leaders with mentees . In addition to Zoom roundtables and breakouts once a quarter , “ the pullthrough is mentors have to commit to coming to the live conference for one-on-ones with mentees ,” Metter said . Others , like Weiss , are looking at how they can offer NFTs and other value-adds in the metaverse .
6 . Think local . “ Partners , like local business groups and chambers of commerce , are critical ,” said Steve Corrick , CEO , North America , for Comexposium , which produces the Franchise Expos in New York , Phoenix , Houston and Fort Lauderdale , FL . “ Reach out to local media ,” said Martha Donato , president , MAD Event Management , which produces Long Beach Comic Con and other events . “ They can be effective in driving awareness locally and even nationally .”
“ Whether you are building community on LinkedIn or the metaverse , it takes time ,” Metter added . “ It takes intention . It takes a clear goal in mind . For us , goodwill , care for our industry and leadership are important , but we are also intentional about driving profits and revenue .”
Want to know more ? Watch the one-hour webinar video discussion on SISO ’ s web site : www . siso . org EW
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