Then, on the second day, there is the big announcement. Usually, it is accompanied by a video that has a lot of footage from the local convention bureau showing the amazing location. Drone shots of the city. Fireworks on a bridge (if it has one). Theme parks and outdoor activities. Laughing people having fun dining out, doing amazing things and everyone looking fabulous.
Next year, the excitement builds because we are going to this amazing destination and we can’t wait to take advantage of it and see the sights. We get to the conference and then it is solid learning sessions 9-5 and sometimes later. No fireworks on the bridge. Hardly any bungy jumping. Not much touring around the city at all.
And so we find, too often, the most underutilised element of any event is the location.
Why travel somewhere exotic only to be locked in a conference room all day? The worst I experienced was a conference at an amazing destination in Asia. It was in all the promo material and the event was in the basement with no windows in what was, essentially, a concrete bunker.
People want experiences – destinations have them built in. Experiences build memories, memories trigger fond emotions, fond emotions keep delegates coming back year after year.
Make sure at your next event to take advantage of the location. It may cost a little extra so look to get it sponsored or consider how many extra delegates it will attract. No delegate has ever left a conference saying “Oh I wish there was more content”. (Usually they say “Oh my brain is full”.) So reach out to the convention bureau, the venue and your contacts to discover what fun experiences or locations you can take advantage of to really make your event memorable.
Your delegates will love you for it.
Warwick Merry is a global award-winning event host and event evangelist. For 25 years he has been hosting and producing online, hybrid and in-person events. He is the host of the Making Events Awesome livestream and Making Events Awesome group.
