Matrix Group International

Tag: Virtual Meetings

An Example of a Really Great Event Registration Email Confirmation

A couple of weeks ago, I got invited by my buddy Heinan Landa, CEO of Optimal Networks, to an event by CADRE, which bills itself as “a way for elite professionals to learn from the top experts in the world, while connecting and developing meaningful relationships with like-minded peers.”

The event itself was lovely, but what I want to highlight today are the wonderful emails that I received after registering for the event. Usually, I get a nice, neutral, thank you email confirming my registration and payment. Instead, I got a plain text email that was clearly a canned email, but it was really effective. I loved that it was plain text, and the email read like it came from a real person. There was even an offer to introduce me to other attendees.

So what did I do?

I replied to Derek’s email, introduced myself and took him up on his offer to connect me with some other attendees. And you know what? He was true to his word and I got introduced to someone who I was delighted to meet because we have things in common.

Imagine this: CADRE got engagement from me prior to the event, which made my interactions during the event even more meaningful. My takeaway is this: revisit your event confirmation emails. Are you merely confirming payment or connecting with your attendees? Are you just confirming attendance or giving attendees a genuine opportunity to start interacting with you? Are you making them feel welcome?

I say act like an undercover meeting attendee and review all of your event emails. What will you find?

March 31, 2022
Elevate Your Next Conference with a Professional Emcee
Want to elevate your next in person or virtual conference? Consider hiring a professional emcee!

Rachel Sheerin emceeing the 2021 SQF Unites Conference

We recently hosted the SQF Unites conference for the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) in BeSpeake, our virtual meeting platform. SQFI wanted to elevate their virtual conference and ensure that their attendee journeys were meaningful and intuitive. To help with this, SQFI hired a professional emcee named Rachel Sheerin.

And boy did Rachel do her part to elevate virtual SQF Unites!
- Rachel recorded several welcome videos that were featured on the home page of the BeSpeake virtual platform before and during the conference.
- Every morning of the conference, Rachel did a “highlights” session, during which she previewed the day’s events, gave tips for getting the most out of the day, and showed people how to navigate the platform and features.
- Rachel was the host and moderator for the keynote sessions.
- Rachel was also the host and moderator for several hour-long sessions that featured mini-sessions from conference sponsors.
Throughout the entire conference, Rachel added commentary, insight and guidance. Best of all, she was in tune with all of the content, tying together sessions with quotes and common themes.

During an in person conference, I sometimes find myself a little lost. I’m not sure which sessions to attend, I struggle to find the best way to get to lunch or the exhibit hall, and I wonder how to bring the knowledge I’m gaining back to my company.

During the virtual SQFI Unites conference, Rachel didn’t just serve as emcee to whichever session she was hosting, she served as the overall guide to the entire conference experience. She was both dynamic and helpful. It was clear attendees appreciated Rachel because of all the love she got in the chat of each session.

Whether you’re doing an in person, virtual or hybrid conference, think about whether and how a professional emcee can elevate your event and guide your attendees to their best conference experience ever!

And if you’re looking for a great emcee, we can’t recommend Rachel highly enough!
December 3, 2021
Using Video to Promote Your Meetings and Conferences

We all know that video rules. Check out these amazing video statistics from 2021.

I recently attended Non Dues a Palooza (NDaP) in Nashville, TN. NDaP is devoted to helping associations and nonprofits learn new ideas for generating non-dues revenue. Yes, I attended in person and it felt great! Teri Carden, the conference organizer and CEO of 100Reviews, uses video to promote her meetings and make them feel special. Here’s what she did for NDAP:

Ahead of the conference, Teri invited her speakers and attendees to record and share a video about why they were excited to be attending NDaP. Teri used Gather Voices to make this happen. Check out the video promo page. Maybe I’m just a conference marketing geek, but I found the videos compelling and I wanted to watch them all!

When I checked into my hotel, there was a welcome letter from Teri that contained a QR code. The QR code led me to a video from Teri, welcoming me to Nashville, inviting me to the pre-conference happy hour, sharing highlights for the next day, and providing me with contact information if I have questions. In typical Teri fashion, the video was fun, authentic and super helpful.

At the happy hour at the end of the conference, she asked a few attendees to talk about their experience, what they learned, and why they loved the event. These videos were shared in an event debrief put together by Association Briefings (another great touch – more on that later), and it was so fun to hear the takeaways from fellow attendees. And by the way, now she has video marketing material in hand for her next event. Genius!

Whether your next conference is in person or virtual, I’m sure you can use these ideas to promote your event, provide your attendees with useful information, and make all of your attendees feel welcome and special.

September 27, 2021
How the Air and Space Museum is Using Virtual Docents

My younger son and I are listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Andy Weir also wrote The Martian, which was a great movie and an even better book. Both The Martian and Project Hail Mary are adventure books set in space. Both are full of science and science fiction. If you love space stuff and science fiction, buy this book.

Anyway, Project Hail Mary inspired me to take the boys to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum. This museum is full of all types of vehicles that fly: planes, helicopters, amphibious ships, missiles and drones. There’s even a Concorde plane, the space shuttle Discovery, an honest to goodness SR-71 reconnaissance plane (my favorite), and a scale model of a Martian lander and rover.

Whenever we go to Udvar-Hazy, I look forward to speaking with the docents, who are usually (in my experience) knowledgeable and friendly former NASA, Boeing, or Lockheed employees, or just plane or space buffs. Alas, because of COVID, there are no docents available in person.

What the museum instead was probably just as good. Next to the SR-71, Enola Gay and Discovery space shuttle, there were large screens with volunteers in their homes, available to chat with in real-time. I realized this when I walked by the screen by the Enola Gay and Scott said hello. I looked at the screen, said hello and asked him if he was there in real-time. Yep, he was speaking to us from his home in Falls Church, VA. Scott was terrific. He answered our questions about the Enola Gay, like how much did Little Boy weigh, and why were the bombs called Little Boy and Fat Man.

We also spoke with Patricia, who was stationed next to the Discovery space shuttle. And Jim, who was next to the SR-71. Turns out they were all trained to answer questions about pretty much anything in the museum, but our questions were mostly about the ships they were next to.

What a terrific, innovative and surprisingly simple way to bring back docents! All three docents say they are looking forward to being back in person, but I’m wondering if some virtual docents should stick around. Virtual docents could be anywhere in the world; they wouldn’t need to drive to Udvar-Hazy; they could have disabilities that prevent them from driving, standing or walking; they could speak different languages.

Virtual docents are just one thing borne of this pandemic that could/should stick around. I know there are lessons learned and many, many innovations and practices should endure post-pandemic. What do YOU think should stick around?

September 22, 2021
Combine Virtual and In-Person Networking Before Conferences to Increase Engagement
I’m attending Non Dues-a-Palooza (NDAP) next week in Nashville, in person. NDAP is a conference devoted to helping associations and nonprofits increase their non-dues revenue by bringing together execs and solution providers, through case studies and panels. This will be my third NDAP event and I’m pretty excited.

Even though the event will be in person, Teri Carden, the founder of NDAP decided to do a digital drop-in event a week before the actual event. She held a two-hour Zoom meeting and sent out an email to all attendees, asking them to drop in at any time during the two hours to say hello, meet fellow attendees, and share what’s on our minds before we come to Nashville.

I loved this idea because:
- I got to network with some people before the event next week
- I got to schedule coffee with someone I want to do business with
- It was fun to see Teri
- The drop-in got me excited about next week
I think this drop-in event shows that even as we look to a post-pandemic meetings landscape, we can and should continue to mix in person and virtual to create more high-impact events. And as usual, many thanks to Teri for showing us the way!
September 17, 2021
Review of ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting Hybrid Pop-Up in D.C.

I attended the Virtual ASAE Annual Meeting last week. Unlike other virtual meetings I’ve attended recently, this one had a hybrid pop-up strategy. 10 cities hosted half-day in person events. I got to attend the DC pop-up on Monday, August 16. How did it work and was it successful? Here’s my review.

The Venue

The DC pop-up was held at the DC Convention Center. Everyone was required to wear a mask and a guard at the entrance checked everyone’s temperature. I don’t know how many people ultimately attended the pop-up, but it looked like several hundred people.

Registration check-in and a long coffee station were in a long hallway outside the main room. All of the sessions were in one really large room; there were no breakout rooms.

The room was large, with big screens, a big stage, and well spaced tables. Each table had only three chairs so that attendees could distance themselves.

The Program

The pop-up was a half day’s worth of sessions, with half of them virtual, and half in person. The morning started with a watch party. There were two large screens that displayed what was happening virtually, including the welcome, awards, and excellent keynote session by Baratunde Thurston.

After the first couple of hours of viewing, there was a break, during which we could grab coffee and hang out in the hallway. This break clearly wasn’t long enough because the event staff had a tough time corralling everyone back into the big room to attend the in person keynote by Capricia Marshall, former Chief of Protocol for President Obama. I think people were so thrilled to be together that the break could have been 45 minutes and people would have been happier.

After the break, there was a discussion about the future of the industry with ASAE’s Reggie Henry and a couple of execs from Fonteva. This session was in person as well.

For lunch, there were numerous stations for picking up lunch, which was plated but served by staff. We then had to eat back in the big room, socially distanced.

Did the Hybrid Program Work?

I think the hybrid program worked well. The opening session and the keynote were very, very good, with high production value, so they kept our attention. It was a revelation to see a keynote in person and Ms. Marshall was a great storyteller. I did feel, however, that the big room felt a little empty because of the size of the room and the fact that there were only only three people at each table. It felt like some of the energy from the live session dissipated because the room was so cavernous (and cold!).

Ultimately, it was great fun to see friends who I normally see at an ASAE Annual Meeting, like Loretta, Dave, Brian and Gretchen from DelCor, and Reggie from ASAE.

Was It Worth the Time and Money?

It was definitely more of a deal to get dressed and commute into DC to be on time for a 9:15am general session. I’ve forgotten how to wear heels, so it was business casual for me.

It was neat to know that the Capricia Marshall presentation was only available in DC.

I didn’t connect with many association execs, despite my best efforts. I approached people at every opportunity, including the break and at lunch. I even attended the Happy Hour hosted by Association Analytics after the pop-up ended. Despite all that, I only met two association execs (I met a lot of vendors).

So was the in person pop-up worth the time and money? I’m gonna say a qualified yes.

The Future of Meetings

I know that every meeting planner and leadership team is thinking hard about the future of meetings and events. Can we really go back to all in person? What hybrid strategy will work? Is hybrid affordable? Will virtual or hybrid extend the reach of associations and their education efforts?

The ASAE Annual Meeting was a terrific experiment and I’m glad I attended.

August 27, 2021
What Have We Learned About Creating Engaging Meetings from Virtual Conferences?
Heinan Landa (CEO of Optimal Networks) asked me last week: As we’re slowly returning to the office and in-person meetings, what lessons from 15 months of virtual meetings should endure?

It’s a great question. Over the past year, I’ve had many clients bemoan virtual, but I’ve also had many clients express joy over the benefits of virtual. Here are lessons that I hope will endure:

Higher Quality Sessions

It sounds really weird to say this because organizations that put on conferences are devoted to offering high quality education. And yet, a few clients were surprised at how lackluster some of their sessions were. I heard things like, “Gosh, we used to select speakers, tell them when and where to show up, make sure their tech was working, and leave the room.” But with virtual, more thought has gone into the quality of the sessions to make sure people stay engaged and don’t log off. BeSpeake clients have:
- Paid closer attention to the content and slides.
- Worked with their speakers to add interactive elements, from polls to contests.
- Coached speakers to become better presenters.
ALL of these lessons should endure past this pandemic!

Better Wayfinding

I’ve been to countless conferences at the Gaylord Resort in Maryland and every time, I get lost. Maybe I’m just navigationally challenged but better signage and more thoughtful grouping of the sessions and events would help me, and, I suspect, many others. With virtual, we worked closely with clients to make sure attendees always knew where to go next, using tools like:
- Welcome and tutorial videos that explain the virtual platform and highlight the “not to be missed” parts of the meeting.
- Putting everything on the program and having sessions disappear (temporarily) from the schedule once they are done. This way, the program always shows you what’s next.
- Brief but clear descriptions and help text.
- Guidance from speakers at the start and close of sessions about what’s next.
- User testing to make sure all of this wayfinding guidance is actually effective.
The next time you’re in person, walk your convention, make sure signage is clear, and coach speakers to tell attendees what’s next!

Intentional Connections and Networking

Conferences are all about connecting with our friends, colleagues and peers. In person, most conference planners organize receptions, some breakouts, and food and drink in the exhibit hall. Virtually, meeting planners have had to work harder to make sure attendees connect with others. We’ve worked with our BeSpeake clients to create opportunities like:
- Morning Coffee, where attendees get matched up with others randomly for a virtual coffee break.
- Extended attendee profiles and better searching.
- Easy to use attendee search and messaging.
- Giving attendees the chance to meet with others in video rooms.
- Breakouts by topic or job function to encourage people to be on video and connect with others.
These virtual connection opportunities don’t work for all attendees. Some attendees are content to focus on the sessions. But for others, these connection opportunities have made it easier than ever to expand their networks and horizons.

In person, perhaps you can make in person conferences less terrifying for first time attendees by doing things like:
- Asking Board and committee members to reach out, walk them through the program, attend a social event with them, and introduce them to a couple of members.
- Creating a welcome or tutorial video to help attendees get the most out of the conference.
Delightful Touches

We’ve worked hard with our clients to make their meetings interesting and delightful. Some things that have worked are:
- Interesting, even fun, pre-roll before sessions. At first, we added pre-roll so attendees would have something interesting to watch when they came in early to sessions. Then we realized pre-roll was a great way to entertain and educate!
- Interesting imagery to evoke a place or theme.
- Polls and contests to add sparkle to a session or break. One client is now known for a great Jeopardy game where the questions are all about their accreditation program!
- One client had a virtual bulletin board where they challenged attendees to share what attendees and their organizations are doing to address racism and health inequities.
In person, ask your speakers to show pre-roll, play music, and start the conversation early. Have places where people can post, share and connect, not just virtually, but also in person!

As my friend Lee Gimpel says, in person meetings aren’t necessarily great: it’s hard to meet people if you’re new, the program can be confusing, and we spend way too much in dark rooms looking at screens and passively watching a speaker.

What have YOU and YOUR ORGANIZATION learned about creating engaging and fun meetings during this pandemic? What lessons will carry over and endure when you go back to in person meetings?
June 15, 2021
How BeSpeake Clients are Adding Fun to their Virtual Meetings

“How do we add fun to our virtual meeting? How do I get people chatting during our sessions? How do we get attendees interacting with each other?

These are just some of the questions we get when we meet with BeSpeake clients each week to plan their virtual meetings. While there’s no magic formula, here are some ideas that have worked well recently:

Jeopardy! FACT does Jeopardy during the morning break of their Workshop and Bootcamp conferences. They created their own questions about their standards and accreditation process, invited three attendees to go live in the virtual studio, and then played the game. The attendees loved it and many of them played along by posting answers in the comments.

Photo roll. AFPM asks attendees to send in photos of themselves attending the conference from their office or home office. The photos are reviewed and the photos edited to add the attendee name and location. Before the general session each morning, the photo roll is played to show members around the world attending the conference.

Jackbox.tv. I love Jackbox and have purchased several of the party packs. Here’s how it works. The person who owns the game (let’s call him the host) chooses one of the many games available, like fibbage or truth or lie. The host shares his screen, which shows the URL that attendees need to navigate to, and the code they need to enter to play the game. Attendees use their phones as their controllers. Some games allow 10 players, while some games allow up to 100 to play. Jackbox is fun and cheap. The party packs start at $12 (period, not per month). Teri Carden of 100 Reviews loves Jackbox, and Matrix Group opened a recent webinar early with some Jackbox.

Musical entertainment. Several clients have booked musical entertainers to perform live or via a pre-recorded session. NAES had a musician/comedian perform at the end of the day, while FMI had a DJ (who happened to be one of their members) use music to interview industry executives.

There’s no limit to the creativity our clients are showing when it comes to creating fun and interactive virtual conferences. We’re sharing these ideas to get you inspired. What fun things have YOU done at your conferences?

Want to create a custom built virtual conference or tradeshow experience that is just as transformative as your in-person events? Contact us today to schedule a private demonstration of the BeSpeake virtual meeting platform.

March 25, 2021
We Need to Bring Back the “Meet” in Meetings

During a kickoff meeting with a new BeSpeake client, I asked this question: What did not work during your annual meeting last year? Answer: While the education offerings were excellent, there were few opportunities for attendees to connect and network, and the few that did exist, were simple text chats.

This client isn’t alone in wanting to add meaningful opportunities for their meeting attendees to connect, talk to each other, catch up, be on video, laugh, say hello. As my friend Lee Gimpel of Better Meetings says, “we need to bring back the ‘meet’ in meetings.” In other words, if your virtual meetings are mostly live or pre-recorded sessions where all attendees can do is comment, you’re not holding a meeting, you’re offering private YouTube videos. Worse, if all or most of your education is pre-recorded, you’re not giving your attendees to attend in real-time because hey, they can watch these videos anytime. Just like YouTube or Netflix.

So what are your options for adding the “meet” to your meetings? In BeSpeake, we have our own web-based video rooms that can be used for breakout rooms, 1-2-1 video meetings, exhibitor sessions, speed networking, cohort groups, and so much more. Clients are finding creative ways to allow attendees to connect with old friends, make new connections, develop business relationships, even strike deals.

One BeSpeake client had a whopping 54% of their attendees participate in break out discussions or 1-2-1 appointment scheduling. In other words, more than half of their attendees participated in an activity where they were on video with other attendees. Wow.

But wait. While 54% is an amazing number, I’m not satisfied. I’m working with my team to get that number even higher and I’ll blog about what we are trying and learning over the next few months.

How about you? What is your organization doing to bring the “meet” back to meetings?

P.S. Lee from Better Meetings will be joining me for a conversation on April 7th at 2pm ET as we dive into “How to Deliver Collaboration and Connection at Conferences.” He has invaluable ideas and insight; I hope you can join us!

March 12, 2021
The ASAE Annual Meeting Goes Virtual; Why This is a Good Decision

I read the email from ASAE (the American Society of Association Executives) yesterday afternoon about the ASAE Annual Meeting. Citing concerns for the health and safety of all members, ASAE Annual, which was supposed to be in person in Dallas, will once again be virtual, coupled with smaller, regional hub gatherings. Ugh. After a year of no in person meetings, I was so looking forward to this conference. I love ASAE Annual. I love the sessions, catching up with friends, the social events, the exhibits, all of it. I’m even scheduled to do two sessions: one with Elise Kuurstra from EAIE and Gretchen Steenstra from DelCor; and one on leadership lessons from the martial arts. Sigh. Who knows if I’ll even have the chance to do these sessions this year.

ASAE is not alone in this decision. Many Matrix Group clients, including clients using our virtual meeting platform (BeSpeake), have decided to go virtual with their meetings, at least through September 2021.

But there’s another dimension to the ASAE decision. Texas announced on March 2 that the state no longer has a mask mandate and all businesses can operate at full capacity. Perhaps some are cheering, but I’m not. I have not been vaccinated and since I have no known health risks, I figure I’ll get my vaccine sometime this summer or fall. Which means I was maybe looking at attending the ASAE Annual meeting unvaccinated, in a state that doesn’t have a mask mandate and is operating without social distancing guidelines. Yikes. I was going to think hard about whether or not my speaking opportunities were worth it. Since the meeting is virtual, I don’t have to make any tough decisions.

While I’m bummed, I know this is the right decision. I have grounded my staff at least through the end of July. Many of our clients report that their members, especially the larger companies, have done the same.

How about you? What do you think of ASAE’s decision to take their Annual Meeting virtual? What is your organization doing this year?

March 4, 2021