Creating an Experience
I attended an event offered by Barbara De Angelis over the weekend. One of the things she does extraordinarily well is transforming her seminars into experiences. Not only does this make her seminars more engaging and fun, it makes them more memorable … which becomes a great selling tool when it’s time to market the next seminar.
If you want your seminar attendees to have more vivid and transformational experiences, here are some tips:
- Set the stage. Having a stage with a podium and projection screen is a bit, well, ho hum. You can argue that such a plain-Jane set up keeps the focus on the speaker, which is true. But it’s also boring. Dress up your stage to give your event some personality.
- Make participants interact with each other. And don’t just limit yourself to an icebreaker activity at the start of your event. Get participants out of their seats and interacting with each other throughout your entire seminar.
- Look out for the newbies. People who have not been to your events before and people who are uncomfortable in groups of strangers may feel out of place at your seminar. Add stickers, ribbons or codes on attendee nametags to distinguish people who are new from people who have studied with you before. Then ask experienced attendees to “adopt” the newcomers around them.
- Use the group for learning. Sitting in a chair writing down down ideas and lessons you’re getting from a speaker is great. But sharing the things you’re learning with other attendees will deepen and cement your new knowledge. Incorporate small-group activities into your lesson plan so everyone can learn from their fellow attendees.
- Give them something to remember you by. Sending attendees home with a small gift will help them remember the experience of your seminar. This could be as basic as a pencil and notepad. It could be something larger that feels more like a real gift and less like a promotional item, such as a tote bag (got this one from Dr. Ralph Elliott, who gives away great tote bags when you attend his Clemson University program, Effective Seminar/Conference Marketing). Or it could be a unique gift that has special meaning for the attendees.
Tags: Seminar Production