Attention Conference Goers: Are You Going More/Less This Fall?
In a few months, the colder weather will be upon us. For folks who are fortunate to live in Texas, that means it will be 85 degrees and beautiful. It also means that the conference season is here as well. Within an eight week period, the AMA, CASRO, ESOMAR, MRA, PMRG, QRCA, The Research Industry Summit and The Market Research Event and others will all happen.
A few questions since the economy is very challenging right now:
- How will conference attendance be affected?
- Since there seems to be more conference choices than ever, how will that affect attendance?
- With so many conferences having overlapping dates, how will that affect attendance?
- With companies exhibiting, are they planning on bringing fewer people than before?
- Are companies planning on doing more internal training as a replacement for attending conferences?
For us, we are probably sending the same number of people in total but spread out over more conferences. The overlap of conferences for me will probably cause me to miss The Market Research Event for the first time in years.
- Are you concerned?
- What are you planning on doing?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.
August 18th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
We’re actually going to be at more this year than in the past, but that is partially due to our continued growth and growth goals. I do expect we’ll send less people and that attendees will be more regionalized than in years past. For Invoke, however, the tighter research budgets create opportunities for our qual/quant methodology that may not have existed in the past.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
We will be attending the same number of conferences as last year. However, the overlapping of conference dates (like The Market Research Event and CASRO Annual Conference) drive us insane. When are the organizations going to figure out that they are shooting themselves in the foot when they schedule their conference concurrently with another important one? This seems to happen constantly. We are forced to split attendance among our staff so we can cover the vital ones. Overall, of course, this will result in a reduction of conferences.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Vic,
I totally agree with you. I wish all of the associations would work together to minimize if not eliminate any overlap.
Thanks for your comments.
Merrill
August 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I will be attending both the AMA and The Market Research event
The Market Research event has always been a well attended event, although it dipped a little bit last year. The AMA looks to VERY weak this year.
I have always believed that having a booth is not the best way of spending money. It is better to network and mingle (mostly other vendors tend to visit Booth’s) and set up pre appointments.
With the economy being in such a disarray, I believe the events will be effected significantly. On the upside, those that do attend may be the ones we want to meet with
August 25th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hello,
I am acutally the program manager of the AMA event and thought I would weigh in with an inside perspective. As guessed, registration trend is down from last year (*we were in Vegas which was a big draw). However, it should be on par with what we have had in previous years. We are definately aware of the increased competition and the economic effects on the business and are trying counteract it. We have pulled in a couple of high profile speakers this year and have promoted more actively to client-side folks. Any other suggestion are welcomed - lbrown@ama.org
September 4th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
These are conference tips from the Quirks email newsletter and thought I would share:
What (not) to do this research conference season
Fall is typically a busy time for attendees of marketing research conferences. At their best, conferences, trade shows, seminars and meetings can be wonderful - and fun - learning experiences. To make the most of the events you attend, and to help you avoid any embarrassing, or even costly, mistakes, here are some guidelines from Colleen A. Rickenbacher, a business etiquette expert and author of the books Be on Your Best Business Behavior and Be on Your Best Cultural Behavior:
- Prior to attending the conference, do your homework and figure out whom you would like to meet and see over the next few days. Scan through the welcome packet and highlight any names of people you’d like to see. Upon arrival, make it your mission to network with the highlighted attendees.
- At networking events, don’t come so hungry that you attack the bar and food area as soon as you arrive. Networking is the time to meet and greet, and then eat and drink. About a half hour before the opening reception, get a snack. Make it something light but filling, like an apple or a smoothie. The purpose of this event is to meet and greet people, which can be difficult when you’re carrying a drink and a plate.
- If you are alone at the networking or opening session, start off by approaching another individual or small group of two to three people. It can be awkward to approach a larger group, as they are harder to break into and to start a one-on-one conversation. After you have your initial conversations, ask your new contacts to have a drink with you or meet you near the buffet for food.
- Making small talk is easy, even if you’re shy. Ask people about when they arrived, their travel, their hometown, the weather; talk about the conference, trade show or the speakers. These topics open up the conversation; just avoid any emotional topics such as politics or religion. Ask people questions about themselves. People love to talk, especially about themselves. They will even bring out the pictures of their kids and pets. Genuinely listen to each conversation and you’ll find yourself making a lasting connection.
- This is a time to learn. If you’re seated next to a chatty attendee before a presentation starts, politely tell them that you would love to talk after the session. Be polite, sincere and firm. Tell them right at the beginning of the conversation. If you wait too long to say something, you can get hooked into the conversation, and it will be more uncomfortable to get out.
- Respect the speaker. As a speaker, it can be frustrating to be on a stage in front of a group and realize attendees are talking amongst themselves. If you must have a conversation or make a phone call, please leave the room.
- Wear your name badge. Instead of using a lanyard, which makes the badge nearly impossible to read, pin it on your clothing, preferably on the right side (it’s easier to read when you shake hands).