Association Insight International & European Association Insights Spring 2015 | Page 33

Association Success Story | Association Insights » Increase repeat attendance following year »D  ouble income from sponsors and exhibitors » Hold a world class event that people would highly recommend Results There is very little true innovation in conference development these days. What makes this event notable is the way the SSA UK focused on quality rather than price for the event. After researching their members and engaging with sponsors they invested in quality increased the cost of the ticket price, but also the overall value to delegates. Venues, speakers and materials were selected based on their compliance with the event’s needs, then price was negotiated after selection. In most cases when considering items the subcommittee were not aware of their price. Most event organisers have a ticket price in mind when they develop their budget and create their event to meet this price. In this case the event was created to meet a quality specification and then the ticket price was set to match that event. The results show that this was far more appealing to delegates and profitable for the Association. The event sponsors and exhibitors were also actively engaged in planning stages of the event which gave them greater ownership and increased their likelihood to increase spending. Customising marketing material based on the local market encouraged more attendance from countries who traditionally had poor representation at the event. Comparative conference statistics 2014 vs 2012 panels would have facilitated some more lively discussion on some issues as well as the professional to keep things moving. »W  e still have not got the social media campaigns as robust as we would like. Need more time to track likes and commenters to convert into registrants. » Sell the tickets in Euros and Pounds so people know what they are paying and then take the hit on currency rates. »W  e are looking at using translators during the sessions and online broadcasting of certain sessions in multiple languages. Translating the marketing material into a local language really helped but then if all the sessions are in English then the non-English speakers do not get as much value from the event. Conclusion The new strategy was a huge success with all targets exceeded. In fact, almost all the 3 year targets were met in year 2. Sponsors felt a valued part of the process rather than “cash cows”. There was some resistance from certain delegates to commit to the increased cost, this was partly managed through a money back guarantee offer to selected people where, if after the first day they said they did not find value, they would get a full refund including accommodation costs. This encouraged attendance but no-one claimed their fees back. 24 people attended from Australia and South Africa, up from only 8 the year before. There was also just under double the amount of Spani sh delegates, largely due to the customised marketing material. The 2014 the event made a £49,233 profit. Delegates saw more value in a quality event, even at a higher price. Sponsors appreciated the quality trade space with easy access and high ceilings, and received more promotion in the marketing material and during the event. Income from sponsors more than doubled. Profit Paid Reg. Full Ticket Price (ex VAT) Spon. / Trade Income Trade Stands Sold Evaluation Satisfaction Great or above Previous (2012) -£4,194 202 £390 £48,218 21 65% Target £30,000 330 £500 £100,000 30 85% Actual (2014) £49,233 375 £500 £118,350 33 89% Difference from Previous £53,427 173 £110 £70,132 12 24 “A vastly improved conference when compared to last year” Difference from Target £19,233 45 0 £18,350 3 4 “An extremely well organised conference and I would say an excellent use of our time” Difference % from Target 64% 12% 0 18% 10% 5% “The best Self Storage conference I have ever attended, including the US ones” What you would do differently »W  hile the professional moderator is good, maybe using an industry person to moderate the industry www.associationsnetwork.org Quotes “The quality of this event was outstanding, the business speakers were focused and relevant to my business” “This was the first FEDESSA event we have exhibited at and the quality and volume of leads has ensured it will not be out last” © Associations Network 2015 | 33