March 2017 Using Technology 19
What we don ' t measure we don ' t know , so capture as much data as you can and use engagement for member retention
swayed by fads and make decisions that result in heartache . We have to come up afterwards to clean up the mess .” Another common mistake , the Shocklogic team identifies , is associations assuming that technology means more expensive . “ Sometimes clients assume that in order to modernise they have to pay more , but they will save money in the long run ,” says Martinez , who notes also a tendency for some to get stuck in their ways .
“ A perfect example is pre-printing their badges . Most organisers assume that preprinting is cheaper than Print-On-Demand ( POD ) as the delegate arrives .” So , which areas of potential revenue streams do associations overlook most often ? “ Paperless can be a revenue stream , as the green agenda can be a way to generate new sponsorship revenue and to create new ways to both save money and provide extra value to members ,” says Martinez . “ Mobile apps can be fantastic sponsorship opportunities . “ Capture data at sessions : access tracking has great value for commercial organisations . Most industry organisations that collaborate with associations are desperate to know how ROI is achieved . As the old adage goes : ‘ What we don ' t measure we don ' t know ’. “ Real time lead-retrieval can also be overlooked . Exhibitors invest a lot of money to attend events and they are all looking for better ways to capitalise on their investment ,” he adds . And the best innovation Martinez has seen by an association he has worked with ? “ Organ Transplantation organises the most advanced scientific event we have ever worked with . The congress is totally paperless ; everything can be done from the congress app . All sessions are recorded and webcasted and a ‘ TV studio ’ format is followed throughout the whole congress , broadcasting interviews that can be viewed in mobile devices . Every delegate receives a ‘ rented ’ iPad which is included in the registration fee .”
And what three main trends does Martinez expect to see in the association market ? “ 1 ) Member retention through engagement will become the number one priority over member acquisition . “ 2 ) Millennials ' expectations will drive how content is delivered and how data is accessed . “ 3 ) Digitalisation will define how education and learning are implemented .”