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How to plan a lively panel discussion

Panel discussions should be the highlights of your conference, but often they’re a snoozefest. Use these Qs to plan a panel that will leave your attendees wide awake.

Conference panels (aka symposia) can be REALLY boring. Ask anyone who’s attended their fair share of academic conferences and they’ll tell you about a time they struggled to stay awake while a presenter read directly from their paper or a moderator made a mess of managing the discussion

Panel discussions at a conference have the potential to be a highlight of the entire event. They bring together a group of diverse scholars and experts who share a common interest in the topic, providing a platform for intelligent discussion and debate. And with new virtual and hybrid formats emerging, panels have been given even more space to thrive (they’re one of the session formats that people seem to like best online).

Here’s the who, what, where, when, and why you should consider when planning a panel discussion that will engage your audience.

Why are you planning a panel discussion?

“Hold up,” you might be saying, “the whole introduction just explained why I should be planning one. Isn’t that enough?” Short answer: No.

The most important question and the first one to ask yourself is “Why?” Nothing should be done just because it’s expected. If you plan a panel with that attitude, the audience will only attend because they feel like they’re expected to. Get excited about the panel and you’ll have a much easier time drumming up attendees and buzz around it.

Think about the objectives of your panel discussion. What can it contribute toward the overall goals of your conference, association, or field of research? What can prospective attendees and presenters expect to get out of their participation in it? Is a panel discussion the right format for achieving the outcomes everyone desires? If a pure Q&A session or a plain presentation would be better suited to those outcomes, you’d be wasting valuable time in the conference schedule by using an hour or more for a panel.

So before you dive into planning, understand why. Then use this “why” as a mantra to guide the rest of the logistical decisions you’ll need to make along the way. If you need some inspiration, check out how the Political Studies Association rewrote the rulebook on academic conference design by integrating engaging panels into their annual conference.

Who will be in the panel (and in the audience)?

A panel discussion is nothing without the people involved. And picking the right people can be a tricky task. Here are a few positions you’ll most likely need to fill…

The moderator (aka the chair or discussant or MC)

Picking a good moderator is the key ingredient to a successful panel discussion. The moderator will be responsible for time management and ensuring they don’t let your speakers ramble off on tangents or dominate the talk. So they’ll need to be skilled at politely interrupting speakers that have gone over their allocated time and redirecting the discussion to the previous point.

But, one moderator does not fit all. Perhaps you need an authoritative figure to keep everyone in line or a journalistic figure to ask probing questions? Also, consider if the topic is a niche area requiring prior knowledge, or whether a moderator with a neutral perspective could be an advantage. Also consider the tech support, the panel guests and the audience

When should you include time for discussion and questions?

Best practice for panel length is around an hour, which is generally followed by a 20-30 minute question and answer session with the audience. However, the format and length of your panel can vary depending on your goals.

Where should everything (and everyone) be on the day?

Logistics, especially around your panel discussion stage setup, can seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things. But don’t leave them to the last minute. The flow of your panel can be affected by how your participants are seated, the resources available to them and the audience, and the overall vibe of the room.

Finally, how can you take advantage of the space to achieve your other conference goals? The furniture and the backdrop of the stage are great places to show off your event branding. You can even use these spaces to promote your key sponsors. Pictures of the panel that are then shared online will include these details and carry them much further than the walls of the conference venue.

After the panel is over, regardless of your chosen format, you can encourage your delegates and panellists to continue the discussion online through your event app and social media channels.

5 Benefits of Using Data to Market Your Event

But how can you figure out who your target audience is and the best way to connect with them?

A data-driven approach will allow you to reach audience members on an individual basis…connecting with them on their favorite platform and getting them excited about your event.

In this guide, we’ll review the benefits of using data to promote your virtual academic events. This approach allows you to:

Reach a highly targeted, receptive audience. Internal data is the information your organization gathers on a regular basis, including data from your past events, email marketing campaigns, social media analytics, buying transactions, and attendee surveys.

External data is any information you gather from third-party data sources. This data can come from data marketing agencies and help you fill in any gaps in your internal database.

For instance, you can reach out to past event attendees who would be interested in attending your upcoming experience. And, you can use third-party data to supplement your internal database with any missing phone numbers or email addresses.

Use location data to connect with a local audience.

Internal data is the information your organization gathers on a regular basis, including data from your past events, email marketing campaigns, social media analytics, buying transactions, and attendee surveys.

External data is any information you gather from third-party data sources. This data can come from data marketing agencies and help you fill in any gaps in your internal database.

Segment your audience based on shared characteristics.

Segmentation is one of the most popular buzzwords of the marketing world. This process involves grouping audience members based on shared characteristics and serving them relevant content according to their preferences and interests. Next, use your internal database to group audience members into segments based on your marketing goals. Here are a few criteria you might use to group audience members:

Preferred communication platform

History of involvement with your organization (past event attendance, event participation, length of membership, etc.)

Volunteer involvement

Donation history and type

Demographics such as age and location

Connect with your audience using multiple touchpoints.

Your data reveals which platforms your audience members are drawn to. For instance, your social media analytics reveal which social platform your organization’s audience uses the most.

While reviewing your data, you’ll likely discover that different audience segments prefer different communication platforms. Make the most of this information by pursuing a multichannel marketing strategy to promote your event.

Use metrics to assess your performance.

Analyze data trends from past virtual events, including:

The rate of event RSVPs vs. the actual number of attendees

The number of event sponsors

The attendee engagement rate, demonstrated through the number of attendees who participated in discussions, sent in questions for presenters, or engaged in small group discussions.

Engagement rates across your marketing platforms, such as your email open rates and social media engagement metrics.

Attendance rates for different segments within your event, such as workshops or panels.

Your data provides a valuable way to take stock of your marketing strategies, shedding light on which ones you should maintain and which you should discard for future events.

5 Trends shaping the future of meetings and events - 2022

Association professionals learned during the pandemic that our crystal ball was broken. If you had asked back then what the future of meetings would be, we might have said virtual integration or hybrid; little did we know that future was closer than we realized. Future-proofing association meetings and events means understanding the trends that will continue to re-shape how we deliver content. Some are new and some are time tested. Read below for some of these trends on the future of meetings and events.

Start with Why

This is not something new to associations and it will continue to be an integral part of shaping future meetings. Remember, we aren’t just meeting planners, we are event designers. We don’t just follow a checklist and plan a meeting; instead, we start with why. Since 2020, we learned that the platform for content delivery could change while the overarching purpose of the meeting could remain the same. If there was a disconnect, it allowed us to have some tough conversations about those sacred cows. If the answer to ‘why’ is history and habit, then it is time for a serious talk. To help begin some of these conversations, consider a facilitated discussion with key stakeholders using a methodology like Event Design Canvas.

Yes and…

We reworked, revised, and retooled our association events. We figured out how to offer our members virtual opportunities to engage and grow. But we are not done yet. The future of association meetings is omnichannel, meeting people where they are and where they want. One key lesson we learned was that we don’t have the luxury of ignoring technology. Customization and personalization continue to be trends to watch. Technology can help us leverage these experiences in our association meetings and events.

Generation Z

Our members are evolving and changing as we welcome the next generation to our meetings. The vast majority of Gen Z participants in a recent PCMA survey, conducted by JUV Consulting and sponsored by the PCMA Foundation stated they would like to see more engaging activities. Others asked for more inclusive events in the same survey. Gen Z is leading the experience economy, and we need to listen. This comes back to to idea of history and habit – if we simply copy and paste meeting agendas from the last 50 years, we risk excluding our newest members.

Less is More

The days of meeting agendas starting at 7 AM, ending at 7 PM, and lasting four or five days are gone. Going forward, successful association meetings will build more intentional whitespace into their events. This allows more time for connection and processing. The past 2 years we learned how to deliver professional development digitally. Now, it’s time to keep doing that so our in-person events allow more time to network and learn from peers. Micro-learning may seem like a buzzword, but it is what keeps TED Talks so successful over 20 years since its inception. It is time to consider designing events to save attendees’ time.

Purposeful & Strategic Event Building

Association meetings are not piecemeal. Each one contributes to your overall events program and plays a key role in member engagement and retention. Taking the time to develop a purposeful event strategy can be the key to your association’s overall health. For some members, a single meeting may be the only extended interaction they have with your association. Make sure to dedicate the right resources to each meeting to make that experience count. Keeping a long-term strategy with larger goals in mind will help drive the success of each individual meeting.

Trends continue to evolve over time, but taking the time now to invest in your association’s meetings and events is tried and true. Lets see what 2022 have in store for us!

How to Overcome Digital Fatigue as an Obstacle in Your Marketing and Sales Strategy

The newest issue that’s testing business agility is the very real challenge of digital fatigue.

After a full year of working more remotely and migrating processes to be cloud-based, people are feeling burnt out. This is exactly what digital fatigue is. It’s the mental exhaustion and loss of engagement caused when people are constantly required to use cyber forums.

This is a threat that is causing solid leads to turn cold, or bore prospects from the get-go. The good news? Just by recognising this as a genuine problem that needs solving, you are already a massive step ahead of the competition.

Condense Your Content into Bite Sized Pieces

Consumers spend hours in online meetings and are forced to do almost everything online. From work, to shopping to even social interactions. This means that people no longer have the patience to look for information, and when they find it, it needs to catch attention.

The less time people have to spend online, the better.

Assess your marketing strategy and content. If it’s going to take someone more than five minutes to understand what your business offerings are, it’s too long. Make sure your content communicates your service quickly and efficiently.

Find a unique angle to target your clientele

Don’t fall into the trap of merely repeating what another company is saying. If it feels like the obvious thing to say, rather change the subject.

Remember in March when it felt like every company, both B2B and B2C, was chanting something along the lines of “brighter days ahead” and “we’ll get through this” and “how are you holding up?”

No message stood out from the crowd. To create buzz and traction in your next marketing campaign, challenge your content creators to find new powerful ways to reach your goals. No short cuts allowed.

Pro-Tip: Host fun and value-added events to increase brand interaction and business loyalty.

Go the Route of Account-Based Marketing and Tailor Every Message

People have seemingly unlimited options when it comes to the exact service or product they want. This means your company has to work even harder to make a lasting impression.

Account-based marketing is the exact type of sales approach that thrives in an environment like the present. Utilise personalised content that’s curated for a specific audience or individual account.

By identifying the exact type of buyer you would like to target, and what problems they need solving, you will set yourself up for success. Make your audience feel like you care about them and that they are not just another number.

Never Underestimate the Power of Networking

The time to get back to basics is now. Yes, this is part of being flexible in our current environment. Especially in a world full of people feeling the effects of digital fatigue.

There is a distinct thirst for the nostalgia of face-to-face meetings and simpler days where human interaction was less complicated. When marketing yourself to a company, consider arranging a social event or presentation in person while keeping social distancing protocols in place.

Meeting in person still has the same effect as it always has. While more accustomed to digital relationships, companies and consumers are still more inclined to trust and value the tangible aspect that human interaction brings.

Encourage and Embrace Innovation

It has become clear that success belongs to those that are innovative. Current events and internal growth will always push companies into places where they ride the wave like a pro, or let it come crashing down on them.

The kind of creativity and courage required to attain constant transformation is intimidating and completely achievable. Listening and building onto the fresh, confident voices of your employees is what will get you there.

Include your team and ask them for their perspectives on how to improve business processes, products, services, sales techniques and marketing. Foster their input by implementing an internal reward system that acknowledges and awards those that:

Get the most constructive client feedback
Present effective solutions

But First – Back To Basics

The age of digital is upon us, and it’s here to stay. As long as you harness the advantages that this presents and remember marketing and sales fundamentals, your company will flourish.

Now is the time to start building your internal confidence and get passionate again. Begin engaging in face-to-face meetings again. Plan that networking event. Inspire yourself, your employees and your loyal clients by hosting those powerful conferences!

By implementing all of the above during these difficult times, you can set yourself up to become a leader in your industry.

How Virtual and Hybrid events affects the Hospitality Industry

The industry has expanded the potential of live events

The digitization & explosion of virtual has widened the reach of the events industry globally

The pandemic has made that happen by enforcing the adoption of virtual events

A lot has happened over the past 18 months and the pandemic has heavily impacted our sector it’s also presented a wealth of opportunity

It’s not behind us and unsettling, we went from greeting guests……. to one room to no business……… to are we all safe?

We are getting back on track slowly and recovering bit by bit

The rise of Hybrid

We Noticed the rise of hybrid and virtual after the pandemic hit, how does it impact the hospitality sector

Planners had to adapt and had to become tech-savvy to stay afloat.

What does it mean for hoteliers?

Virtual events drive more guests and hoteliers now have to talk about how they will be able to execute not just the physical events but what technology they can offer

If we look at the Growth of Cvent connect below from 2018 to 2020 offering products and technology tools

Adapting the below technologies and strategies are making operations more efficient

(examples: contact-less check-ins, QR codes instead of restaurant menus)

Digitization is widely considered the foundation of the future of the hospitality sector

Meet Digital – tell your story to the right audience with targeted marketing opportunities
Meet Data – doing more with less is a reality, data is your best friend in the path to recovery
Meet safety – safety is the new luxury - stay compliant in world of safety, privacy regulations, and personal data protection

Optimism is returning for in-person events

50% already sourcing and the booking window is returning back to pre-pandemic levels

Planners are expecting to come back for the first share of 2022

The biggest changes planners are making to their events compared to 2019 – So it’s time to adapt your business plan!

This is a bold new era for Meetings & Events with smart tech, safety and data pivotal for recovery

This shows that planners are looking ahead and beginning to plan their larger events now because those events require more lead time.

Small events, with less than 26 attendees, have dropped from 36% of the total to 25% of the total.

Small meetings and events are usually planned on a shorter timeframe, like 30-60 days out, and those meetings are not being sourced as often right now due to the CDC's guidance to avoid gatherings.