Ideas for Your 2025 Conference
Key Insights from the Associations Forum Large Conference Leaders Meeting
Associations Forum recently convened a meeting with key leaders from various associations responsible for delivering significant large conferences in 2025. The discussions highlighted several critical challenges facing the industry:
Declining Sponsorship: Securing sponsorship funding has become increasingly difficult.
Rising Costs: Event production and operational costs are on the rise.
Hybrid Event Challenges: Attendance and engagement in hybrid events have significantly decreased.
Cost of Living Impact: The current economic climate is affecting ticket pricing and affordability for attendees.
Value Expectations: Members expect more value for their membership fees, yet are resistant to fee increases to meet these demands.
Optional Conference Dinners: Including conference dinners in the base ticket price is becoming less common, with these events often offered at an additional cost.
Building on these insights, a brainstorming session explored some creative ideas to enhance your 2025 conference and address these challenges:
Enhancing the Attendee Experience
Visual Session Storyboards: Create visual storyboards for each session to reinforce key takeaways and serve as a lasting reminder for attendees.
Wellness Station: Offer a "health check" station providing basic health screenings or information.
Therapy Animal Interaction: Invite guide dogs or support dogs to interact with attendees, creating a relaxed and positive atmosphere.
Animal Yoga: Incorporate a fun and engaging animal yoga session with puppies or kittens.
“Ask Me" Staff: Have staff members wear "Ask Me" t-shirts to encourage attendee interaction and provide readily available assistance.
We believe these ideas can contribute to a more engaging and memorable conference experience, while also potentially attracting sponsors and addressing the value expectations of your members.
We would be happy to discuss these ideas further and explore how they can be tailored to your specific conference goals and target audience. Contact our team here.
Written by Tony Gleeson, Associations Advisor, Associations Forum
