There’s no doubt that today’s meeting audience is looking for more fun and “edutainment” in their conferences, trade shows, and events. So the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) decided to introduce a gamification element in its mobile app for last month’s Convening Leaders conference. More than half of attendees downloaded the app and 40 percent of those were “active” players, meaning that they engaged multiple times with the game.
PCMA also released a new report that shares behavioral science of meetings. {NOTE: This link has since been removed, but the report can still be downloaded using the link below.} Using academic research and survey data, “The Appliance of Science: 39 Ways to Improve Your Meetings” provides tips on six aspects of improving meetings and events: mental, social, spatial, wired, physical, and bizarre (unconventional activities). A couple of the more intriguing tips?
- If you want people to empathize with you … make a mistake. (#9)
- Exercise will make you smarter at meetings. (#30)
- Sodium for less stress in meetings. (#32)
The entire report can be downloaded from the PCMA site.
In another study released by BtoB Magazine, almost half of business-to-business marketers will see their overall budget increase this year, and 41.5 percent of them will see an increase in event budget. Some of those exhibitors may be changing where and how they exhibit — the trends are for less shows and a more experiential exhibit at those remaining.
And a couple of timely reminders:
- Deadline for submitting a show to the TSNN Top 250 list (largest trade shows held in the U.S.) is coming up on February 15. To be considered, you must fill out the form on TSNN’s website.
- Although the Exhibit Marketers Café will not be physically moving this week (as was planned), that doesn’t stop us from having a “We’re Not Moving” (Yet) Sale.
Visit the special page to find one-time-only specials for the first few days of February.
