Northstar

JUL-AUG 2018 15 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM "Start planning by asking 'What does this audience need, right here, right now?' When you've answered that question, it's time to start building your agenda." 2. Play it, don't say it It takes a lot to captivate each individual when you're speaking to a room full of people, which is why I opt for the overarching tool that allows me to show rather than tell: whatever the story you're trying to convey, whatever the objectives you're trying to achieve, nd ways to demonstrate it with more than just your words. Imagine you're representing a healthcare company that's promoting a product for rheumatoid arthritis, and you want to convey the patient experience in a relatable way. In order to show-not-tell, have everyone in the audience wear a brace that limits their mobility for the entire rst day of the conference. Putting them in the patient's shoes is wildly more eective than a PowerPoint slide that says "Limited Mobility." Creating an experience for your audience will keep their attention and push your message home. 3. Be relentlessly authentic Audiences generally know if speakers are not being genuine or truthful. One of the biggest mistakes that speakers make is trying to be something they are not. The more personable and authentic a speaker is, the more attentive their audience will be. Some of the best guest speakers I've seen -- and I've seen quite a few -- are the ones who are also the most vulnerable. Encourage your presenters to be themselves -- the audience will thank them (and thank you). 4. Be open to new ideas from people in all job functions There are a million ways to execute a meeting and blow your audience away. But the minute you repurpose that same idea at every meeting, the idea grows stale. In order to stay ahead of the curve, be open to fresh ideas. You never know where, or from who, the next great suggestion may come. Case in point: my company once opened a meeting with an act that one of my employees happened to catch on America's Got Talent and knew would work well for the event. It was a huge success. You never know where lightning is going to strike -- or which cloud it might come from. 5. Be a fierce audience advocate Never start your meeting plan by making edits to last year's agenda. This is a new audience, at a new point in time, with very new and specic needs. Every meeting needs to be a new experience -- not a rehash of what happened last year. It's a blank canvas and should be treated as such. Start planning by asking "What does this audience need, right here, right now?" When you've answered that question, it's time to start building your agenda. Throughout the planning process, you need to repeatedly ask yourself: How will this make the audience feel? Are we packing too much into this session? Will this resonate? Does this meet the objectives we set for this audience, at this point in time? If you consider the audience as the foundation for your planning, they will feel the dierence. If you want to captivate your audience keep them at the forefront of the project. These ve tips will help you create a meaningful and exciting event. DJ HANSON is a managing partner and cofounder of BlueprintNYC, a powerhouse agency that specialises in audience engagement. BlueprintNYC helps their clients connect with their employees and customers by producing engaging and innovative experiences through live meetings and events, training, and employee communications. PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES

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