JackPOV

4 steps to extraordinarymeetings–

While the marketing spectrum is increasingly focused on experiences and many companies are focused on enhancing their brand experience across all of the many touch points they have with customers, suppliers, channel partners and employees, corporate meetings have continued to be misunderstood and incorrectly applied.

At too many companies, the corporate meeting is excluded from being a part of the brand experience strategy; however, it can play a vital role in delivering business results for the enterprise.

The following will address the misconceptions with corporate meetings and offer a solution to align, plan, build, and extend to ultimately transform meetings into something extraordinary.

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Extraordinary

is a term seldom (if ever) used in describing corporate meetings — and we think this has to stop.

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This perspective fails to recognize the tremendous power of meetings in driving business value.

Meetings are inaccurately valued and not utilized to their fullest potential, and it has a very real effect:

Attendees are often left looking for more

Meeting planners have strapped budgets and feel stuck in being able to embrace new ideas

Company management has few meaningful inputs about the value provided and has minimal reason to buy-into the return on investment

Corporate meetings are viewed solely as cost centers whose success or failure is judged based on attendee feedback of hors d’oeuvres and travel logistics

Meetings can actually be transformative to business, and we believe that every brand, organization and industry can adopt the following considerations to achieve scalable, customizable solutions, extending their meetings beyond a moment in time.–

Here are 4 steps to get the most of meetings.

AlignPlanBuildExtend

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A meeting isn’t just one part of the marketing mix, it’s the entire marketing mix in one event — supporting many of your short and long term business goals at once.

1 Align meetings with marketingAlign your meetings with your core business mission: The same integrated thinking used to tie marketing tactics to business goals should be applied to planning and executing meetings.

Say something that matters and give tools for success: The meeting should be purpose-driven. Rely on storytelling to bring the brand’s mission to life for employees and give them the right tools and ideas to perform their jobs better.

Always consider the context: Look at aspects of the location and your communication channels as added ways to engage the audience and help them better understand your message.

AlignPlanBuildExtend

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You’ll be better equipped to fix things that aren’t working and improve upon those that are.

AlignPlanBuildExtend

Plan ways to prove the valueDon’t be afraid of measurement: Track what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear.

Commit to planning with measurement in mind: Set actionable goals for your meeting.

Think about assessing business impact: Measuring meeting logistics only won’t cut it. Feedback on session effectiveness is more valuable than feedback on how much employees enjoyed their night out.

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Employees expect to participate and need to feel like they are part of something in order to achieve their best work.

AlignPlanBuildExtend

3 Build an active experienceEmployees are participants, not attendees: Value and invest in them as much as your end consumers, and put them at the center of the meeting. Involving them when developing meeting content, agendas and workshops leads to a more authentic meeting and stronger buy-in.

People want to participate and connect with one another: Setting up more networking opportunities and inviting the right people is imperative. Putting a group of people together who all share a common passion creates a community rife with inspiration, insights and innovations.

Inspiring content can come from all corners of the business: The desire for knowledge-sharing amongst peers is bigger than ever. Re-thinking your teachers and storytellers as your product experts, power users and your own audience facilitates unique learning and adds to the relevancy of the conversation.

Empowering attendees and igniting ideas requires rethinking the environment: Structured un-structure through dedicated ‘hang spaces’ fosters organic meet-ups and thinking amongst peers. Collaboration workspaces empower users to share ideas, while igniting dwell time.

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AlignPlanBuildExtend

4 Extend and amplify your message(s) No meeting is an island: Meetings need the same support as any campaign. Aim to tease your event, generate excitement and get attendees to look forward to attending.

Extend the community outside of the meeting: Create virtual communities and experiences that are just as participatory and impactful as face-to-face interaction.

Make the best use of your time with attendees: Assign work or thinking for your audience to do beforehand and ask for input from stakeholders so the meeting is planned with them in mind.

Keep track of key learnings in real-time: Optimize this year and apply to next year.

Sustain the messages and encourage continuous action: Think about how to keep the event alive before it begins and long after it’s over. Extend the themes and messages over time to reinforce content and lengthen its impact.

Meetings aren’t a moment in time — they’re a time to spark many future successful moments.

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Making the most of meetings is worth it.

As an industry leader, we know that meetings...

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Reinforce why people love their work and aligns them to your organization through stronger engagement

Refuel and empower meeting planners to further unlock the potential of what they do

Reinvigorate perspective on the business value of meetings as a marketing asset

Talk to us—Contact Peter SunVP, Brand Marketingpeter_sun@jackmorton.com+1 212.401.7015

Read our blog atjackmorton.com/blog

Follow us on twitter@jackmorton

Visit us online atjackmorton.com

About Jack Morton

We’re a global brand experience agency. We generate breakthrough ideas, connecting brands and people through experiences that transform business. Our portfolio of award-winning work spans 75 years across event marketing, sponsorship marketing, promotion and activation, experience strategy, employee engagement, digital, social, and mobile. Ranked at the top of our field, Jack Morton is a part of the Interpublic Group or Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG).

© Jack Morton Worldwide 2015

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