Events are a Means to an End

by David Nour

I spend a lot of time at industry events. In addition to speaking over fifty times a year, I often attend events to spend time with my clients or to recharge my batteries and seek out new ideas. But here’s one thing that sets me apart from many others: I always have a specific set of objectives for each event.

Surprisingly, many organizers, producers, and suppliers to the events industry lose sight of the reasons that attendees, exhibitors or sponsors participate. By this I mean that many events do not work hard enough to help their stakeholders fulfill their desired strategic business goals.

Here are the three dominant reasons I perceive that organizations participate. As you consider this list, ask yourself what more you could do to facilitate the fulfilment of these objectives:

Create new relationships within a specific category: Too often, employees come back from an…