All too often conference organisers make the same mistake…
Regardless of how much you’re spending on speakers at your event, are you getting the most value out of them?
Picture the scene. It’s day two of your annual global conference. Employees have come from all over the world to network with their peers – some of which did so last night. Those that were out late might be tired, or even hungover. But even those that were sensible may be suffering from jetlag.
Your keynote, your most expensive piece of content, takes to the stage. They successfully manage to reignite the room, engage the audience and most importantly pass on some invaluable lessons and insights for everyone to take away with them. But do they?
The chances are most people in the room won’t be trained journalists capable of writing shorthand and documenting every word. Even the few that might be scribbling away will either be too engrossed to remember to put pen to paper, or too busy notetaking that they aren’t really immersing themselves in the talk. And don’t forget the aforementioned late-night-networkers whose synapses won’t be firing at full capacity.
The result: A shooting star, a firework, a flash in the pan. An incredible spectacle that everyone enjoys at the time, but forgets soon after. They might commit a thirty-second sound bite or anecdote to their long-term memory but is this really good value from a 45-minute keynote?
[PICTURE OF VIDEO CAMERA/RECORDING EQUIPMENT]
So what is the answer?
To squeeze every drop of juice out of the orange, then re-use the pulp and peel too. In other words, record and repurpose your content.
Firstly, it should be video recorded and ideally live-streamed to a virtual audience that can tune in from their offices around the world. If not live, then quick turnaround uploads will suffice, as long as the content is available on demand on a platform that can be revisited. Keynote speakers are often reluctant to allow their entire session to be made available publicly, but are usually happy if the platform is gated and only accessible to company employees.
The full recordings can be used as toolkits and learning resources for staff – multiple sessions can even become an online course. Whilst these videos can also be cut and edited into short snippets for socials to create tasters. The audio can be turned into a podcast, or even written up into a downloadable report.
By repurposing the content on stage you’re not only allowing the content to become evergreen, you’re also making it more accessible and digestible for different audiences. Some people prefer to read, some prefer to listen, some prefer to watch – why not cater to everyone?
Yes, this might require a little more investment, but when you consider the cost of a full agenda of speakers, it’s a worthwhile addition in order to retain the value of your content.
