Way too often we hear the lament “we can’t get anyone to our chapter events. Everyone’s too busy.” I’ll counter with, yes, people are busy, however event attendance is strong. ASAE’s 2017 Decision to Attend study confirms this. In fact, 43% of GEN Y Millennials reported they are attending more workshops, seminars, conventions and exhibitions. Add to that, the will or propensity to attend is high across all generations driven by a strong desire for continual learning.
So where’s the mismatch? It’s in our event programming and planning! Let’s look at the generations we’re all targeting these days: Y and Z. According to 2017 Eventbrite study, we need to amp up the experience.
This translates to facility tours, photo safari, pub crawl (maybe after the education), speed mentoring and walking meetings for starters. I’ve conducted a number of workshops and webinars for chapter leaders where we take time to explore how to do this. When the creativity gets flowing, I’ve seen chapters put on door busting event and meaningful small meet-ups. Check out one of our presentations to see some of those ideas.
One guiding quote that spurs me on as I think of creating experiences – like Association Component Exchange — comes from Peter McGrath from FreemanXP:
So where can your chapters begin? How about by scanning 292 Training Activity Ideas for Your Next Workshop by Train Like a Champion. There are 25 ways to make a lecture (that’s the chapter meeting staple) active.
How can your chapters add snap, crackle & pop to their events?