Liz King Events: Social Media Event Planning Specialists

(Since You Threw Your Old One Away)

So we’ve decided that maybe scrapping social and digital communication altogether may not be the best course of action, even if plugging our ears and singing out loud could be marginally better than ripping our hair out in frustration while simultaneously disappointing attendees all at the same time.

Is there a better strategy for putting social media tactics to work for us instead of making us work for them? The answer lies in the event playbook you’ve used and updated since 1994. The solution is buried deep in the marketing section on the single piece of college-ruled notebook paper that an intern haphazardly shoved into the 3-ring binder with the word “SOCIAL MEDIA” scribbled at the top in ballpoint pen. You know, the one that says “Create a Twitter account” as a bullet item with “…and actually use it!” hastily written underneath.

The solution, my friends, is to rip that piece of paper out and throw it away. We’re going to replace it.

(more…)

You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a news article or blog telling you how social is the new black. Meeting and event organizers who fail to embrace technology and social culture are quickly being left behind as less risk-averse, younger counterparts begin to dominate the meetings industry.

I wonder, though, if event organizers are capable of keeping pace with the evolution of social media and digital marketing. Can the generation of venerable meeting planners stay plugged into every advance in social technology and popular use? No, probably not.

Do not fear, though! I have the solution: scrap social altogether. For good.

That’s right. Forget Twitter and Instagram. Don’t bother with Facebook, and leave Foursquare to the pros. Pinterest and Vine? Please, don’t even try. You can’t possibly keep up, and you’re only doing yourself, your attendees, your sponsors and exhibitors, and your clients a disservice by trying and, let’s face it, ultimately failing to provide the experience you promised.

But is this a viable strategy? Can we just ignore the onward march of technology and communication? Will the wanton disregard of social and community initiatives leave us only slightly less scathed than a failed attempt at total social domination?

Yes. Better to do nothing at all than to do everything poorly and fail to meet any expectation.

Or is there another way?

In my next post, I’ll show you how you can scrap your entire social media initiative for good… as it currently stands. Get ready because it’s time for a new one.