While I’m normally on the outside looking in at conferences, three times a year I’m part of the all-hands-on-deck staff of the Marketplace events our company produces. During those conferences, I’m behind the curtain experiencing what planners tell me about all the time when I interview them for magazine stories. During last week’s Collaborate Marketplace, I learned first-hand the difference between attendees and fans. Attendees go to events that fit their needs, budget and schedule, but fans come to your conference year after year and broadcast their love for it.
Turning an attendee into a fan starts with creating a culture that puts them first.
Impeccable service goes beyond responding to a customer’s need in a timely fashion—it also means addressing the need in the way the attendee desires. Chick-fil-A and Morton’s, two companies on either end of the restaurant spectrum, both have embraced a culture of service that extends from the in-person experience to social media. Both restaurant chains have wowed customers by showing up unexpectedly with food orders a fan made on Twitter. Chicken sandwich and steak lovers can go anywhere, but they beg for Chick-fil-A and Morton’s.
Before I got into the event production world, I spent nearly two decades working in the field of acupuncture. As manager of a Chinese medical office, I had an extended opportunity to hone my skills in client (or in this case, patient) relations, small business management, and conflict resolution. By applying some of the basic tenets of zen philosophy and an awareness of the body/mind/spirit connection, I developed my abilities to stay calm and diplomatic in the midst of chaos and stress.
Your name: Lisa McGrath
Everyone wants a formula. No matter how much I try to get around it, everyone wants 3 steps to being awesome or 12 steps to becoming well centered. I’ve always been anti-steps because I like to leave room for all the things that happen BETWEEN it all – the creativity and personality. But alas – it has occurred to me that perhaps formulas aren’t bad in and of themselves. Perhaps it’s more about giving people a starting point. So today, I share with you my 3 steps to a social strategy. If your event company is looking to integrate social media into your events or business, here’s how to get started!
Last month, Collinson Media’s Editor-in-Chief Christine Born and I attended 
Your name: John Federico
You are cordially invited to apply to present your event tech tool at PlannerTech NYC during 
