Face to Face - how to lose value

Over the past few weeks I have been asked to speak on the value of events, event budgets, and why corporations, charities, and groups should host conferences, meetings, and special events. The answer is relatively simple - to build face time with clients, donors, potential clients, and to develop business. To put a human face to the ever increasing digital world. To create a relationship with the people and the product.

Our digital world offers us most everything anyone needs - real time communications, information, green, sustainable, up to the minute information. Even face to face communication with Skype, Web conferencing, and smartphones. However, the digital world will never replace that face to face meeting - it merely supports the meeting.

We believe the digital and real world are growing closer and closer together and that is a great thing. Events supported by technology - a hybrid of all that is good.

However, today, at the BC Foodservice Show, I saw the worst waste of face time one could possibly conceive of. The president and CEO of an association, and the Member Development Director of an association, both standing at their tradeshow booth, both with their heads down, reading their smart phones.

Every booth around them was busy with guests, laughter, interaction, and products. These two people, whose members attend this show, were totally oblivious of who was around them. They gave every indication of not wanting to meet anyone, not talk to anyone; they certainly never made eye contact with one person in the ten minutes I stood back and watched them. They spoke to each other, while scrolling through their messages. This was a complete waste of face time, booth space and their members time and money.

In fact, having these two people at this event probably had many people questioning why they were a member of that association?

Almost every other exhibitor at this tradeshow looked people in the eye, said Hello, invited them to meet them. The value of face time, and a memorable event experience.

Insure you have the right people in the right place when it comes to making the person to person connection. Face time is valuable, only when the right people are making the connections.

Face to Face - the value of events

Last week I attended the Special Events Conference in Phoenix. I was reminded once again of the great value events bring - the reason conferences, meetings, and events are held. To move the digital world and the real world closer. While almost anyone can gain a great education from online research, articles and study, the true value of the education comes from face to face discussions. The implementation of all one's skills. The meeting of great minds, excellent business development and colloborative efforts in real time. What a great week it was.