Corporate events are so much more than branded gatherings. Behind each conference, meeting or incentive trip is a business goal. A product launch should build the sales lead database. A sales kickoff should deepen attendees’ knowledge about your offerings. Event marketers are working to inspire behavior change that impacts the bottom line.
Event strategy should be oriented to make an emotional connection that inspires action. What do you want participants to think, feel and do at each phase of the event? Knowing your audience and desired outcomes connects research and planning.
When I presented at this year’s CEMA Summit in Seattle, Washington, I could easily relate the “think, feel, do” concepts I shared to the experiences of people in the room. For example, CEMA did a great job of giving attendees tools, like LinkedIn banners we could use to let our networks know we were excited about the upcoming conference. This article will give you a glimpse of the knowledge shared in that workshop, so you can make personas and journey mapping part of your event strategy.
Using personas to inform event design
With so many generations currently in the workforce, CEMA workshop attendees said their events are serving a broader audience than ever before. As event planners, we must put ourselves in attendees’ shoes and work to see every moment from their perspective. Each attendee is unique, and as event professionals we must strive to make events both personalized and inclusive. Creating attendee personas can help achieve that.
Related: Learn how to design accessible, inclusive events that meet attendee needs.
Keep in mind, personas are NOT about stereotyping individuals or generations. (Although we've shared helpful tips about common generational motivators.) Instead, they’re tools to help event marketers consider how to engage attendees with different experiences and priorities. By thinking about what attendees are hoping to achieve, and how they like to spend time outside of the event, we can design more appealing sessions and activities. Mapping the experiences to multiple personas shows opportunities for attendees to help each other accomplish their goals.
We can simplify this process by creating profiles that outline the job role, demographics, goals, interests and pain points of the types of people we expect to attend. Here are a few examples for a fictional tech conference with 10,000 attendees:
The Enthusiast: This Millennial exhibitor is an account executive who is an experienced show floor expert. They show up confident, prepared and eager to showcase new products and make connections. They may need help finding reliable information amid an overload of materials and are concerned about getting into preferred sessions.
The Skeptic: A reluctant attendee, this Gen X software developer was asked to attend and is expected to bring lots of notes back to corporate. They’re looking for something new and different this year. They want to find collaborators and could be drawn to people who share their love of gaming and posting to Reddit.
The Newcomer: This IT pro is fresh out of college and looking to connect with other end users and brand representatives who can teach them how to use the product more effectively. They’ve never been to the host city and hope to catch some live music while they’re in town but need to prioritize building a network.
Attendees who align with these personas might also be part of the 20 percent of the workforce that identifies as neurodivergent, according to the Korn Ferry Institute. Think about items that could make the event experience more comfortable with people living with conditions like ADHD or autism. Our CEMA Summit planners did this by providing sensory kits with items like loop earplugs that cut down on sound distraction.
Incorporating ‘think, feel, do” journey mapping into event design
Multiple touchpoints make up the event journey. Breaking them into pre-event, on site and post-event phases focuses your mapping exercise.
Related: Download a simple template with inclusion thought starters to begin journey mapping.
At each step along the way, ask yourself a few questions.
- What do you want this attendee to THINK about your brand? (That you’re innovative, perhaps? Or caring?)
- How do you want them to FEEL? (Maybe more confident in their product knowledge, or a sense of belonging as part of the organization?)
- What would you like them to DO next? (Share event takeaways on social media, reach out to potential clients, etc.)
Keeping those personas in mind can help bridge “think, feel, do” into potential inclusions. For example, engaging “The Skeptic” during the pre-event phase might involve inviting them to contribute to an exclusive developer wiki, collaboratively edited and managed by peers.
Make sure there are pathways for your personas to accomplish their goals for the conference in a way that aligns with business goals. Consider how your event design can proactively alleviate pain points or challenges. To help ensure “The Enthusiast” has access to the sessions, can you offer reserved seating for early birds who share the event on social media? That way, they don’t have to stress about getting a spot and your brand can benefit by reaching their online networks.
Are there opportunities to mix professional development and pleasure? Perhaps hosting a pre-conference concert experience could bring together “The Newcomer” and more seasoned pros.
Seek input from the event team
When we workshopped event personas and journey mapping at CEMA, we heard how much participants learned from each other. One of my favorite takeaways was when an attendee who worked in a “Gen Z” persona group suggested transitioning “know before you go” pre-event emails to short videos that appeal to a younger, first-timer audience.
Use personas as a tool to make this phase of your event strategy more collaborative. Making stronger connections in planning leads to better event outcomes.
Learn how to design events that meet business goals. Download our comprehensive guide to event strategy.