Sending Out Invitations
We’ve all been through a season of love (a seemingly endless few months where you see invitation after invitation to weddings, baby showers, graduation and birthday parties). Sometimes it becomes hard to decide which event(s) you’re going to attend. There are many factors to consider - a few of the big ones are timing, finances, and travel. We get it!Most outdoor conferences fall in the shoulder season - early Spring or late Fall - when programming is typically in a lull due to challenging weather. This makes it particularly difficult to decide which conference is the right fit. We understand that everyone has to make the decision on where to spend their time and money and are looking for the best return on that investment. They have to decide what professional development they need to advance their program and/or career; what relationships and networks they need to build or maintain for their work (or for that next career move) and where they can best understand industry trends and see the latest gear.
So while all of this is happening for a potential attendee - AORE is working to launch registration, secure presenters and put together the balance of the conference education. It is both the chicken AND the egg - building an event that has the right speakers and valuable content AND marketing it so that we can get folks secured to attend.
When we talk about getting folks to attend we are generally talking about courting two different groups - attendees and exhibitors. As you might imagine, enticing each group looks completely different but both are equally important. In the spirit of transparency, here is a high level look at the work that goes into this:
- Attendees: This starts with a Save the Date (with a location and announcing the dates), setting up registration, securing presenters and pulling together the education schedule. Then as new details are confirmed, sharing out those details (socials, keynotes, hotels).
- Exhibitors & Sponsors: It starts with designing a promotional piece that highlights the options for a potential exhibitor to choose from (booth type, sponsorship opportunities, etc). Next comes the reach out - the emails, newsletters, phone calls, Zoom calls - any way we can connect to see what works best for potential exhibitors and/or sponsors.
Ever have a question about AORE or what we're up to? Just ask! Reach out to us at nationaloffice@aore.org!