Feb 15
27
Value of Video = better events
As an event planner, have you ever considered what would be the value of video-taping your event and what it could do for you and your organization?
How about creating both a record of your event along with potential video products that the organization could either sell or provide to attendees after the event?
Think about how much more effective your followup after the event would be if you could include a highlight video or two along with your message? Or even your marketing of the event through video captured at previous events?
The Value of Video for Event Planners –
Before, During and After
Let’s talk about The Power of Video Before the event…
Short “promo” video clips from each of your speakers are a great way to generate excitement for your event. The videos don’t need to be long… in fact “short and sweet” should be the way to go and they can be sent out as a series of emails to your members in the months and weeks leading up to the event.
Combine the speaker videos with videos by your event emcee or the leaders of your organization, and you will help potential attendees get a much stronger connection to the event from seeing real, live people instead just words in an email. A simple video conveys emotion better than text in an email and if you are excited about your event, it will come across in the videos.
Here is a sample video created by gps-SpeakerMarketing.com for a speaker before they appeared at an MPI event…
Video During your event…
Aside from the role of capturing all the action and valuable content provided by the speakers at your event, event video is a wonderful opportunity to generate even more marketing tools.
Feedback Corner is when an area is set up where attendees can provide feedback on the event on video. Ideally, there should be signage showing where and when the “Feedback Corner” will be running so that attendees can stop by and leave their comments. This feedback, when it is positive, can be used as an excellent testimonial for future events as well as part of a follow-up campaign to all members of your organization so they can get a feeling for “what they missed” (so they will be more motivated to come the the next event). Any feedback that is less than positive can be provided to the event organizers or speakers as constructive feedback for improvement. Again, this type of feedback carries more weight since it is a live person and not just words on an evaluation form.
If some of the feedback is related to a particular speaker (which it likely will be if you ask the right questions and encourage participation), then the speaker could use the video as a testimonial themselves. This can help the speaker get more speaking gigs and, in many ways, makes your event one that provides greater value !
Event Video Screens are becoming more and more common at events and since they are often networked together, you may even be able to build short video clips into the informational monitors placed around the event. If you use the testimonial videos, they should be shot to minimize editing and allow a quick turnaround so they can be played at the event. Video by the organization’s leadership or even upcoming speakers can also be added to event monitors to keep the excitement high. Again, a video of a real person grabs much more attention than words on a screen!
Below is an example of a testimonial video recorded at an event put on by Heather Hansen O’Neill …
Video After the event…
The raw video that is created at the event can be turned into a wide range of valuable marketing tools through the use of professional editing.
Content Distribution is one way that the videos could be used and possibly generate additional income for the organization. If you get the proper releases from the speakers, you may be able to edit the video of the speeches and offer them as digital downloads either for free or at a cost to members who missed the event or even the general public, depending on the nature of your event.
Highlight reels are a great way to take the video from an event and by pulling out the best “snippets” from the speakers, provide a video that shows, in a condensed form, the great parts of your event. This video can be sent to members of your organization who attended (or those that did not) as a reminder of the great time and valuable information that was provided at your event. It is also a great video to pull out before your next event to get more attendees signed up !
In Addition… The Value of Video for your Speakers. Speakers are always looking for high quality video of their performances and if your event gives them the opportunity to get it, they will be sure to give everything they have to your audiences. Be sure to let them know ahead of time that the event will be videotaped and secure the proper video releases from the speakers based on how you intend to use the video.
Conclusion – The Value of Video for your events:
Professionally-captured Video can add substantial value to your next event…before, during and after … but it also requires planning, integration into the agenda of the event as well as a strong, experienced video professional.
To learn more about what you need to know to bring professional video to your next event, just contact gps-SpeakerMarketing.com at 203-885-0113 or simply leave a comment on this page (we read all comments). We are happy to talk about what types of video you might want to build into your planning as well as give you a cost-effective quote for the various services we offer.
