THE DIGITALISATION OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS COMMUNICATING WITH MEMBERS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Authors: Ori Lahav, Kenes Group, and Jelmer van Ast, Conference Compass

It is truly amazing that the first iPhone was launched only 11 years ago. This started a revolution of data and communication we had never seen before in our personal lives and in the business sector. The use of smartphones turned us to the ‘always on’ generation with different expectations when it comes to flow of information. Communication strategies that worked before no longer cut it. But how can technology help associations, PCOs and other event industry experts to accommodate the always-on need?

In the Ashfield research, ‘The Science of Healthcare Professional Meetings’, published in 2018, it was reported that 72% of HCPs expect congress materials to be available via a meeting portal or website during and after the event, with 54% of HCPs failing to find access to content or presentations.

This shows that access is not enough; the expectations of the content have also changed. Members and delegates are looking for more customised substance that will be relevant to their needs. In ‘The Future of Meetings & Events’

10 | March 2020 published by PCMA and Marriot in 2018, one of the main trends forecasted was the emotional intelligence behind designing with the end-user in mind. As companies get smarter with predictive analytics, consumer expectations for personalised, seamless experiences will continue to rise. Meetings and events will need to move past reactive adjustments to adopt a proactive approach to personalised experiences, understanding the needs of participants before they arrive.

Add to all of the above the FOMO effect – Fear Of Missing Out – that is typical with the younger generation and we need to rethink how we should communicate. Our new challenge is to ensure that access to information will be immediate and easily accessible from any device. And content should be customised to our users’ needs.

What does association communication look like today?

With an ever-rising number of communication tools, people are exposed to information anytime, anywhere. Social media, messaging platforms and collaborations tools are in a constant fight for the attention of the user. How can an association possibly cut through this noise?

In search of a solution, some turn to digital marketing techniques such as personalisation. Associations now emulate two organisations that have used personalisation to drive their conference attendance. How? Through leveraging existing member data, such as career stage or special interests, they were able to create a more personalised and relevant experience for potential attendees. These successes are no exception. In 2019 Trends in Personalisation, Evergage found that 56% of marketers see an improved customer experience and 36% reported increased loyalty. Personalisation might be the secret key to cater to association members’ interests and be more relevant.

While personalisation can help you in your year-round communication, it gets more difficult during events. Meetings or conferences see peak overexposure

of information. From event apps and matchmaking platforms to polling services, digital poster boards and more, event organisers work hard to offer attendees various technologies to enhance their event experience, but they end up adding to a swarm of information. In times of data overload, associations need to find a way to make their communications work together, rather than having their own messages and offerings compete with each other.

What is needed is a strategic approach, and we can already see societies making this move. Rather than spending on a one-off event app, organisations are now investing in a year-round association app, offering an all-in-one platform for their events, content and membership portal. It conveniently includes all well-known features of event apps, such as the event programme and networking functionalities, and in some cases also provides access to full-papers and webcasts. And with each new event, members will have access to a growing library of content and cross-event contacts, available to them anywhere and at any time.

What will association communication look like in the future?

Looking towards the future, we can expect the abundance of information to continue growing. This raises the question: how can we navigate between all the impulses? And how can we filter out the relevant information? Artificial Intelligence has the potential to solve this issue. By learning the preferences of the user, it can give recommendations, see trends and connect the dots to provide the right information at the right moment.

We expect that the ways to consume this information will change too. Augmented reality will enable us to see information as a layer over what we are looking at, such as medical guidelines, schedules, wayfinding and profile information. This will only work when information is relevant, reliable and readily available. It may still take a few years for technology to mature and become widely available, but the direction is clear, and this future is inevitable.

Authors: Ori Lahav, Vice President Client & Operations, Kenes Group, and Jelmer van Ast, CEO & Founder, Conference Compass, a Service Provider partner of IAPCO.

For over fifty years, Kenes Group has been creating success stories with associations around the world, harnessing the power of community, strengthening an association’s brand www.kenes.com

Conference Compass is a leader in the provision of high-quality association and event apps. More info at www.conferencecompass.com