When the four co-chairs of the 2010 CASE District III conference sat down to begin planning the big event, they knew they faced a monumental challenge.
The economy had soured. Travel and professional development budgets had been slashed. The conference was moving from its customary home, Atlanta, to a new city, Tampa.
And a lot was riding on the event – after all, CASE District III relied on its annual conference as its primary source of revenue.
For the challenge of 2010 to be met, pre-conference communication had to be frequent and varied. Moreover, the conference had to be positioned as a value offering, promising a return that was much larger than the investment.
The co-chairs set three primary goals and objectives for marketing:
- Fill the hotel and avoid the financial penalty associated with failing to meet the contractual obligation for number of nights
- Fill the exhibit hall by recruiting 65 companies and organizations to exhibit at the conference (and support conference events through sponsorships
- Attract 705 paid registrants to the conference and 100 or so paid registrants for the pre-conference program
To meet the objectives, Resonance Marketing developed a theme that actually served as a framework for the event – Ingenuity.
The rationale was clear. Ingenuity is about creative problem solving. It mixes imagination with pragmatism to address a challenge or need. The conference planners recognized that advancement professionals faced challenges like never before, having to accomplish more with less. Ingenuity would give their audience what they needed – when they needed it most.
Here’s the marketing strategy Resonance developed in partnership with CASE III conference planners:
Emphasize value. The cornerstone of the strategy was to position the District III conference as a must, not a maybe. Communication materials consistently surfaced the best offerings and benefits to potential participants, rather than rely on clever phrases or the allure of a “Florida vacation.” Design was intentionally non-whimsical; the pre-conference mailer stretched out all of the program and networking benefits across three days; and it explicitly stated that it was intended to help professionals make the case on their own campuses to attend the conference.
Communicate frequently and drive potential participants online. Rather than invest in voluminous printed materials, which would be expensive to produce and mail, the strategy relied heavily on email and brief print communication pieces shared throughout the year. A robust Web site had all of the conference details and facilitated processes – online registration, awards entries, exhibitor registration, and quick links to travel and hotel. (For inspiration, it also featured real-life examples of ingenuity!)
Connect people before the conference. For the first time, District III established a Facebook page to add a social media component to the pre-conference communication and to facilitate ride sharing and pre-conference discussion.
Make a special effort to reach out to Florida institutions. It had been several years since CASE III had held a conference in Florida, and the district had never convened in Tampa. So special e-mails were targeted to professionals at Florida institutions, emphasizing the economics of attending a conference in their home state.
Show relevance by targeting audience members according to specialization. Professionals in development, alumni relations, communications/marketing, advancement services and independent schools received emails showcasing conference offerings that were most helpful and relevant to them. This ensured that email communication was varied: some emails talked about the big picture, others focused on the more narrow benefits.
One other note: To help stretch the conference marketing budget, Resonance planned for printing all postcards at once and limiting creative to just two colors (gold and midnight blue). We also used environmentally friendly papers and encouraged the paper supplier to adjust costs to help us stay within budget. And we helped conference planners secure the donation of printing for the conference booklet and attendee booklet.
Make the conference as affordable as possible. Traditionally, District III required 5 registrants to qualify for a group discount; for “Ingenuity,” that was lowered to 3. The Web site included a section with ideas on how to save money in travel and lodging. Potential registrants were encouraged to conduct business in the area or tack on a few days for family vacation. And special offers (registration giveaway, hotel giveaway) were rolled out during the campaign to reiterate the message that District III understood the budget realities facing the audience.
The marketing effort succeeded:
- With the required registration of exhibitors factored in, the conference attracted 825 paid registrants.
- The hotel sold out, prompting conference planners to make arrangements with adjacent properties.
- While 60 companies and organizations were recruited for the exhibit hall – five short of goal – sponsorships were 50 percent over goal, signifying a big win for the district.
Most important, the conference delivered on its promise. Nine out of 10 attendees rated the 2010 “Ingenuity” conference as “good” or “excellent” – and 94 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the sessions they attended provided them with value.
One other note: To help stretch the conference marketing budget, Resonance planned for printing all postcards at once and limiting creative to just two colors (gold and midnight blue). We also used environmentally friendly papers and encouraged the paper supplier to adjust costs to help us stay within budget. And we helped conference planners secure the donation of printing for the conference booklet and attendee booklet.
As a result, CASE too was able to accomplish more for less.
