In this episode, we explore the common question of "What city should I host my conference in?" and dive into the underlying issues that prompt this question. We discuss the reasons people might focus on location, such as using it as a marketing gimmick or trying to keep production costs down. However, we emphasize that location should play a supporting role in a conference, not the lead role. We talk about the importance of focusing on programming and content, rather than relying on the location to draw attendees. The attendee experience should be the priority, and considering factors such as accessibility and amenities are crucial in making a location decision.

As in-person conferences begin to make a comeback, we discuss the importance of understanding your audience and their preferences in order to make the best decision on whether to host an event virtually or in person. We emphasize the need to deeply understand your audience's geographic locations, needs, and desires in order to choose the right city for your event. Additionally, we explore the significance of context-aware decision-making, taking into account factors such as travel preferences, budgets, and even political leanings when selecting a location. Ultimately, knowing your audience is the key to creating a successful event experience that meets their needs and goals'

We delve into the factors that influence the success of a conference, focusing on understanding your target audience and keeping production costs down. By knowing who you want to attend, their priorities, willingness to travel, and financial capacity, you can ensure a great experience and a successful event. So, stop stressing over tourist traps and start working on what your audience truly wants from your conference.

Timestamps and key takeaways

0:06:07 - Comparing Community Events to Big Productions (75 Seconds)

0:17:00 - Context in Decision Making

Comparing Community Events to Big Productions

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah. And when we say gimmick it's trying to use the location as a sort of marketing shortcut. If I rely on the place, then I don't have to talk about all the other things, or I don't have to put that much effort into all the others.

Isaac Watson: I think a lot of that is drawn from larger corporate meeting planning. Where if you're, if you work in the pharmaceutical industry or you're an engineer or something and your trade association is hosting their annual conference, they're gonna pick a location that you want to go to because you don't really want to go to the event. But those, these are like massive, These are like trade shows and this, so they're like, we're doing it in Vegas where you can just party every night and everything. That's the draw for those types of people. Yeah.

But the clients that we work with and the people who are like doing true community leadership and who are actually building something of value. They shouldn't be thinking about that. In the same way they should be crafting an event that people want to go to regardless of where it's been being hosted or that the location that it's being hosted in is the icing on the cake. It's Oh I really want to go to this conference and it's in Austin and I love Austin, or I've always wanted to go to Austin. Like that should be the reaction to that.

Nessa Jimenez: And it comes, as you well mentioned these big events, it's like the compare and contrast game that people always do, right? They open up social media or they search conferences, and what they get is like these million dollar productions for Amazon or a lot of things like doctors associations. They do this a lot as well. Where they choose very tropical, like touristy locations, but we're not talking about those people, that like we cannot compare a community event, a small business event with what Amazon is trying to pull off in Vegas.

Context in Decision Making

Isaac Watson: And to me that's the importance of context of decision making, right? Knowing the context of our current state, navigating the pandemic, right? Yes .People want to travel maybe, travel back up at almost at pre pandemic levels. Yet, flights are more expensive because of the rising fuel costs and inflation. So budget is more of a concern. There are certain areas that people are willing to travel over. There is a certain Maybe they're less inclined to go through multiple stops. They want a nonstop thing. All of that context is important to be aware of as you're making these decisions and making them intelligently with your audience in mind.

And if you're doing that, then you can go into your marketing strategy and marketing process and speak to that and say, We know. Essentially we know you  and we've crafted this for you because we understand what your priorities are and what you're looking for. And so we've created an experience in this particular location that is gonna serve that. Yeah.

Nessa Jimenez: And politically as well, that's the reality. You have to look at your audience and with this whole thing that's happening with women's rights, for example, and I'm gonna go ahead and bring it up. If your audience is mostly women, like I, I'm not sure they wanna go to Texas right now. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like that's also something to be aware of. Even if you think you're not political, spoiler, everybody's political, right? every community has their leanings. It's also another factor that'll help you decide where I should take this? Where are people comfortable being right now?

Isaac Watson: And it's about reading the room. And then if you're gonna read the room you need to know who's in the room. And if you don't know that, then you can't make those intelligent decisions. And that's going to, that's just the audience. I don't know how many times I can say that. Yeah. But that to me, Everything. If you don't know your people then you can't make an informed decision that's gonna fit their needs and your goals.

Transcript

Isaac Watson: How do you as a leader of a growing community, Truly make a conference or event that has impact, a gathering with purpose and an attendee experience that knocks their socks off. An event that leaves your audience in awe and wondering where you've been their whole life, Make It Kickass is the podcast that explores these questions by uncovering the strategies, tactics and tools that we use every day to bring our clients' conferences to life.

I'm Isaac Watson, executive producer of Kickass Conferences, and we are here to help you make it kick ass. Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode where myself, Isaac Watson, executive producer at Kickass Conferences and the illustrious Nessa Jimenez, our operations manager. Say hello, Nessa.

Nessa Jimenez: Hi everybody,

Isaac Watson: Where we talk about all things conferences and production and strategy and in this season we are spending each episode talking about one particular question that we tend to get asked quite regularly and digging a little deeper into what it really means. Maybe we should just call this conference therapy. Talking about-

Nessa Jimenez: conference, FAQs,

Isaac Watson: talking about what, what's coming up for people when they start asking us these questions. And what are some of the underlying sources of these questions and how can we better address those through strategy and solutions? And maybe better questions to ask instead of what people normally ask.

Nessa Jimenez: Right, Because what people usually ask isn't usually what they're actually asking

Isaac Watson: Exactly. Which is the whole reason why we're doing this. So let's get into it. This episode's question is centered around location. And the question is, what city should I host my conference?

So we're gonna set aside virtual events, We're gonna set aside digital convenings and gatherings, and we're focused on, in person. What city should I host my conference in? We do get. This asked a lot. Less so in the last couple of years. But it's starting to come back as people are thinking about doing things in person again. So first and foremost, when people ask us this question, what do they really mean? What are they actually asking?

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah, so location. They wanna know if it is a tourist attraction or a touristy location gonna help me sell more tickets? If I build this thing in Miami and I put palm trees and a picture of the beach on my ads, is that gonna get people to buy tickets and show up? How do I get people to come to this conference? Is. Is location the big selling point, right? Stepping away from just location, talking about how do I keep production costs down? What city can I host this, where I'm not paying more than I can afford just for a venue or just for catering?

Isaac Watson: it's a diverse smattering of questions, right? It's about willingness to travel, it's about drawing people in, incentivizing them to come. But also how do we afford to do this? Different metropolitan areas have wildly different, Production costs depending on how developed the urban core is. Are you doing it out in a suburb?

Is it accessible? All these kinds of things can affect it. So these are some of the underlying questions that we hear or that we, when people ask us that's what we hear is Oh, what you're really asking is how do I get people there? How do I keep production costs down? But what are some of the underlying problems causing these questions to bubble up. 

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah. So it's a gimmick. It's gimmicks over substance. What can I pull out of this hat to dazzle you? to confuse you, to pull one over on you that'll get you to this place that I want you to go?

Isaac Watson: Yeah. And don't get me wrong. A good location helps contribute to the event experience. Absolutely. Location can play a role as a character in your conference's personality and vibe and things like that, but it is not the sole contributing factor. In fact, it's a backseat. It's a supporting role. It is not the lead. It is your programming and your content and what you are creating in that space. And the location supports that to some extent, but does not supplant it.

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah. And when we say gimmick it's trying to use the location as a sort of marketing shortcut. If I rely on the place, then I don't have to talk about all the other things, or I don't have to put that much effort into all the others.

Isaac Watson: I think a lot of that is drawn from larger corporate meeting planning. Where if you're, if you work in the pharmaceutical industry or you're an engineer or something and your trade association is hosting their annual conference, they're gonna pick a location that you want to go to because you don't really want to go to the event. But those, these are like massive, These are like trade shows and this, so they're like, we're doing it in Vegas where you can just party every night and everything. That's the draw for those types of people. Yeah.

But the clients that we work with and the people who are like doing true community leadership and who are actually building something of value. They shouldn't be thinking about that. In the same way they should be crafting an event that people want to go to regardless of where it's been being hosted or that the location that it's being hosted in is the icing on the cake. It's Oh I really want to go to this conference and it's in Austin and I love Austin, or I've always wanted to go to Austin. Like that should be the reaction to that.

Nessa Jimenez: And it comes, as you well mentioned these big events, it's like the compare and contrast game that people always do, right? They open up social media or they search conferences, and what they get is like these million dollar productions for Amazon or a lot of things like doctors associations. They do this a lot as well. Where they choose very tropical, like touristy locations, but we're not talking about those people, that like we cannot compare a community event, a small business event with what Amazon is trying to pull off in vegas,

Isaac Watson: yeah. And I think another underlying problem with this line of questioning is, especially when it comes to keeping production costs down, is prioritizing budget over the attendee experience. Now I want to couch that. By saying that doesn't mean that you should be blowing a ton of money to deliver a great attendee experience, that the two aren't necessarily correlated. I think the key is not letting the financials of the event dictate how you deliver on an attendee experience, or not letting a budgetary decision. And result in a worse attendee experience just because you couldn't afford to do it somewhere that would deliver a better one.

It's a very fine line to walk, but if you're approaching your geographical location, your site is sourced from a perspective of what's the cheapest place we can go? Then you're gonna have a really hard time delivering on an attendee experience because that attendee experience is not just what you're doing at the conference, it's how they're getting there. Do they have to do two or three stops to get to this tiny little town that's really cheap? What kind of amenities are there? What are you offering from a food and beverage experience? Like all that kind of stuff is influenced by that location decision.

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah, focusing on that one line item is a mistake. And in our, after we do event lab and the strategy work, when we start to do the venue location research we look at that Okay this town might be cheaper, but. It's gonna take people three hours to get here from the airport. That's rough. That's not an easy ask. And again, it depends on the details, right? If it's meant to be your retreat in the mountains or something okay, that's something else. But yeah, focusing on that one line item because it looks cheap.

On paper that can also bite you in the ass later cuz it'll affect it, attend the experience, and then a whole bunch of other things turn out to be more expensive. Another problem is just low confidence in doing something virtual versus in person. And I know I said we were gonna set aside the virtual, but the reality is does it even make sense to do something in person, right? Depending on who your audience and the community is. Why are you making this in person versus virtual decision?

Isaac Watson: And I think it also influences people's perception and their understanding of what the differences are. I think at this stage in where we are with Covid and where things are going, people know they know what they are. They know what they're comfortable with and it's a matter of navigating and helping them understand why they would want to attend in person versus doing it virtually. And I think that the other key is that people know that there's a difference between a virtual experience and an in person one.

We have spent years now trying to maintain social and professional relationships virtually only, and It's obvious as in person conferences start happening again. I hear time and time again whether I'm attending them or running them. It's so nice to be face to face again. It is so nice to be in a room of people. I missed this. It's different. It's not the same. As virtual, we can deliver some incredible virtual experiences, don't get me wrong, But there are certain things that you cannot replicate or recreate in a virtual environment. And so you need to have confidence in your choice to do it in person, knowing that people are going to understand why that's a good thing for them or if that's not their thing, right? And then delivering.

Nessa Jimenez: Yeah. And to your point about you can't replicate the experience but there's just some people that they don't want the digital experience anymore, right?

Versus other people who love the digital experience and have told us many times that they don't plan on ever going to an in person conference again because they much prefer to attend things online and they're more comfortable. I, I think, especially, People who are more introverted It's just they much rather  communicate and connect with other people through an online experience versus an in person one.

Isaac Watson: And I think there's this natural awkwardness right now too where people, I've heard comments like this before Oh, I forgot how to people yeah, I forgot what it's like.I knew I wanted this, but It requires energy. It's a whole different social construct and all these things. And that's a learning curve we're going through. And I think that will pass. But that decision to do it in person versus doing it virtually, you should have. Have made that earlier in the process, and then you need to embrace and run with that as opposed to questioning it the entire time.

Nessa Jimenez: Yes, we are absolutely in a relearning stage of how to socialize in person and how to be together in person after so long of just being online. Yeah, so speaking of connecting, Audience,  and other people. Let's talk about how we solve this problem. How do we answer this question of what city do I choose?

Isaac Watson: And you've started off with the location. And I'm gonna end with the audience. This is like the only solution. In my mind, to know who your audience is, to deeply understand who they are, what their makeup is, where are they geographically, What do they need and want? Is this an audience that wants to gather in person? If so, what are their priorities? What are you delivering? And then you can start to identify, okay, where. Where on this earth can we host this, that will help us deliver that, right?

Nessa Jimenez: Yes. And we can, And obviously of course you start with that. Do people wanna be in person or do they wanna be online? And once you've made that realization okay, maybe they do wanna be in person to look at your audience.

If you're, for example, you're based in Portland, but the vast majority of your audience is based on the East coast. It does not make sense for you to try to make everybody come to Portland . Yeah. If they would much rather stay on the east coast. And their exceptions and every situation is different. But that's something to think about, right? If everybody's on the East coast and I'm on the west, then I should probably think about hosting it in the East Coast that's closer to them and it'll get. They're more likely to jump in a car or on a plane and get there.

Isaac Watson: And to me that's the importance of context of decision making, right? Knowing the context of our current state, navigating the pandemic, right? Yes .People want to travel maybe, travel back up at almost at pre pandemic levels. Yet, flights are more expensive because of the rising fuel costs and inflation. So budget is more of a concern. There are certain areas that people are willing to travel over. There is a certain Maybe they're less inclined to go through multiple stops. They want a nonstop thing. All of that context is important to be aware of as you're making these decisions and making them intelligently with your audience in mind.

And if you're doing that, then you can go into your marketing strategy and marketing process and speak to that and say, We know. Essentially we know you  and we've crafted this for you because we understand what your priorities are and what you're looking for. And so we've created an experience in this particular location that is gonna serve that. Yeah.

Nessa Jimenez: And politically as well, that's the reality. You have to look at your audience and with this whole thing that's happening with women's rights, for example, and I'm gonna go ahead and bring it up. If your audience is mostly women, like I, I'm not sure they wanna go to Texas right now. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like that's also something to be aware of. Even if you think you're not political, spoiler, everybody's political, right? every community has their leanings. It's also another factor that'll help you decide where I should take this? Where are people comfortable being right now?

Isaac Watson: And it's about reading the room. And then if you're gonna read the room you need to know who's in the room. And if you don't know that, then you can't make those intelligent decisions. And that's going to, that's just the audience. I don't know how many times I can say that. Yeah. But that to me, Everything. If you don't know your people then you can't make an informed decision that's gonna fit their needs and your goals.

Nessa Jimenez: knowing your audience will tell you the answers to everything you wanna know? Yeah. So let's wrap this up for today then.

Isaac Watson: All right. So the question that we get asked often is, what city should I host my conference in? And when we get asked that question, we know that what they're really asking is either how do I get people to actually. And does the city that I choose play a significant role in that decision process? And also how do I keep my production costs down? Those are the two main underlying issues. And to that, we respond by working with our clients and figuring out who. Who are we wanting to actually attend? Understanding who they are. What is their context? What do they prioritize? What do they value? How far are they willing to travel? What is their financial capacity to travel? And how? How can they commit their investment in your conference with the confidence that they're gonna get a great experience. And if you understand your audience, you are 70% of the way toward delivering a stellar conference. 

Thanks for listening to make it kickass. Now stop worrying about tourist traps and. And start working out what your audience actually wants from you and from your event. Head on over to geteventlab.com and we'll send over a free copy of the tool that we use with our clients to help them line that out.That's geteventlab.com and I will see you in the next episode.