Social Media at Conferences – Distracting or Adding Value?

While Social Media, like Twitter, was still finding its audience, many people viewed conference attendees who were sitting on their smart devices ‘chatting’ to be distracting, disengaged, rude and inconsiderate.

This viewpoint has shifted greatly over the last couple of years, and Social Media has become more widely accepted and utilized at conferences.

WHEN IS SOCIAL MEDIA BEING USED AT CONFERENCES?

Well the answer is simple, Social Media is being used before, during and after conferences.

BEFORE

The conference itself is utilizing Social Media to promote the event, speakers and conference topics to increase registration.

Speakers are using Social Media to grow, engage and evaluate their upcoming audience. They are trying to connect with their audience before and learn what will encourage audience participation and attention. Speakers are also following what is currently being said on the topic of their presentation so that what they are saying is the most current and relevant.

Attendees are using Social Media to not only promote the event to their colleagues, but they are using it to research the conference and connect with others who might be attending. Social Media allows people to start connecting before an event and jump start relationships. This jump start can help people focus in on relationships that can really add value to their professional life, instead of blindly building relationships that may have nothing to offer.

DURING

During an event, conference organizers can use Social Media to help direct the flow of people and inform people of any last minute changes to the schedule. Conferences are also able to follow what people are saying and respond immediately to any problems, as well as make notes for improvement for future conferences.

Speakers can use Social Media during an event to take the pulse of their audience and see how their presentation is being received. They can also employ it to engage the audience and generate dialogue and discussion within their session.

Attendees can use Social Media in a number of ways during an event. They can use it to locate individuals they wish to talk to face-to-face. They can use Social Media to enhance presentations by having parallel discussions with other conference attendees while the presentation is happening. The use of Social Media can lead to increased productivity and innovation at a conference giving attendees a valuable take-away.

AFTER

After a conference, organizers can continue to monitor Social Media to see how long the conversation continues. They can evaluate participation, enjoyment and overall impressions of the speakers and attendees. This information can help them to improve future conferences.

Attendees can use Social Media after conferences to bolster the connections that they made at that conference and they can prolong knowledge sharing and idea creation. Conferences no longer have to end when people head home. Conversations can carry on, relationships can grow and evolve and people can continue to get value out of a conference long after it ends.

Speakers can use Social Media the same was as both the organizers and attendees. They can build relationships and they can evaluate their performance to strengthen future presentations.

 

WHO IS USING IT?

As you can tell three of the main groups utilizing Social Media During a conference are: conference organizers, speakers and attendees.

There are additional groups who are using Social Media during conferences and of them the largest is the online audience. Social Media gives people who are unable to travel to a conference the ability to still take part, gain knowledge and insights and build relationships. The topics of conferences are no longer restricted by geography; conference messages can become global through the power of Social Media.

HOW ARE PEOPLE USING IT?

The main ways that people are using Social Media during conferences are largely outlined above, but here is a clear list of how it is being used:

  • Sharing resources
  • Communicating with others 
  • Participating in parallel discussions 
  • Jotting down notes 
  • Establish an online presence 
  • Pose organizational questions

 

 

An old proverb suggests that “Two heads are better than one”.

Where two heads used to be better than one, even more heads offer more innovation, creativity, critical thinking and ultimately understanding in today’s world. Transform your conferences from passive absorption of information to active engagement with the same information; your attendees will thank you and they will keep coming back.

 

In your opinion, is using Social Media at a conference helpful or distracting?

Has Social Media added value to your conference experience? How?

What Social Media tools do you find most useful when you are at a Conference?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!