Changing how your events, meetings, or conferences operate is not easy. It is hard. Even when your attendance is declining, attendees are unhappy, and you know that you need to switch things up, it can be one of the most challenging things you will ever experience, especially if the event has a history.
I don’t think what I am writing can console you or tell you it will all be better; I can’t. What I can tell you is that by changing, and changing radically you can breath new life into your events before they die. You do have the power to make the changes, but you have to start. You must take the first steps and jump off the ledge into the unknown.
Before it is too late and there is no hope, read up on the latest trends, what is working, and who is successful. Investigate ways to get your audience involved and make them care again. There are plenty of resources out there and plenty of people who are successful and willing to share.
Even if you think “your attendees” are not ready for crowd-sourcing, smartphone apps, or paperless conferences, you might be surprised, maybe they are ready, they are just waiting for you.
Go for it…. What do you have to lose? There is nothing wrong with trying and failing; there is something wrong with failing and not trying.
