The pandemic was not just a minor “disrupter” for the meetings industry, it shook up the entire profession.
As a certified meeting professional, I thrive on planning face-to-face events – working with hotel venues, planning menus, mapping out exhibit halls, and securing top-notch audio-visual for events. With the need to switch to a virtual event format, much of that expertise did not directly translate to digital events. Thankfully, there was an opportunity to expand on my event planning knowledge, learn from the experts and connect with a group of other meeting professionals navigating this same new environment.
The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) offers a Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification program that dives into six core areas for holding a successful digital or hybrid event. This course addressed how to budget for these types of events, create a multi-channel marketing plan that will reach new audiences, produce engaging content and use the extensive data that is collected from digital events to measure success and provide tangible ROI for our clients and partners/sponsors.
With the knowledge I gained through the course, I am better prepared to lead strategic discussions with our leaders on the future of their events and how digital and hybrid will continue to play a role in this space. My biggest takeaway from the course was learning to address the question “What if we didn’t hold this event?” While it may seem like a scary question to ask, it was one that many associations faced recently and is a fantastic way to uncover hidden ROIs that your event brings to the overall strategic plan. The ability to deliver strong engagement for attendees and ensure financial success is a strong incentive to create an effective digital event strategy.
Going through the DES certification course has proven just how important it is to continue evolving your skill set, surrounding yourself with other thought leaders, and staying on top of the latest trends so you can be prepared for whatever the next “disruption” will be.