ABPCO assesses the value of conferences

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) is to assess the true value of Association Conferences in an upcoming roundtable event on the 12th May.

The event, which will take place at The Royal Berkshire Hotel between 12 and 2pm, is the first in a series of events working with ABPCO’s accredited University departments to bring together research and how organisers can practically apply it to event planning.

This roundtable event will be led by Leo Jago, a Professor of Hospitality and Events at the University of Surrey.

“Association conferences have the capacity to transform individuals, enhance business performance, for example in research and development, and contribute to host destination development,” he commented. “Despite this, the value of association conferences is still often measured based solely on the spending power of delegates who attend them. Not only does this approach grossly undervalue the contribution made by the conferences but it distracts attention from strategies to realise their true potential. This roundtable will discuss how to assess the true value of association conferences and what practical measures can be introduced to enhance their lasting legacy. Attendees at this workshop will exchange ideas and best practice that will help them to make a clear business case for the events they organise.”

Places are limited for this roundtable event with ABPCO members benefiting on a first come first served basis. Bookings for the events can be made at www.abpco.org/abpco-roundtable.

“We are thrilled to be holding another roundtable event around a subject that is close to all of our hearts,” said Heather Lishman, Association Director at ABPCO. “We are working closely with all our University partners to achieve research and content that will prove indispensable to ABPCO members and beyond. We are grateful to Professor Leo Jago for hosting what is sure to be another beneficial and fascinating roundtable.”

ABPCO is also set to feature at The Meetings Show (14-16 June) with a session entitled, ‘To Tweet or not to Tweet – Evaluating your conference’s social media marketing strategy’. The session, run by London Metropolitan University lecture Tom Lunt, will be a roundtable reporting on research with members of ABPCO that examines how they approach social media marketing and the ways in which they evaluate its contribution to the success of their conferences.

ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference and meetings industry. For more information about ABPCO visit www.abpco.org