It’s an art to keep connected

Just imagine: you are an association conference or a trade fair  with a huge amount of international attendees and followers, you have a steady input of new ideas and views, you have an important story to tell…..and then you realize that your next event is 10 years from now. Whoa, 10 years!

How on earth are you going to stay  in touch with your community  and keep the momentum going? Will people forget about you? Will you become old news? How can you ever survive?
Well….it happens. Not just in the events industry. It happened to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, closing 10 years ago for major renovations, and due to open again April 13^th 2013. Less than a month away. And they had a way of keeping the conversation going that inspired me. And can inspire events as well.

1 Stay open, even though you are closed  

Confusing? Well yes and no. Even though the main building was closed, they kept a “greatest hits” collection on display in a separate part of the museum. Plus, the collection went on loan to other museums and special exhibitions, engaging people outside Amsterdam. Lesson learned: stay in touch using smaller spin-offs, and share your knowledge in other events. Be out there!

2 Tell your news – good AND bad

During the 10 years, the Museum kept an open conversation about delays, problems with builders and cyclists (well, it IS Amsterdam after all), as well as achieved targets and great designs. The mix of messages kept an open conversation going – we all had our own opinion and were able to share it. Lesson learned: keep the conversation going! Really…

3 Show your work in progress

During the building, they kept us informed. Not only by telling news, but also showing the building in progress face to face – they had “hard hat tours” and unveiled new acquisitions. Lesson learned: people like to share in progress. Invite your stakeholders to comment on new ideas, use surveys or your social media – ask questions and let delegates share their views.

4 Share your knowledge - everywhere

With the collection in other exhibitions and in huge depots, it was up to the museum to keep those great works of art “on view”- and they used the website to do it . They opened RijksStudio https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio , a part of the website where you can collect, share (on social media) and use your favorite parts of the collection. Images with a superb quality to make your own. Lesson learned: your content is valuable: share it in whitepapers, blogs, chats, events or webinars, and see which parts will spark a conversation.

5 Engage in all forms and formats

The museum used old, new, social, formal - you name it -  media to keep in touch. And now that the opening is getting close, there are numerous of different smaller special events and pre-viewings to get the buzz going. On site, on line – everywhere. For all stakeholder groups: all feel connected. Lesson learned: look at the segmentation of your stakeholders and  be relevant to all of them. Make sure to keep Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y on board and dare to change your event format accordingly, with a meeting architecture that meets all needs.

And then?…. enjoy the connection with old friends, new views, in a fresh environment where history is shown and made.

As far as I am concerned, the Rijksmuseum did a great job, and I am really looking forward to visit again. To do a little re-connecting. And safe to say – I will be inspired again.

Do you see what I see?

So, it has been a while, what’s new? Well…that depends how you look at it.

In the Netherlands we will have a new king soon, and I just learned that there is a new pope. On a more local scale, at work we changed the brand of tea in our offices and started flexible work areas, and in my neighborhood, the Chinese restaurant changed owners. Better spring rolls, but I won’t be ordering the noodles & vegetables again.

Things change on a daily basis. Some good, some bad. Also in events

Change, innovation and reinvention: they are key ingredients when it comes to keeping visitors, delegates and exhibitors engaged with the events we design and the conversations we start.

The blueprints of classic conferences and tradeshows are gradually changing into live maps with touchpoints, telling us which buttons to push and where to begin the change in content, format, design, venue…. a starting point, that’s all. Innovation never stops.

But let’s face it… sometimes, it is just too hard to find the creativity to deal with it.

I guess the trick is to keep it simple yet inspiring. Stay close to home, one thing at a time. But how?

I was thinking about this when I received a tweet from a friend, who is an artist. One of the many things she does, is photographing ordinary objects and turning them into a new reality, choosing the right angles and title. I always feel inspired when I see her work.

She turns torn paper into a hawk, a trash bag into a blackbird, metal fittings into an owl. Ready-mades, ready to change.

She shows that staying close to home can bring about a big change. One thing at a time.  It just depends how you look at it.

So back to events:  what do we really see? An old catering concept might be a new networking tool. A hallway can serve as a walking breakout. A brick wall could be a…  well, anything. Innovation is everywhere, it  just depends how you look at it. Have a special eye. Do you see what I see?

Thanks @mapestaartje (http://www.maartjejaquet.nl/) for letting me use the images: always an inspiration.