Return on Conference (ROC)

𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝑹𝑶𝑪) – 𝑴𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔: 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑲𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓’𝒔 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒆.

When planning a conference, it’s easy to focus on logistics and overlook a crucial question: “How do we ensure a return on this investment?” As David pointed out in our recent conversation, “A conference for just 100 people can easily cost over $50,000 to organize.” With such significant expenses, the focus must shift from viewing conferences as costs to seeing them as investments—investments that need to pay off.

And who plays a critical role in ensuring this payoff? The moderator.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧

According to David, a moderator should be seen as “a strategic partner in the conference planning process.” Rather than just facilitating sessions, a moderator should deeply understand the event’s goals and work to align every part of the conference with these objectives. David emphasized, “A moderator’s role is to ensure that every session, every interaction is driving towards those key outcomes.” This means that from the opening remarks to the final panel, the moderator is steering the event to ensure it delivers value.

𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙢 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩

David also stressed the importance of audience engagement as a measure of conference success. “If the audience isn’t engaged, the conference is just a series of lectures,” he said. A moderator can transform the experience by involving participants actively—through interactive discussions, Q&A sessions, or real-time feedback. This not only keeps the audience involved but also ensures they leave with actionable insights, which is crucial for justifying the conference’s cost.

𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙊𝘾

Content is king when it comes to ensuring a return on investment. David highlighted that a moderator’s ability to “shape discussions and guide speakers towards actionable insights” is essential. A moderator needs to be more than a timekeeper; they should be actively curating the conversation to ensure that the most relevant, impactful information is delivered. “The success of a conference often hinges on the quality of its content,” David noted, “and a good moderator makes sure that every session contributes to the overall value.”

𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩

David also touched on the importance of measuring the conference’s success. He suggested that moderators could “help define what success looks like,” setting clear objectives that can be measured post-event. This might include tracking engagement levels, gathering feedback on session quality, or measuring the impact on business outcomes. “It’s about having data to back up the investment,” David said, emphasizing that this approach not only justifies the current event’s costs but also helps improve future conferences.

Finally, David gave 3 tips for how to think when it comes to “Return on Investment when organising a conference:

1)  BEFORE the conference

David: “Make sure you have a clear and meaningful purpose for the meeting, and make sure you keep reminding yourselves of that throughout the planning process. But also make sure you keep coming back to “How do we guarantee return on investment?”

Making sure you talk about return on investment will increase the likelihood of you having one.

2) DURING the conference

David: “Constantly be prepared to change or tweak the flow, agenda – even the purpose of the conference, if you feel that it is what is needed.”

Conferences are almost living organisms; they can get a life of their own. You need to be able to adapt to what happens during them.

3) AFTER the conference

David: “There is so much energy created during a conference, but often that energy is not being harnessed.”

Companies do TV ads because they create such a strong emotional connection with the customers, but then they do radio ads to follow up the (expensive) TV spending because the cheaper radio ads remind the customers of the ads they saw.

In the same way simple and cheap activities (such as sending out short clips from the conference over a couple of weeks after the conference) will remind the audience of the energy they felt during the event.

Do not miss the chance to ride on the energy created during the event by keep spreading the message to the audience later.

In conclusion, David’s insights make it clear that a moderator’s role is far more significant than many realize. By acting as a strategic partner, engaging the audience, curating high-impact content, and helping to measure success, a moderator ensures that a conference delivers a strong return on investment. As conferences continue to be a major expenditure for organizations, the moderator’s role in maximizing ROI cannot be underestimated.