TRIPLE HEADER WORKSHOP:WEBSITES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND MEETING PLANNING

Carla Pendergraft

Carla Pendergraft Associates

www.carlapendergraft.com

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www.butdoesitwork.comWebsites for State and Provincial Associations of Fairs

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About You

How many have a web designer maintain their fair association website?

How many maintain your website yourself?

How do you access it (Content Management System, Dreamweaver, etc.)?

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My Approach

There are no “right” and “wrong” websites. If the website accomplishes what you want it to do, it’s successful.

I know that many of you are constrained by: Lack of time Miniscule budget Boards/Committees that may not share your

vision Ridiculously rapid rate of change in technology

I’ll share plenty of free and easy-to-use ideas.

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Fair Association Goals

To promote your state’s fairs to the general public Help people find them

To serve the needs of your member fairs Serve as a thought and technology leader Guide them in the development of their

websites Guide them in the use of online technology

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Your member fairs

We will focus on your needs in this workshop, but I will also make reference to your fairs and expositions at times.

Main issue I saw is lack of websites for many of your members, and even a few Fair Associations.

You can create a free one without using a web designer!

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Why website projects are challenging “Simple” web design software that still gives

us design control, does not yet exist. (Dreamweaver is not simple for the average user.)

There are multiple steps to creating a website: Coming up with the content for it Creating the design for it Programming it to work on the web Purchasing the web hosting account and domain

name.

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Wikispaces.com – free website FREE – supported by Google ads

Can pay small monthly fee to remove ads No programming No software to buy - completely browser-

based Easy once you get the hang of it Power to create new pages, delete

pages, customize, etc. Great way to get started with a website.

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A free website for Aunt LaVerne

Ok, I did the masthead. Everything else was done by Aunt LaVerne.And it’s free!

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Sizing up a website

The decision is made within a few seconds on whether to stay and click, or to leave a website.

Web users rely heavily on visual cues to make this decision.

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Principles of good web design Balance

look at each element and how it falls on the centerline

Rhythm and repetition How elements are repeated, such as color or

subheads Emphasis (or dominance)

What is the focal point? Unity

How elements fit together

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In addition to design…

Content development is crucial. Can someone unfamiliar with your industry

figure out what you’re about by looking for a few seconds at your home page?

Each page of your website should have a theme. Create more pages to accommodate your

content. Google will analyze the theme on each page.

The menu system is the organizational structure of the website.

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Your website home page

Give us some fair pictures! How about finding good ones on your

members’ websites? Give us color!

We need a short mission statement explaining what a state or provincial fair association is all about.

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Website Mission Statements

“We are Here to Promote the Fair Industry” – Colorado Assn of Fairs & Shows

“The Federation represents 95 county fairs throughout Minnesota.” – Minnesota Federation of County Fairs

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Menu Systems (my preferences) About Us first, bookended with Contact Us;

everything else in between drop down menus with no fade, delay, or other

fancy features.   Menu should be the same on every page.   Must have some sort of rollover action. Reward

the user! Double row of menu items is hard to read.

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A Great Fair Association Website!

•Modern•Visually appealing•Good Fair images•Nice menu system

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Another Great Fair Assn Website!

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Canadian Association of Fairs & Exhibitions

Great masthead!Conveys the heart of what Fairs are all about.

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Website Checklist

Take a look at your website and consider each of these ideas.

Take a look at other fair association websites as well.

Remember these are guidelines, not laws.

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General

Does it look “modern”? What constitutes “modern” changes every

2-3 years! Is it visually appealing, with great Fair

photos? Is it centered (balance)? Is there a focal point (emphasis)? Can you determine the purpose of the

website in a few seconds?

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Website Housekeeping Details Does the footer have your address, phone,

email? Are all links working? Are email addresses still valid? Does the site look ok in all major browsers?

Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari for Mac Is it mobile-friendly for the 3 major

smartphones? iPhone, BlackBerry, Android

Does it use Flash technology?

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Rhythm and Repetition

Does it have a header, footer, and defined page area, with background showing on each side?

Is there some movement on the home page?

Is capitalization consistent? Are fonts consistent in size, color,

justification?

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Photos and Images

 Photos of your board should all be a consistent size and look (repetition)

I like a 1 pixel border around photos to define them

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Photos and Images

Consider diversity in your photos and graphics. Fairs have diverse attendee demographics.

Use generous whitespace around photos.

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Photos and Images

Watch for photos that are distorted – where people look squished or elongated

Watch for slow-to-load images. High resolution artificially compressed to smaller size.

Check by right-clicking and then choose “Open Image in New Tab”. Is it still the same size?

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Photos and Images

This photo is about twice as big as it looks.Takes longer to download.

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Things to Avoid

Scrolling marquee tags Underlines (except for links) Times Roman, Comic Sans fonts Outdated icons for Adobe Reader Web designer links at bottom of pages

Free real estate! Remove anything that shows it’s a free

site “Template by…”

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Things to avoid

Massive blank areas at the bottom of pages

Outdated copyright notices Hit counters Crazy cursors Any outdated information on the page Typos

Copy and paste into Word, and do a spell check!

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Possible menu items

Jobs Resources FAQs Contests,

Scholarships Sponsors Stats/Facts about

Fairs Videos Projects

Board of Directors Committees Trading Post Member Benefits Education Newsletter Legislative

Updates And many more…

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Member Fairs Page

Perhaps the most important page in your website! Call it “Fairs in Ontario” or “Ontario Fairs

Calendar” for good search engine optimization

Many are listed by date Consider noting the type of fair (county, 4H,

district) Include the name of the closest city. Don’t need to have a page on your site about

each fair. Just a link to their website.

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Member Fairs Page

Consider creating a Custom Google map of all your state’s or province’s fairs! Maps.google.com/help/maps/mymaps/

create.html Embed it in your website Easy to update!

Maryland has one.

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Maryland Assn of Ag Fairs and Shows - Custom Google Map

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Iowafairs.com fair locator map

Click on a county to find a fair! Seems intuitive.Similar to a custom Google map.

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Wisconsin Assn of Fairs Map

Easy to use.Fair info shows on the right when you click on a county.

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News, Blogs, and Polls

Consider starting a blog as your “news” page (Maryland Assn. of Ag Fairs & Shows does this)

You can create a blog at wordpress.com for free, and simply put the link to it on your menu.

Polls – be careful with these. They should be relevant, not frivolous. Use Facebook for this instead.

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Include Social Media Icons/Links

Maryland Association of Ag Fairs and Shows

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Search Engine Optimization

Looking for a Colorado county fair, rodeo, or just something to do in Colorado? Browse our list of fairs and expos in Colorado. It’s the most complete Colorado events calendar anywhere! Or look at our Google Map of Colorado Fairs.

 Meta tags – still relevant although not crucial  Optimize your title tag. Don’t waste it. Incoming links are still important Content is still king.

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Meta Tags - TITLETITLE tag appears in blue bar.

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Meta tag - TITLE

Customize it for each page of your website. “About Us – Virginia Association of Fairs” “Contact the Virginia Association of Fairs” “Calendar of Virginia County Fairs”

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Forms on your website

Specify the format (Word or PDF) and the size

It needs to be editable. Don’t make people fill things out by hand.

If it’s an online form, be sure the form has the same look and feel as the rest of the website.

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Translations

If translated, the “second” language pages must be as good as the first. Consistency, look and feel, etc.

Sometimes, languages were mixed on the “second” language site.

It’s preferable to have fewer pages translated, but those done consistently, than to have a full site done with less consistency.

Don’t use Google Translate or similar widgets.

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What about Mobile?

These days, smartphones can see regular websites.

Look at your site on iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android and see if it’s acceptably easy to use.

Pay special attention to the navigation. Can you “grab” and click a menu item?

iPhones can’t see Flash animations! Use alternatives to Flash.

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Mobile-Only Websites

Search on “mobile website builder” Mobisitegalore.com is pretty easy to use Just try them out! They are free to try Costs about $12-$20 per month and up

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Mobisitegalore.com44

Text Message Marketing

Use to send text messages to those who sign up

Starting to be used during conventions Example: “Text ILUVTAFE to 41411 for

convention info” A technology you can learn to help your

fairs. Textmarks.com

Has a free trial that allows you to experiment Cost $19/month after trial

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Textmarks.com46

Ask your fairs to claim their venues on Google Places

Go to: www.google.com/places Will allow people to find your fairs’

locations more efficiently Positions the fair on Google Maps

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Google Search for “tulsa state fair”

“Google Places” is where this listing comes from.

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Website critiques

We can look at your websites, or some of your member websites.

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Congratulations!

www.nowitworks.com! Email me at

carla.pendergraft@gmail.com if you want a personal critique of your website or if I can help with a redesign.

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Treading Water in the Social Media TsunamiSocial Media for State and Provincial Associations of Fairs

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About You and Social Media

How many are using social media personally?

How many are using social for your fairs association?

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About You

What social media are you using? (Show of hands) Facebook (personal) Facebook (Fan Page) Twitter YouTube Flickr or other photo sharing site Blog

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What about your fairs?

Are any of them are using social media? This presentation will focus on how social

media might benefit you; however, your fairs can benefit as much or more.

They need your technology leadership!

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The Social Media Revolution

http://socialnomics.net/video/ Social Media Revolution 2

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Social Media’s Power

Facebook has over 500 million active users 150 million mobile users 50% of users log on daily Average user has 130 friends Average user is connected to 80 community

pages, groups and events How many are connected to you? How many are connected to your state’s or

province’s fairs?

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Facebook and Mobile Users

There are more than 200 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users.

Want to be accessed by mobile users? Get on Facebook!

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Why Use Social Media?

Communicate with your members Recruit new member fairs Increase convention attendance Get fairs in touch with each other Share ideas

Best practices for fairs What seminars they want you to offer at

the convention Where they want the convention held

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Facebook – “association of fairs” search

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Observations

Some are set up as groups Some are set up as Pages At least one has both a group and a Page

set up The difference? Pages are for everyone.

Groups are primarily for members. Which one is right for you?

How much do you want to speak to the general public vs. exclusively your members?

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Facebook Groups

Groups allow you to send a message directly to the member’s inbox; Pages don’t

Groups allow you to approve new members

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Facebook Pages

Pages are more easily indexed by Google Pages have “Insights” or statistics;

groups don’t Pages allow embedded applications Pages allow for vanity URLs Pages allow you to push your post to a

certain language group (see next slide)

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Publishing to non-English-speaking fans

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Facebook Pages

•Only Facebook Pages have the “Like” button widgets for your website. •http://developers.facebook.com/plugins

•Just create it and then insert one line of HTML where you want the “Like” button to appear on your website.

•When people “like” your website, it is published to their Wall and the number goes up!

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Let’s look at some good Facebook Pages!

West Virginia Association of

Fairs & Festivals

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Observations

559 people like this page. Very high! Good mix of posts – not all by the

administrator I don’t see any spam posts.

Be sure to delete spam posts ASAP! Only one discussion-very common!

Delete tabs you’re not using. Wall serves as discussion now.

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Maryland Assn of Ag Fairs & Shows

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Observations

They’ve added some of their county fairs to their “Likes”box They “like” 12 pages

They have a photo album of their Spring Forum

They post about their Fairs They have a link to their website in the box

under the profile badge They have two events under the “Events”

tab

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Facebook Places

If this continues to grow as a feature, your Fairs may need to activate it.

People “Check In” at the Fair Fairs can offer specials to those who

check in Similar to Foursquare or Gowalla For more information:

http://www.facebook.com/places/

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Facebook Places70

Facebook - Summary

Do your own research. Any duplicate pages out there for you or your fairs?

Maintain your Facebook page! Delete spam posts Be sure you have complete info on your

Info tab – address, website, etc. Be sure you utilize the valuable box under

your profile badge Make sure your profile badge looks good

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What about Twitter? – search on “association of fairs”

•Canadian Assn of Fairs•IAFE convention•Rocky Mountain Assn of Fairs

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Twitter - What are they posting about?

Presenters posting about their seminars Sponsors posting about what they are

sponsoring Attendees posting about their

experience at the convention Fans posting about bands performing at

the showcase Conclusion: Twitter is being used, albeit

slightly.

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Incent fairs to follow you on Twitter Example: “Become a Twitter follower of

the Colorado Association of Fairs and Shows. Each month we will give away a prize. New winners will be chosen exclusively from our fan base.”

Draw from other states and provinces. Don’t think of just your members as your potential followers. Anyone could attend your convention!

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Contests on Twitter

Ask your fairs to tweet about your convention for a chance to win a prize.

Example tweet, “I can’t wait for the #TAFE convention in Dallas this weekend!”

You can use a tool such as Tweetdeck to see all these tweets grouped

Choose a winner from the group

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Monitor key searches on Twitter

Use Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, etc. to create a saved search

“Montana fair” or “Montana Exposition” might be typical searches.

Monitor the use of these terms and respond where appropriate. People may be looking for a fair; you can help

direct them. Or they may be commenting about their

experience.

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Twitter Hashtags

Decide what hashtags make sense for your association, and start publicizing them. That way, you can monitor the conversation and give people a way to express themselves that is less random than if they make them up themselves.

Examples: #nafm, #oaas, #maaf, etc.

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YouTube

Search on “association of fairs” turns up: Association of Michigan Fairs & Events

showcase of Christmas and patriotic performers.

IAFE convention programs Xtone Pony band performing at CO Assn of

Fairs & Shows Conclusion: YouTube would be a great place

to put videos of your showcase performers. Note you are limited to 10 min. per video.

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Encourage your fairs to use Foursquare Foursquare is a location-based social

networking site. Foursquare cross posts to Twitter and its

traffic is becoming hard to ignore. “Do you manage this venue? Claim

here” Claim your listing, correct the

information, post tips, create specials

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Foursquare – search for “county fair”

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Ask your fairs to use Yelp.com

Search on “County fair” near “53562” yields quite a few Wisconsin fairs. Two look like they are closed. Is the info accurate?

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LinkedIn

There are over 1 million company profiles on LinkedIn and over 80 million users.

Are any fair associations using it? This is a great tool to learn about people

you meet. Be sure to create your own profile so

people can learn about you. Be careful what you “hook up” to LinkedIn. http://learn.linkedin.com/company-pages/

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Slideshare

Encourage your presenters to share their PowerPoint presentations on Slideshare if possible.

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Blogs

Wordpress.com Blogger.com You can set one up in 5 minutes. Easy to create; much harder to keep up.

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Monitor your reputation and online reviews Do regular Google searches on your key

terms and phrases Set a Google alert at

www.google.com/alerts/ Correct misinformation where you can Encourage positive reviews Also encourage your fairs to do the same

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Conclusion

Facebook will be your key social media outlet. Use it to its fullest extent!

Other types of social media will be more useful to your fairs and shows.

And they need your technology leadership!

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Meeting Planning Tips from an Insider

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Some areas we’ll cover

How to make the convention bid process work for you

How to get the best deal from a convention center

Dealing with hotels What’s negotiable, what’s not? Reverse trade shows Getting attendees to attend the trade

show

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What it was like in the olden days

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1920’s trade show

What it was like in 1990 (a.k.a. “The Olden Days”)

3 martini lunches with meeting planners No internet, no social media Conventions and trade shows were how

people met to trade with each other, learn new things, and to form friendships with each other.

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Today’s world

Are conventions even necessary anymore? Vendors and buyers can meet on the

internet YouTube and iTunes have free tutorials on

everything What do you think?

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Today’s world - 2010

Conventions and trade shows are still how people meet to trade with each other, learn new things, and to form friendships with each other.

There are always newbies As humans, we all need face-to-face. Performers are best when they are live! However, your conventions must keep pace.

Fair association managers must offer seminars on social media and new technologies (texting, mobile, etc.)

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The convention bid process

Take the time to write up your bid specifications. Indicate all meetings, setups, number of

attendees Indicate all breaks, meals, banquets, etc. Specify your needs: Big stage? Sound system?

Move-in time? Put your expectations in there! Kansas Tourism Conference RFP

http://www.carlapendergraft.com/pdf/kansas.pdf This is the perfect RFP!

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Convention bid process

How many sleeping rooms, by night, have you used in the past?

This is called your “Sleeping Room History”. Hotel and CVB both need it. Will show expected occupancy tax receipts Also need history on meals and approx. cost

per person ($15 for lunch? $20 for dinner? Etc.)

It’s all about ROI.

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Convention bid process – what’s the point?

To show the total value of your meetings business in writing, in advance.

To educate the hotel and CVB about who you are, why your meeting is important, and what you need.

To set the minimum for what you expect and who should bid on your meeting. If you have no date flexibility, and need 5

breakouts, you only want bids from those cities that can provide this.

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Hotel vs. CVB

Connect with the CVB’s Convention Sales Manager.

They can help you with the process May have sponsorship dollars May be able to help with Convention

Center pricing You can also work directly with hotelier

Issue: turnover of their salespeople

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Financial Support from CVBs

Politics are different in every city. Some CVB’s can spend freely on the conventions market; others are highly constrained.

Some may not be able to offer even $1. First, give them the specs that clearly

show the value of your meeting, especially sleeping room history.

Put your expectations for sponsorships in the bid specs.

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Kansas Tourism Conference

“Host communities will incur some costs. In the past, host communities have given between $7,000-$22,000 in contributions. These costs are based on the scope of program the host committee plans. These contributions can be made up with a contribution of in-kind contributions and sponsorships.”

http://www.carlapendergraft.com/pdf/kansas.pdf

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Kansas Tourism Conference

Asked for fewer sleeping rooms than were actually used!This planner is a dream come true.

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Working with CVBs

Let them know who they are competing with. This awakens their competitive instinct. “Drat, we’re competing against Arlington again!”

Make them feel like your partner and friend, not your vendor. We don’t want to be Willy Loman!

Be flexible with dates. That way, we can work your meeting into a low demand time and you’ll get better discounts.

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How to ask

Ask them: “We would like to hold this meeting in your town, but our budget is really tight. Is there any way you can help us with any of the costs to make your town stand out to our board of directors?”

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Ways CVBs may help you financially Sponsoring a meal the year prior in

return for 5 minutes at the podium to promote our city

Purchasing a booth the year prior for an “attendance builder,” giving out maps and trinkets. Note: we like a reduced rate on the booth

since we’re helping you, too! Even a few bucks off makes us feel good.

Buying an ad in your program

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Other ways CVBs can help

Buying a sponsorship level – which we are hardly ever asked for, by the way. And we count ourselves lucky!

Door prizes for the year prior and the year of the convention. Ask for good ones! We have stashes.

Gift Baskets Discounted space for convention planning

meeting and comp or reduced rate hotel rooms “Buying down” the convention center expense

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Other ways the CVB can help We are truly experts about our destination.

Pick our brains for ideas for offsite venues, spouse tours, the new and unusual.

We know the best caterers. Ask us, “What are the 3 caterers you see used the most often?” not “Who are your favorite caterers?”

If you know nothing about the destination, ask us, “How do conventions usually work in this town? What hotels are usually used, does the convention center cooperate with you?”

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Other ways…

Ask us about celebrity speakers we might have access to, or speakers from local colleges.

Ask us what themes and convention taglines work well in our destination. “Bridging the Gap” “Boots on the Brazos”

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Other ways…

Registration assistance - volunteer group

Mailings/postage on your behalf Visitors guides, maps, etc. Free nametags Free promotional items Transportation

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General Tips and Trends

Keep copies of key emails, such as those mentioning price, from both hotel and CVB/convention center. With turnover, there may be no record

other than what you have. Make a point to personally meet the

hotel’s GM, the CVB director, and the convention center director. This gives you more clout with the

salesperson.

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Tradeshows

The reverse tradeshow continues to gain popularity Your fairs would be seated at tables, and

vendors move from table to table. They have 3-5 min. to make their pitch. Like speed dating!

There is a “matching” of appointments in advance between vendor and fair manager.

Vendors love this. So do the buyers – it’s like texting vs. a phone call. Shorter and more to the point.

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Tradeshows

Breaks and bars in the tradeshow area still work 2 drink tickets max; more than that, cash bar

Provide a card with a grid of all vendor booths; fully stamped cards are entered for a big door prize. Still works.

Tradeshows have gotten shorter and shorter! Nametags with differentiation between

buyers and non-buyers (such as spouses, affiliates, etc.)

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Hospitalities

They have all but disappeared. Host liquor liability makes the server

personally responsible. Server can be paid or unpaid. Drunken driving, sexual assaults, unprofessional

or inappropriate behavior Tailhook scandal, 1991– 83 women and 7 men

sexually harassed Alcohol is still a part of the industry, but

people are staying more sober and keeping it professional.

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Rebates

Hardly ever see these anymore Very popular at one time How they can work best:

When you are working with one large convention hotel

When the rebate is for a specific purpose, such as to defray bus transportation costs

When the rebate is up front so the hotel doesn’t have to take the heat

When members are in agreement about it

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Alcohol

Custom is now to provide 2 drink tickets and then convert to a cash bar.

Even a small hospitality is easily $1,000 expense.

Free your vendors from hospitalities, and suggest other ways they can spend the same money to benefit your meeting and still get their name out there. Sponsor breaks, etc.

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Conclusion

Ask CVBs for sponsorships and help, and accept their constraints even when they don’t seem to make sense.

Share info about other destinations to help that city see when its not being competitive

Make the CVB your partner, and exchange ideas freely to get the best deal and the best convention for your money.

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