Engage Attendees and Measure ROI with One Simple Tool

by Greg Alexander

Given the current economic situation, meeting and event organizers were among the first to be asked to justify spending habits – defending their events and their careers. Gauging return on investment (ROI) and return on objectives (ROO) has become a priority, causing a search for tools to accomplish both tasks – minus costly or labor-intensive processes. Audience response systems (ARS) have been used for many years as a fun way to engage audiences. The technology is quickly being adopted to provide detailed evidence of ROI and ROO in support of meeting effectiveness.

The average attention span of attendees is seven minutes (Papp, 2006). Even the best presenters have difficulty competing for the attention of attendees with the lure of technology such as smartphones so readily available. ARS allows presenters to ask questions during presentations, the audience responds with keypad or other devices, and results are immediately displayed. In one survey, 98% of attendees preferred ARS in presentations (Cawley & Culpepper, 2007).

Providing metrics on the ROI or ROO of a meeting or event can be a daunting task. In order to go “green,” many organizations are utilizing online tools for post-event surveys. However, only approximately 10-20% of attendees typically reply to online surveys. ARS offers a simple “green” solution. By asking survey questions during sessions a much higher percentage of attendees respond and data is immediately available for analysis.

According to a study by Davis, Freemantle & O’Brien and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, physicians attending interactive sessions experienced significant positive changes at a rate of 95% more than those physicians attending non-interactive sessions. Imagine having the ability to improve meeting and event effectiveness by 95% – and having detailed reports to prove it!

While audiences love ARS for the fun factor, the true value for most organizations is gathering opinions, gaining consensus, voting on issues, assessing learning, initiating discussion and more. Response technology has advanced to allow attendees to participate with a variety of devices – even from remote locations. Presenters use familiar programs like Microsoft PowerPoint® to poll and report. If you are looking for a simple way to engage attendees and collect invaluable data, invest in ARS.

Greg Alexander is Market Manager – Government for Turning Technologies, the global leader of audience response solutions. Contact Greg directly at galexander@turningtechnologies.com or 330.884.6078, or visit the Turning Technologies website at www.TurningTechnologies.com.