Why The Agenda Matters for Trainers
- Core of Attendee Value: The agenda is the tangible promise of what attendees will gain, making it crucial for attracting the right audience.
- Justification for Investment: A strong agenda helps attendees sell the value internally (to bosses, etc.) when seeking approval or funding.
- Foundation for Marketing: The agenda becomes fuel for your content marketing, social media promotion, and speaker announcements.
- Training in Prioritization: Designing a compelling agenda helps trainees understand how to prioritize content and experiences for maximum impact.
Key Concepts for Training
- Audience First
- Tie to Persona Work: Revisit ideal attendee profiles. What are their pain points, hot topics in their industry, and learning styles?
- Level of Knowledge: Are you catering to newcomers or seasoned experts? This impacts the depth of your content.
- Variety & Pacing
- Mix It Up: Keynotes, panels, workshops, hands-on sessions, etc.
- Breaks are Vital: Factor in networking, meals, and designated break times to avoid burnout.
- Strong Start & Finish: Open and close with high-impact sessions relevant to everyone.
- Clear Value Proposition
- Actionable Takeaways: Attendees should leave with things they can DO, not just knowledge.
- Unique Angle: What makes your agenda stand out in a crowded event landscape?
- Titles Matter: Ditch generic titles. Make session names intriguing or benefit-focused
- Speakers are Key
- Credentials & Relevance: Their expertise should directly align with your themes.
- Audience Draw: Do they have a following of their own to leverage for promotion?
- Variety: Strive for diversity in backgrounds and presentation styles.
Training Activities
- The Agenda Remix: Provide a ‘meh’ agenda from a past event. Have trainees transform it, justifying their choices for changes.
- Speaker Wish List: Using an event scenario, have trainees create their ideal 3-5 speaker lineup, explaining why each would bring value.
- Title Transformation: Take boring session titles and have groups rewrite them to be attention-grabbing and benefit-driven.
Training Resources
- Analyze Event Websites: Have trainees dissect the agendas of well-regarded events in different niches for inspiration.
- Eventbrite’s Blog: (https://www.eventbrite.com/blog) Frequently covers content & programming strategy.
- Speaker Bureaus: ([invalid URL removed]) Browsing these can spark ideas and reveal what kind of speakers are available in different industries.
Trainer Tips
- Showcase Variety: Analyze agendas across diverse event types: B2B conferences, community fundraisers, niche hobby meetups, etc.
- Real-World Constraints: Introduce factors beyond just the ‘ideal’ agenda: budget, speaker availability, venue limitations.
- Feedback Loop: If possible, share past attendee feedback on agendas to show trainees the direct impact of their choices.
