5 Ways Social Media Can Help Meeting Planners

In Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

September 2, 2023

For years, planners thought of social media as more of a distraction during meetings than a helpful forum. Flash forward, and now attendees expect a level of interaction via digital means as a method of communication and education. Attendees rely on social media for meeting updates, itineraries and leisure/workcation travel ideas.

We’re happy to share a few ways you can make social media work for your next destination and hybrid meetings.

1. Countdown Stories

Instagram stories allow you to create a countdown ticker, which will excite your audience every time they check it and provide a sense of urgency in letting them know that they need to act soon if they want to attend. Stories are also the first visual seen when logging into the app and are often viewed more frequently than main feed posts to ensure your meeting is not forgotten!

2. Giveaways

It’s a relatively universal truth of human nature that we love free things. Hosting a social media event where you give away items from one or more of your sponsors in exchange for the audience sharing the post is a great way to increase event awareness while providing a fun reward for a lucky participant.

3. Event Hashtags

Attendees can follow the feed online to keep up with your event’s happenings, including schedules, schedule changes, speaker features and sponsor spotlights. Excerpts and takeaways from attendees’ favorite sessions provide interactive posts for this feed. Speakers may even ask attendees to post their questions to the hashtag feed so they can answer them live during sessions. This is a great way to gather user-generated content (UGC) to help promote your next meeting.

4. Focus on the Fun

In this age of selfies, GIFs and memes, a backdrop or selfie frame is a must-have at your meeting. A unique backdrop with your logo will entice people to snap a picture in front of it. Encourage attendees to share their photos online using your custom hashtag and the destination, venue and city hashtags.

5. Live Social Feeds

Set up several screens with hashtag feeds throughout your event space and include a large one in the main presentation room. The real-time feeds will display any social posts using your designated hashtag. If you’re concerned about displaying inappropriate content, use a program that allows you to monitor and approve posts using the hashtag before they go live. It piques interest when attendees see what others think and how they benefit from the presentations. Ask speakers to use these messages to begin real-time chats about their topic.

Stay updated with the latest trends on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Helpful scheduling tools allow you to make one educational post and send it to all your platforms simultaneously. Take advantage of stories and ask attendees to tag your page so you can share their photos with your fans. Happy meeting planning!