Don’t Just Plan a Conference, Make it a Weekend (or weekday) Away
With April recording the hottest temperature ever in Adelaide, we’re not putting away the air conditioner remote for the season just yet. While the milder seasons—autumn and spring—are coming and there’s less reliance on heating and cooling, it’s still important to practice energy efficiency.
It starts with educating yourself on how to reduce your energy consumption at home. Energy waste is something we’re all guilty of. We turn on the heater when there’s a blanket or jumper near us that we could use instead. And we give in to air conditioned air in summer, when it’s nice enough to sit outside in the fresh air. But just know there are options and things you can do to save power.
Start simply and choose the times of the day when you need heating or cooling the most. Is it at 2.00PM when that afternoon sun is baking your house? Maybe it’s at 5.00PM when your family gets home for the day. Allow an hour or two with your air conditioner or heater on, then rely on heat from the sun or really thick doonas for the rest of the day and night.
Our next tip would be to familiarise yourself with your systems, appliances, and devices. Talk to your air conditioning provider about how to best work the system. Ask them to show you how to use the remote control. There are bound to be settings on there that unless you ask, you won’t know about. Get them to explain to you what that ‘snowflake’ button means and when it should be used. Think of your air conditioning remote as a tool, not just an easy turn on/off device.
Make adjustments around your home to ensure it’s not working against you. Is there a draft that’s bringing in cold air during winter that could be fixed? Inspect your environment to see if there’s any improvements that’ll help maximise the heating and cooling when it’s on. You might like to talk to a property inspection expert for this.
Hire a professional to check your appliances, too. Think about how you use common appliances around your home. Can you change your actions to lower the amount of power you’re consuming? For example, if you have a space heater in your room, find out how much energy that appliance is using. What’s the percentage in your power bill and is it worth it? These are the types of questions you need to ask.
Think outside the power-saving box and take steps to make your home more energy-conscious.
Think about how busy you are. We all are, actually, which is why it’s difficult to make your marketing stand out. Instead, change the way you think about marketing. Don’t try to get their attention. Your message might take more to resonate.
Give your clients an experience. Let them know what you care about them and they mean a lot to you.
Conferences are one of the best ways to connect with old clients, meet new prospects, and position your company as a thought-leader. Go one step further and make a weekend of it.
Organise a meeting with your team and brainstorm the types of issues your clients are facing. Add your own scenarios in there, too. This way, you can tailor the content as closely to their needs as possible.
Don’t be afraid to plan your conference differently
Of course, there will be things that your guests will expect when they RSVP to your conference. This could include learning something new, discovering how your product and/or service could help them or simply making new connections. You can plan product training, Q&A sessions, and industry speakers to share their voices.
But, the time that’s ‘off the clock’, after hours, is equally as important to fuse those connections. Encourage your guests to take a couple of days off work. Sell it as a conference weekend away – a mini learning holiday. Plan ‘team building’ slots in the schedule to do cool things like visiting wineries like the Lane or hiking Mount Lofty. Give your guests an opportunity to let their hair down, relax, and create the space for those connections.
As we know, business is really about people, so by getting to know your guests better, the more they’ll trust and want to work with you (if you impress them). Plus, your conference will be one they actually want to attend – not just another task to add to their to-do list.
Try something new with your marketing
Have your conference up in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. We have the setup, the accommodation, and the nearby attractions. With conferences, the environment is important. Being in a luxurious Hills setting entices, with a relaxing feeling and a place to unwind after taking in a lot of knowledge.
Check out a 3D virtual tour of our venues and pick your favourite.
