Photo Credit: Allée Photography
Colorado Meetings + Events’ editorial advisory board recently met and shared insider insights about challenges and opportunities and where the meetings and events industry is headed. We’ll run most of the comments in our summer issue, but here is the conversation about social media among a few of the board members.
“We sell mobile media walls and are tied into every device you can imagine. Even though we push it and talk about, we don’t see it used that much. … Social media is feeling forced, kind of like green meetings a while back.” – Scott Collinsworth, Freeman
“We use social media not as a sales tool but as an engagement tool. From a destination standpoint, to make an emotional connection is huge. Does it translate to sales? Probably not. Customer loyalty? Absolutely.” – Chris Romer, Vail Valley Partnership
“The connection may start there but you don’t end up doing business via social media.” – Terri Woodin, CMP, CHSE, Meeting Sites Resource
“It’s the same 15 people tweeting at conferences. It’s those who have outside interests, sponsors.” – Glenn Thayer, Thayer Productions
“It has to be genuine.” – Amy Drotar, CMM, CMP, Polycom, Inc.
“You have to be careful with it and make sure it’s an authentic effort. Don’t throw technology in there for the sake of having technology.” – Kristin Hutton, CMP, The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa
“It’s Sales 101. Find out how your client wants you to contact them.” – Pamela Mather, Brede-Colorado, Inc.
“I write a plan for social media for building brand and awareness. The best thing I’ve seen is from the Nuggets several years ago. They tweeted out a message for free tickets for those who came down to get them in the next 59 minutes. It hit the news, and they built a following.” – Patty Moser, Blue Eyes Consulting
