Number 5

How Abstract Management Software Can Make Your Events More Successful

Trevor Strome

As a conference organizer, you are charged with a seemingly impossible feat. While the industry as a whole is experiencing slight declines in average attendance – approximately 1.2 percent, according to Trade Show Week Magazine’s Quarterly Report for Q1, 2008, you must somehow find ways to attract a high volume of attendees by differentiating your event from the hundreds – or even thousands – of others out there.

As you know, the best way to accomplish this is through the creation of speaker presentations, educational sessions, and other conference content that is as relevant, informative, and important to your audience members as possible. This will lend credibility to your event, boosting its image and reputation, while demonstrating clear value. As a result, it will compel more attendees to choose your conference over those hosted by your competitors.

But why is the quality of your agenda so important? Because the driving forces behind conference attendance, as well as the expectations of event attendees have shifted significantly in recent years. According to Ed Rigsbee, a renowned expert in trade association conferences, and author of The Art of Partnering, “golf and partying is not their motivation, but rather a desire to obtain new strategies, tactics, and the skills necessary to improve their business.”

But, developing this kind of high-impact content isn’t always so easy. Like many others in your industry, you struggle to identify and attract the right speakers, and encourage them to submit high-quality abstracts. Additionally, the peer-review process poses a huge administrative burden on your staff, as it is often manual and “paper-heavy” in nature. Countless submitted proposals must be sifted through, read, discussed, and evaluated in order to find the ones that will offer the most value to attendees.

This process is not only time-consuming – it can be quite costly!

That’s where abstract management software comes in. By providing a powerful set of tools for all types of conference organizers, such as those who work for universities, research institutes, professional associations, or event planning firms, abstract management solutions can ensure the creation of a comprehensive agenda that includes the most interesting and relevant sessions. As a result, your event will be more memorable, more beneficial, more successful, and more profitable.

How do abstract management solutions accomplish this? By streamlining and automating the key tasks and activities involved in the solicitation, submission, processing, evaluation, and acceptance or rejection of presentation abstracts.

For example, by making it easier for potential presenters to create, edit, and send in their abstracts, abstract management software packages can help you attract a greater volume of submissions from knowledgeable and renowned professionals. Additionally, by improving the way abstracts are assessed and selected, they add precision to the entire process, making it easier for your reviewers to more rapidly and accurately identify the best submissions.

And, perhaps most importantly, abstract management systems facilitate improved communication between you and your potential presenters. Proposals can be reviewed instantly, or as many times as needed. Submitters can easily edit their abstracts at any time, to better meet your requirements, and can immediately see the status of their abstracts once they have been accepted or rejected. So, you can build stronger, more collaborative relationships with well-respected speakers, which can be leveraged for future conferences.

The productivity and cost-efficiency of event planning also enhanced through the use of an abstract management solution. Reviewers, administrators, and other members of your team can work more efficiently by eliminating cumbersome, labor-intensive manual tasks. They’ll spend a lot less time on redundant administrative activities, which will leave them with them additional time to devote to other important event-related responsibilities. This, in turn, translates to reduced overhead expenses – a very important goal for most budget-conscious conference organizers.

To learn more about abstract management software, and how it can help make your events more successful, visit www.vsreview.com.