How Coffee Can Boost Your Conference Success
Hosting a conference can be tricky and can entail many hours of planning. You need to ensure that the speakers arrive on time leaving plenty of time to prepare before their address, that the venue is properly set up for audio and video, and that guests will be entertained throughout the conference. Another important aspect of conference success is that you will have to provide refreshments for your guests, and nothing beats the perfect cup of coffee. If you offer a variety of coffee products, your guests will surely be happy campers and will enjoy whatever you have planned for them.
You will have noticed that coffee culture is growing in the corporate sector, which can used to your advantage when planning your conference by simply offering high quality coffee beverages or a self-serving coffee machine to guests.
This humble “bean” is popular among almost every business person, so brewing coffee while the conference events take place is a (steaming) hot route to success. Read on for some of the ways that coffee can improve your conference success.
Coffee Can Create Bonds
Conference attendees are not only there for the events and formal talks, they are there to network and improve the contact list. What better way to network than to sit down with a fellow attendee over a delicious hot cup of coffee or to go for a walk with a steaming cuppa in hand? Coffee can help to create bonds and forge meaningful relationships, which is a vital part of any conference.
Guests will feel more at ease and they will want to attend your next event due to this comfortable and natural meeting setting. Additionally, you can accommodate everyone’s tastes by providing different types of coffee, such as from a French press, a long black for those who need the energy, or even an Irish coffee for evening events. Allowing people to gather around a cup of coffee will help to boost camaraderie and also help those who are new to the conferencing scene to network easily.
Sure-Fire Sophistication
If you would like your conference to look and feel more sophisticated, setting up a coffee bar for guests is a sure-fire way to do so. The new party drinks in town are cappuccinos, lattes and espressos so fire up those Burr grinders and offer your guests a diverse array of coffee at your next conference.
Coffee is also ideal for those events that happen during the day, lending an elegant atmosphere to what could otherwise be a very boring affair. You could opt for a coffee station on a stainless steel cart and matching accoutrements or you could set up a coffee bar with luxe, golden decor to bring in an element of glitz and glam to the conference venue. If it is a more corporate event, opt for a more simple and chic coffee station to appeal to your guests.
It Is Responsible
Serving coffee instead of alcoholic beverages means that you are taking into account the fact that some of your guests might have to drive home or to their hotels after an event. This is a socially responsible move that will keep guests happy and will ensure their safety both during and after your conference.
For those who do not partake in alcohol, it is often a welcome sight to spot a well-catered coffee cart or station waiting for them after a speech or event. You are showing your guests that you care about their diverse beverage preferences, which will work in your favour for future events. Being socially responsible as a conference host is important not only for your own marketing purposes but to ensure the safety, happiness, and comfort of your guests.
You Can Bring In Your Own Branding
Branding for your conference is important, and branded coffee cups and paraphernalia is the perfect way to drive home your brand’s message and values. For a conference organiser or venue, getting your name out there can be difficult but if guests are using coffee cups with your name and details on them, they will likely remember these details better.
For an out of the box idea, you could create coffee cup protectors that can be folded out into business cards once the coffee is finished so that guests can keep your details for future use. Consult a designer to chat about what the affordable and cost-effective options are. If you would like to keep it simple, you could opt to just use your brand colours or logo on the cup as this will still be memorable but might be more affordable to achieve.
(Almost) Everyone Enjoys Coffee
You will be hard-pressed to find a conference attendee who does not enjoy coffee. Not only is it perfect for perking up your guests, coffee can create bonds between those who are looking to network and build their contact list.
It also lends an element of sophistication to the event as well as being socially responsible if people have to drive back late after an event. Bring in your own branding and you will find that a simple cup of coffee can work wonders for your event.
The content in this article was provided by Rogerwilco – a South African marketing agency based in Cape Town.
