Interactive Conferences

By Carly

I’ve been incredibly excited all week about the Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants’ 2009 CME Conference & Exhibition. We’re doing a lot of great things to help keep their members in the loop, and so far we’ve had a steady, positive response.

Web site. The newly redesigned Web site launched in July, and led to a 64 percent increase in hits in August. We utilized the Web site in providing downloadable PDFs and more information on the conference and seminars, as well as a way to register online.
Blog. There is an official conference blog on the Web site where we’ve been posting some conference information. Also, an AFPPA member is blogging her thoughts as well while she’s attending.
Facebook. I recently launched the AFPPA Facebook page. While this is a page for membership and not specifically for the conference, I’ve definitely been keeping it updated with conference information. The page literally just launched last week, but we already have a small following that has been steadily growing since the conference began yesterday.
Twitter. This is my absolute favorite! We set up @AFPPA on Twitter, and have been tweeting updates along with people at the conference. Like with Facebook, the Twitter feed has a small but growing following – and they have been very interactive and entertaining! One follower in particular has been very enthusiastic in conversing with @AFPPA, and also is graciously posting pictures he is taking at the conference.

The great thing about all of these tactics is that they will translate very well beyond the conference – Twitter and the blog will be a feed of important association and medical news while Facebook will be a great tool to quickly communicate with members.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with both Facebook and Twitter, and I truly believe that they are great ways to make your conference/convention an interactive and engaging experience for all of your attendees.

Have you recently attended a conference that utilized social networking in a positive, effective way? What were the challenges?