Let’s first state the obvious: a lot, and I mean a lot, goes into planning and executing an event. No one knows this better than you. But what about when the event is over?
If you’ve put money and effort into capturing your event (or at least major portions of it), you now have a virtual treasure trove of video. Yes, it’s going to take some effort to maximize its value. But fortunately for you, lots of companies and organizations have been generating revenue from their event video for some time now. That means we have ample insights, anecdotes, and data on how event video can make you money long after the last booth is wheeled off the convention floor. Here are five ways for you to do just that.
1. The event is never really over: keep selling attendance
If you’ve preserved your event in video form, that means it can now live on – and keep bringing in money. How? One way is to sell virtual tickets or passes to the event after the fact. But who would want to attend? People who didn’t hear about your event in time or hesitated when they did, people who couldn’t attend but would still like to see what they missed, and even people who did attend.
Remember, a large event with lots of options means attendees must make choices. It’s not a stretch to imagine they’re still interested in the things they had to miss. You can offer them online access for a minimal fee so they can now see what they had to pass up – and maybe even revisit what they did see.
2. Turn your event’s video into an effective promotional tool for the next one
Your event is going to have some especially memorable moments – a keynote speaker’s inspiring call to action, an industry leader’s provocative prediction, a poignant exchange during a lively break-out session. Distill these into tantalizing trailers that you can use to promote next year’s event. Then, grow your audience of potential attendees by posting the trailers on social media, sending out emails with trailer links, and embedding them on your web pages and conference landing pages.
This point also underscores the value of recording B-roll and testimonials during your event for promotional use. Footage that vividly and candidly captures the spirit and energy of your event can go a long way toward making a person think Wow, I’d really like to be a part of that!
3. Create education products from your video
People have grown accustomed to watching video to learn. Take advantage of that fact. When you capture insightful keynote speakers, informative breakout sessions, and thought-provoking Q&As with industry experts, you’re creating valuable educational resources. That means you can turn your recorded speakers and sessions into continuing education videos. Develop a searchable video library and establish ways to monetize access.
4. Repurpose…and prosper
The protean potential of your video shouldn’t be underestimated. In other words, the information, the insights, and the powerful personalities your video has captured can all be transformed into other content. For example, have transcripts made from your event’s video and turn those words into compelling content you can either charge for or use in your overall content marketing and thought leadership strategies. I’m talking about everything from e-books and blog posts to trade articles and whitepapers.
5. Starting out small works great too
Don’t underestimate the value of capturing your one-room meeting or the sole keynote speaker for your half-day conference. Those are actually great ways to ease into using video at your event. So whether we’re talking about one hour of video or three days of it, start leveraging its power to create revenue streams you would never have imagined even a few years ago.
To learn more about generating revenue from your event’s video, check out this webinar.
This column originally appeared in Trade Show News Network on July 12.