Ryan Dohrn: How to produce a world class B2B event
The 2023 Niche Media Conference delivered such valuable content that one attendee used the 30-minute breaks between sessions to email speaker presentations to their CEO. Another was creating an urgent to-do list. A speaker explained how the idea for his magazine originated at an earlier event. In short, attendees are raving fans.
Since so many niche publishers also rely on events for revenue and as community-builders, we asked producer Ryan Dohrn to share his secrets for creating a world-class B2B event. Here are his field-tested tips and tricks developed over 20 years of experience:
1. Design the programming around “extremely tactical and practical content that people can put into action immediately.”
2. Organize the event to maximize networking, including integrating sponsors. “Too often, sponsors are banished to the ballroom,” Dohrn said. “The event would not be possible without them.”
3. Recruit speakers with intention. To create the kind of content that “wows” attendees, Dohrn works on recruiting speakers all year. He uses the 40 to 60 speaking engagements he engages in yearly as a media sales coach to keep his eyes out for great finds. “When I ‘m not speaking, I am trying to find speakers,” he says. He also “financially incentivizes” others who attend conferences he is not at “so they look out for the excellent speakers.”
4. Vet the speakers thoroughly. ”This can’t be their first event; they must cut their chops somewhere else.” People who ask to present are asked to first the topic and a video of themselves hosting a meeting. Then Dohrn personally interviews and coaches them on the presentation. “They have to be willing to be coached,” he said.
5. Prioritize diversity of speakers. About 50% of the Niche Media Conference speakers are women.
6. Add a “Speed dating” event. Dohrn’s version is called “Speed Publishing” and takes place during a cocktail hour. It is one of the most popular features of the conference. In the main ballroom, the round tables are gone, replaced by long thin tables where people sit across each other in two lines. First, people get a drink while Dorhn explains the process from the stage. Then everyone, including sponsors, takes a seat facing each other. Each attendee talks to the person across from them at the gong for five minutes. When the gong sounds again, one side moves down one seat to the right and starts talking to another person. ‘You typically can meet another 7 to ten people,” Dorhn said.
7. Create a social sharing contest. Dorhn has attendees compete for a $200 prize for having the most social shares from the conference. A couple of the attendees always get very competitive, tracking each other’s performance.
8. Allow time for attendees to talk and visit with sponsors. The Niche Media conference has 30-minute breaks between sessions, so attendees must not rush to find the next session and mill around the booths. Breakfast is served from 8 to 9 a.m. before the speaker begins, and lunch is 30 minutes beforehand so attendees to eat and chat at the round tables provided. Both days have “dinner on your own.”
9. Incorporate sponsors into the event. “Tech talks” with sponsors are part of the regular program, and sponsors are coached to give valuable information, such as use cases and industry data, rather than selling their service or software.
10. Place sponsors’ booths in high-traffic hallways attendees walk through to get to the main ballroom, where coffee is available all day. During the 30-minute breaks, attendees are naturally hanging in this area.
11. Never run out of coffee. “It sounds silly, but we’ll go through $10,000 to 12,000 for coffee.”
12. Create a “Sponsor Tour” contest. Niche Media Conference attendees receive a card in their packages. They are instructed to obtain a signature from every sponsor to enter a drawing to win a $1000 ticket to the next event. “This was an original Niche Media Conference idea,” Dohrn says. Several hundred attendees filled out these cards, meeting the sponsors.
13. Coach the sponsors on how to work the show. Dohrn gives sponsor videos and written tips on participating in main sessions “so they are not just sitting at their booth.” He requires each to bring a minimum of a $150 prize to give away, using a fishbowl for business cards. On the show’s last day, all the sponsors are called to the stage and pick the winners.
14. Select a great city that attendees will want to visit. The last conference was in New Orleans. The next one in September will e in Chicago. Attendees will vote on the city for the next event in 2024.
15. Create a sustainability program. Instead of plastic water bottles, Dohrn found a sponsor, Baxter Research, to buy refillable water bottles for each attendee. “We want to have 100% recyclable materials, including the badges, programs, and welcome bags,” he said. The hotels he chooses also need to have some sustainability programs.
16. Be generous with on-stage accolades. At the end of the event, Dohrn brings the hotel chef on stage for a round of applause. Then his family comes on stage; the event is staffed by his wife, two brothers, and their wives. Then the sponsors handed out prizes.
17. Pay attention to the budget; hotels are usually much more expensive for local events. “Events are hard; the costs are huge if you do it at a hotel. Hotels are in the business of making as much money as possible.” He negotiates to keep the room price under $200 and forgoes audio and visual recording. The hotel prices are too high, and the cheaper options are of lower quality. “When people expect high quality, they expect high-quality audio/visuals. But if we can’t make money doing it, we won’t do it.”
About Ryan Dohrn
Dohrn and his wife have been producing events for 20 years. They bought Niche in 2020. His primary business is Brain Swell Media, in which he travels 14 days a month, coaching and training media salespeople and giving motivational speeches. In addition to helping with the conference, his wife’s company owns the Good Times Barrel Racing Association and a horse farm.
[/ihc-hide-content]
