crowdsourcing for event planners . 10 creative ideas

crowdsourcing for event plannersAccording to Wikipedia, Crowdsourcing is:

…the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing them to a group of people or community, through an “open call” to a large group of people (a crowd) asking for contributions.”

In the world of web 2.0 this has totally revolutionized the way businesses drive solutions for their customers. After all, it’s ignorant to believe that we know everything there is to know about our customer’s needs, wants, thoughts and desires. The power of the crowd can unlock the key to truly valuable business ideas and offerings. One of the most famous examples of a corporation using crowdsourcing is Starbuck’s MyStarbucksIdea – where customers answer the question: What do you want to see from Starbucks?.  The result is a dynamic list of ideas, suggestions, needs and issues for Starbucks and a list of ideas in action for customers. I love a good win/win!

Tapping into the collective intelligence of the crowd can also convert attendees into advocates. When an attendee feels as if they contributed to a detail of an event, even if small, they’re likely to want to tell everyone they know (oh, and they’re also much more likely to enjoy the event). So what are you waiting for?

10 crowdsourcing ideas for Event Planners

The key is to think up ideas that will help you achieve your event objectives. But hopefully these are some good thought starters…

  • Have attendees submit their favorite recipes before the event & let chefs recreate the top rated ideas
  • Ask them to tell you their biggest business issues and build conference education around them
  • Get your attendees to share their favorite sources for inspiration (i.e. blogs, publications, twitter users) and give these people media passes, exclusives and VIP treatment at your event
  • Create a contest for the best event theme ideas
  • Ask attendees to share their favorite experiences/photos from your event and have the crowd determine the best one(s)
  • Have attendees vote on what the event organizers should wear at the conference <– as done by Event Camp 2010
  • Get your attendees to vote for another audience member to make an appearance during an event showcase like a fashion show
  • Have them suggest and vote on a meaningful charitable partner for your event
  • Have a call for speakers or entertainers and ask applicants to submit a 2-5 minute video on what they’ll be presenting. Have attendees vote on what they’d like to see.
  • After the event, have them submit ideas on how you can build a better experience for them next time

What ideas would you add?

Keys to ensure crowdsourcing success

  • Identify what you’re trying to achieve before implementing crowdsourcing. Any tactic you employ should meet your larger strategic objectives.
  • Be clear with what you’re looking for the crowd to weigh in on. If you’re too vague or if you’re unclear you’ll either lose the crowd or have feedback that’s too broad to meet your objectives.
  • Support your campaign. Awareness of a crowdsourcing campaign is critical. If no one participates, there’s no crowd to source. Include on your website, in your emails, promote via social networking sites, etc.
  • Be prepared to implement ideas. The worst thing you can do is ask people for suggestions then ignore them.

4 crowdsourcing tools

Crowdsound.com (free)

Twtpoll.com (free)

Twitter.com (free)

Chaordix.com (paid)