The Challenge:
A national society for a medical specialty organizes an annual conference that is the largest in the world for the specialty. They encourage physicians in the field to attend for education and networking. The society wanted to improve attendee experience in regards to programs, content and logistics for before, during and after the meeting. The goal is to add two new features to the meeting every year, assuring there is a “wow” factor for attendees. However, with approximately 40,000 attendees, the society wants to maintain the physicians’ comfort and ease while at this large conference. The society engaged Melior to gather insight into what attendees enjoy, and where there is room for improvement.
Melior’s Process:
Melior designed a qualitative research approach divided into two phases: intercepting physicians in attendance at the conference and conducting brief, on-site interviews, and then conducting in-depth telephone interviews with select attendees after the meeting. Both phases allowed for interactive dialogue and captured attendee experience, suggestions for improvement on specific services, what attendees wished was available and/or that they could take advantage of, and creative ideas that could be implemented in the future.
The Outcome:
Melior’s research revealed the overall popularity and enjoyment of the conference for attendees. The recommendations for improvement offered specific, actionable items for the society to implement in categories such as networking opportunities, food concessions, use of paper materials versus digital, and technology. The society can now make improvements to the annual conference that are responsive to attendee needs, as well as determine future actions that would be most appealing and impactful for its target audience.
- 28 Sep 2016
- Education
