Meetings that are fun, unique, and memorable are sure to draw rave reviews from your attendees and will reflect positively on your sense of style. In the first installment of this two part series, we outlined three creative ways to take your events to the next level. As promised, here are a few more ideas about how you can help ensure your next meeting leaves a lasting impression.

1. Schedule Your Event Around a Small, Local Festival

Planning a conference in New Orleans during the Super Bowl would, to put it delicately, be a catastrophe regarding pricing, flights, and hotel capacity. But many locales have smaller events and festivals that don’t tie up hotel rooms or raise prices and which can be fun diversions for your attendees. A local ethnic parade or food festival would be a great touch to show your folks a great time.

2. Invest in a Great App

Most large meetings these days have an app that shows the schedule and floor space, but very few truly engage the users to create a hands-on experience. An app that opens a chat room for attendees to discuss the sessions, upload pictures, plan outings, and provide continuous feedback would be a tremendous value-add for everyone.

3. Rent a Unique Venue for the Large Celebration

A lot of planners rent out nightclubs or other similar spaces for “the party,” but ballparks, museums, and kitschy restaurants can also offer the same amount of fun with a unique angle. Focus on food and entertainment that fits the backdrop of the venue to create an all-encompassing experience.

4. Have Continuous Prize Drawings

The vast majority of meetings, particularly those with expo halls, have a large drawing at the end to entice everyone to stay. A great way to ensure a fun and exciting experience is to have a raffle of many smaller items sprinkled in throughout the event. For example, you could have prizes given out at the opening keynote, various sessions, and at the closing ceremonies. Use the registration list and reward your loyal customers!

Have you tried any of these strategies? Do you have others you think should be included? Use the comments to keep the discussion going, or drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter.