Running workshops for organisations about marketing and social media, I always take the time to read the feedback from delegates so that I can understand what has worked well and what I need to improve the next time.
With an increasing focus on value for money, I was not surprised to see some feedback from a recent workshop about the investment that people made in the workshop. For the first time ever, the organisation I was delivering a programme for received feedback that the cost of the event was too expensive - yet they have held their workshop pricing the same over several years.
The increasing number of training and workshops that are being provided for less than €100 or even free I am sure has altered peoples perceptions of what is value for money when it comes to events and workshops.
However this feedback did get me to reflect on how we as delegates evaluate how effective a programme has been in terms of the return on investment.
Is our view only taken as a snapshot in time at the end of the event when we are asked to complete an evaluation form?
Why don't we review the effectiveness of the workshop or training several weeks or even months later when we have implemented what we have learned and understood how that learning has made us more effective, able to deliver new solutions to clients, attract more clients or even charge more for our services and products?
I know one person who attended the workshop in question and within a week of the event they had attracted more business partners and more customers by implementing just one of the strategies covered - so of course their perception therefore was that the workshop was of great value.
Attending events, conferences and workshops which cost not just money but are an investment of our time can help us steer a course during times of uncertainty - but only if we take action and implement what we have learned then evaluate how effective that is.
So whether it be a free teleclass, a paid for workshop or an expensive conference, if you have attended an event in the last 90 days, what could you implement from what you learned that could bring you greater success in the year ahead? What support and resources do you need? When will you take action?
At the end of the 90 days, why not reflect then if the event was worth it when you truly know the return on your investment?
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