Delivering an experience which guests will remember long after their destination meeting has come to a close can help strengthen the meeting’s overall impact.  According to researchers at Yale University, creating a memorable experience happens at the sensory level. This is because all learning enters through the senses, and when our senses are engaged, we tend to think faster and more creatively. Researchers add that when it comes to learning, more is often better. Thus integrating the senses during multiple stages of a meeting – pre, during and after will have a much greater impression and impact on attendees. Which suggests that it’s just as important to keep your meeting vibe alive long after the closing session, as it is to generate interest prior to its start date.

Ideas to help keep your meeting vibe alive

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
Newport Beach is known for its calm, coastal climate all year round. Taking advantage of the innate beauty will leave a lasting impression on attendees. Perhaps the best way to capture the high points of your destination meeting is by hiring a professional photographer. In our digital society, extending the life of your meeting is relatively easy and inexpensive thanks to email, sites like drop box and even flash drives. Even easier, consider placing a link to meeting and event photos on your company’s website. This way, attendees have something to look forward to after the closing session and you have built in promotional content for your next event!

Video
What better way to extend the life of your event than a highlight reel of all the captivating moments. A video takes pictures to a higher level, allowing attendees to be the ‘stars’, and enabling them to reminisce and share their experiences. With today’s technology, sharing the final product via YouTube or other media platforms can prolong the meeting’s impact thus furthering its purpose and achievement.

Promo Products
Avoid getting stuck in traditional promotional products by sending attendees home with creative, impressionable and useful items. Doing so opens up another opportunity to capture the essence of the destination long after the meeting has ended. For example, a company local to the Newport Beach, CA area is LOVE Bags. This environmentally conscious company makes eco-friendly, reusable totes, prefect for company branded gifts. Not only are the totes socially conscience, but LOVE Bags also offers a wide-range of styles and prints, giving groups a memorable and useful item far removed from mass-produced generic, and often forgettable promotional products.

Newport Beach, CA – a destination that can easily extend your meeting vibe

Food!
Another idea that steers clear of the common, pens, papers and mouse pad handouts, is to send attendees home with a little piece of the destination! A great way to extend the flavor of the meeting is with a locally sourced food item! Consider including some of Newport Beach, CA’s destination delicacies to help savor the taste of your event long after it’s over. Some examples may include sending attendees home with fair trade, organic coffee found at Newport Beach’s own roast house, Kean Coffee. Or satisfy a sweet tooth by sending guests a box of a local favorite, B. Toffee!

Creating an over-the-top, impactful meeting doesn’t happen only on-site.  Follow up after a meeting has concluded is just as necessary as the pre-conference stage.  Taking the time to continue the meeting experience by sending destination specific items that appeal to the senses will help strengthen the meeting’s impact.

When you’re ready to begin organizing your next group meeting, contact the staff at Visit Newport Beach, the destination marketing organization for Newport Beach, CA. Visit Newport Beach opens the doors to this Pacific paradise with destination expertise, customized site visits, strong partnerships with valuable resources.