New Conference Metrics: Twitter Hashtags
I had the privilege of presenting at Ideagoras November 17, 2011 in Madrid. Our hosts, the BBVA Center for Innovation, were gracious enough to provide two simultaneous translators which made it possible for me, a non-Spanish speaker, to participate fully in the conference.
The translation not only allowed me to listen and learn, it also allowed me to participate in the conversation using the hashtag, #ideagoras. This being a social media in healthcare conference, at the end of the day, the organizer, Angel Gonzales sent out a link with the analytics of what happened on Twitter the days surrounding the conference.
http://www.foxepractice.com/healthcare-hashtags/Ideagoras/
Having an official hashtag for a conference does change the experience of the attendees as well as people who are following the conversation remotely. There were only about 100 people at the venue but there were 424 unique Twitter accounts that used the hashtag that day, extending the reach of the ideas beyond the four walls.
The official hashtag also allowed the attendees to interact with each other on a deeper level. As a speaker I got to answer questions and go deeper on topics via tweets that I could only touch on due to time constraints.
If you are planning a conference, find a unique and short official hashtag, print it on any agendas or materials, and encourage your attendees to use it. After the conference, use a tool like that found on www.foxpractice.com or http://hootsuite.com/ to analyze the Twitter activity, it's one of many conference metrics that you can use to plan the next conference or give to sponsors.
