Blog
Place Knowledge at the Core of Your Community Engagement Strategy
- By: admin
- On: 12/07/2021 11:58:03
- In: Thought Leadership
We are moving beyond simply offering one-time learning experiences and transitioning to having content available regardless of when and where it's created. Cadmium offers solutions that help content-driven organizations engage and energize their audience with a unified approach to events and education.
A New Approach to Place Knowledge at the Core of Your Community Engagement Strategy
Up until roughly thirty years ago, there was only one type of instructional learning. It occurred onsite, usually as part of the conference, and was limited to participants that attended the event in person.
Organizations, particularly associations, derive much of their value in facilitating these experiences that generate a significant return on investment. The conferences and meetings department is and has been a key driver of revenue to help organizations thrive.
A more recent development is the rise of e-learning that enables organizations to curate and present education content regardless of when and how it is created. As we know, some of the primary impacts of COVID-19 are the replacement of place-based events with virtual conferences and a greater reliance on online learning to educate, inform, and engage.
As we transition to the post-pandemic period, we are witnessing greater emphasis on virtual learning and event experiences. This trend will be one of the enduring impacts of the past two years.
In a recent webinar hosted by Cadmium, thought leader Jeff Hurt shared that a key success indicator will be our total reach—regardless of how and where someone is participating, or whether it be in real-time or on-demand. We are moving beyond simply offering one-time learning experiences and transitioning to having content available regardless of when and where it's created.
So how can we incorporate this statement into practice? Here are the solutions we've found that help content-driven organizations engage and energize their audience with a unified approach to events and education.
Integrate One-Time Events with a Perpetual Online Learning Platform
Traditionally, organizations have treated events as moments in time, with defined endings. As such, they've endeavored to grow on-site attendance as much as possible. The advent of live-streaming helped these organizations deliver their message to a broader audience than ever before.But the birth of e-learning has even bigger implications for community engagement. Organizations can host educational materials in an LMS indefinitely. Through integrated live streams and archived recordings, you can offer events in your LMS, too. In this way, your event will continue to engage, educate, and inspire your audience long after its conclusion.
Simply put, LMS integration transforms one-time events into enduring educational experiences.
Organize Staff to Leverage a Unified Approach
During these past two years, the need to converge events and education has become clearer than ever before. This requires a change in how you formulate your community engagement strategy, and also from within your organization.Traditionally, organizations have had separate teams to handle live events and online education. When you begin positioning events within your broader educational offerings, you realize that this distinction is arbitrary.
Of course, event planning is a specialized skill set. So is crafting courseware in a learning management system. It is understandable and encouraged that you have separate individuals focus on these areas. But it's important that they coordinate their efforts to achieve a unified goal.
As your approach to events and learning changes, so should your organization. A disjointed team will result in a disjointed experience for your learners. On the contrary, a unified team ensures more cohesive engagement opportunities for your community.
Partner with a Unified Technology Provider
Finally, ensure that your technology facilitates connections between conference-based education and online learning. The ability to run live and on-demand events through your learning management system is a big step, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.Too often, organizations rely on different technology providers for each step of the community engagement process. This can include:
- Registration
- Abstract submissions
- Speaker and exhibitor management
- Learning management
- Quizzes and evaluations
- Licensing and certifications
Cadmium emerged from this necessity. Early on, we recognized the importance of providing an integrated event and learning platform that promotes continuity along each step of the process. This has resulted in unprecedented levels of community engagement.
The system enables creativity by allowing administrators to pick which solutions will provide the best experience for their audience. Community engagement features are present throughout the platform—and now, members can connect with one another from throughout the world. Finally, your learners can enjoy ultra-personalized experiences with their pick of in-person or virtual experiences, live or on-demand.
The future of community engagement is here, and knowledge is at its core. The time is right to unite events and education, and new technology has emerged to make it possible.
About Cadmium
Cadmium offers the only all-in-one event and learning platform powering world-class events and enduring educational experiences. Hundreds of associations and nonprofits trust us to simplify the production of events and maximize the value of online learning. Our integrated solution minimizes costs and maximizes growth for content-driven organizations like yours.To learn more, visit gocadmium.com or email info@gocadmium.com.
