The printed program book – it’s an attendee’s “go-to” for navigating through session offerings, learning about exhibitors and getting the most from a conference. But with rising printing costs, a transition to mobile apps and schedule changes, is a program book still the best “go-to” your conference can offer? CustomNEWS has a suggestion for you.

If the possibility of moving away from a traditional program has been discussed, it’s probably because of cost, timing and digital relevance.

•  Cost: Are advertising sales covering the costs of staff prep time, design, printing and shipping?
• Timing: Because a program book’s production timeline begins apx. 3-4 months before the start of a conference, schedule information may not be accurate, exhibitors missed the advertising deadlines and additional costs are accrued printing and distributing an addendum.
• Mobile App: Is a heavy, expensive program book still necessary if you’ve invested in a conference app to keep attendees updated throughout the event?

Are you concerned about those attendees that would be lost without some sort of a print publication in their hand? And what about those who do not have mobile devices or want to unplug and focus on their attendance at the conference – and not emails being sent by colleagues back at the office.

CustomNEWS has a suggestion for you: combine your program book and show daily to create an updated onsite resource that not only has the latest schedule information that attendees need, but also showcases conference news (session previews and recaps, attendee interviews, photos and association news).

• Consolidate the information that has typically been included in your program book. What could be moved to the mobile app?
• Identify the information that is often updated in the days leading up to the start of a conference, and plan to include this information in your show daily/program book combo. It could be the schedule-at-a-glance, exhibitor list and floor plan, late-breaking sessions and events in the exhibit hall.

For example, if your conference published a 16-page tabloid daily publication, you could divide it into two components. The outside eight pages would be your show daily, filled with conference news, stories and photos. The inside eight pages would be the day’s program information.

If you’ve been looking for new ways to keep your attendees updated onsite, highlight conference news and generate non-dues revenue, our suggestion may work for you. Let us work up some pricing and options for you to consider. Contact us today via the blog or email, info@showdailies.com.