In-person attendance at world language conferences is down. There are many reasons for this, but instead of worrying and wondering, we can proactively implement ideas to bring people back. Because in-person conferences are valuable. They connect people in ways that virtual training cannot.
Even if you are not a board member of your state organization, you can forward this to those who are to help them and your colleagues to learn and grow.
Some things have changed since the pandemic, but not everything. My team and I used these ideas when I was president of the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers (CCFLT) to substantially increase revenue and attendance and to make our two conferences social events not to be missed. I bet there are some ideas you can adapt to your unique situation to help improve your state or regional world language conferences. Or better yet, set up a meeting with Bryce to brainstorm ways to adapt these ideas to your specific situation.
What would you add to the list below? What would you adapt to your current situation?
During his tenure as CCFLT president, Bryce and his team accomplished the following:
SEAL OF BILITERACY
- The Seal of Biliteracy was approved in the state of Colorado. This monumental task was delegated to former CCFLT presidents. Got their photos with state legislators and stories on state-wide television programs.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Expanded the CCFLT board to get more help and lighten the workload of board members.
- Recruited competent board members. Personally asked energetic, competent and already busy teachers (the kind that get things done) to serve on the CCFLT board.
- Delegated specific duties to board members. Gave each board member freedom to do the job, responsibility for doing it, and a budget to implement their duties. Especially at the conferences, each board member had a task. The president’s task was to meet people and listen to them, making attendees feel noticed and important.
- Got help. Encouraged each board member to recruit colleagues to help them with their duties and lighten their load.
REVENUE
- Increased revenue for the organization from a $70,000 net loss in the previous 3 years to a $65,000 net gain in one year: a $135,000 increase in revenue in one year. Saving the organization from bankruptcy.
MEMBERSHIP
- Increased membership in the organization by 30% in one year, after years of decline.
CONFERENCES
Here are some ways that we increased attendance at the conferences:
- Organized and energized two conferences, each with popular and internationally known keynote speakers. Bryce was heavily involved in the organization of 5 other CCFLT mini conferences.
- Increased attendance at both annual conferences
Fall conference +50%. Spring conference +30%.
- Let teachers know why. I wrote an article for Language magazine about the importance of in-person attendance at conferences with nine compelling reasons to attend. Developing a great conference is not enough. We need to let our colleagues know WHY and we need to get the word out. Read the article here and use ideas in it to write your own reasons to get back to in-person conferences and then get it published:
- Delegated predictable conference duties to board members so that I, as CCFLT president, could meet, greet, and listen to conference attendees. That accessibility made them feel noticed and appreciated.
- Personally invited “Super Star” presenters that I knew personally who had wide-ranging appeal to be the keynote speakers at both the Fall and Spring conferences. Well-known speakers are a must, especially those that appeal to younger teachers.
- Personally invited state and regional presenters to present sessions at both the Fall and Spring conferences. It’s that personal touch of a one-on-on phone call that gets presenters to come. An impersonal email doesn’t come close to the effectiveness of a personal phone call or video call. Or better yet, going out to coffee to chat with a potential presenter.
NEW MEMBERS
- Instituted raffle for new members: Donated the CCFLT president’s penthouse hotel suite (which is usually donated by the hotel to the president of the organization) to the winning new member of CCFLT. Young teachers had parties there and invited their friends—very appealing to young teachers. The conference president doesn’t need the pampering. New members need extra attention. This did it.
- Invite a new member, get a discount. Current CCFLT members that got a new member to join and attend both got a discount.
BOOKKEEPING
- Established procedures and software for bookkeeping and budgeting to better keep track of CCFLT funds.
- Restructured organization financially and brought it out of debt for the first time in 8 years—mainly by strict budgeting and accountability.
- Left the organization with a substantial financial surplus (+ $65,000) and a model of fiscal responsibility going forward.
MINI-CONFERENCES
Established a “Mini-Conference” program to offer professional development for CCFLT members outside of the Denver metro area. These were free one-day workshops in far-flung areas of the state. They were facilitated by volunteer CCFLT board members with notable presenting experience. The purpose was to help and encourage teachers in isolated areas of the state and give them attention by CCFLT board members. CCFLT paid transportation, hotel, and food costs for the volunteer presenters. Mini conferences were held in:
Grand Junction (far western Colorado)
Glenwood Springs (mountain central Colorado)
Colorado Springs (south-central Colorado)
Pueblo (southern Colorado)
Johnstown (northern Colorado)
Attendance at these mini-conferences was free for CCFLT members. Attendees could also register and become members at the door of the mini conference. Goal was to recruit new members and reach out to inactive members. Bryce made personal phone calls to teacher leaders and department heads in the areas of scheduled mini-conferences.
The mini-conferences were a success because they brought back CCFLT members that were outside of the Denver metro area who had felt neglected and ignored for years. Many of them came back to the spring and fall conferences.
Teachers received professional development credit for moving up the pay scale for attending these mini-conferences.
AWARD SPONSORSHIPS
- Started exhibitor/donor sponsorships of awards. This provided revenue for the organization and advertising for the donating exhibitors. Win/Win.
EXHIBITS & VENDORS
- Delegated responsibility for exhibits to an organized, loyal, creative, and energetic teacher.
- Actively sought out and invited new vendors to exhibit at conferences to give attendees access to materials to enrich instruction and provide a recreational shopping experience and expose them to helpful and interesting new products: Textbook publishers, novellas, travel companies, multimedia materials, classroom decorations, realia, knickknacks, jewelry, CIA, Air Force Academy, state university language programs, National Parks,
- Started “Vendor Bucks” program to seed purchases with exhibitors. Each attendee was given a voucher that could be spent as $5.00 in cash with conference exhibitors. This was very popular with exhibitors as it got people to buy who would not have bought anything before. The vendors felt like they sold more because of this program.
A SOCIAL EVENT
NOT JUST ANOTHER CONFERENCE
- Began social media re-tweet competition at the conference to engage tech-savvy teachers more. Teachers that re-tweeted the most during the conference were recognized and rewarded.
- Started the popular ‘Selfie Station’ for attendees to get photos with presenters. Celebrity presenters were asked to appear at scheduled times to get selfies taken with adoring fans.
- “Fireside Chats” with presenters for that personal touch. Conference attendees could register for a chance to sit at a conference table with just 9 other attendees and talk personally with conference presenters.
- After-hours teaching practice and coaching. Organized space and time in the evening for teachers to meet, snack, consume adult beverages, chat and watch one another as they tried out new teaching techniques and received coaching from their peers. This was fun, relaxing and very valuable. It often went on until the wee hours of the night.
HOTEL NEGOTIATIONS
- Negotiated multi-year contract with conference hotel in central location, lowering costs and helping teachers to plan for travel.
- Coffee all day, not just during the morning. Teachers are chronically sleep deprived and many of them run on caffeine. They loved having coffee available in the afternoon.
- Extra chairs in the conference area hallways so that teachers could sit and chat with friends. Many hotel conference spaces do not have places where attendees can relax and briefly talk with colleagues they haven’t seen since last year.
What would you add?
What could you adapt to your current situation?
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