I got an email inquiry today asking for advice about running a good analyst briefing day. I thought it would be useful to share:
1. Have customers, partners and technologists at the event; encourage them to talk to the analysts in informal settings
2. Don’t try and cram so much into the day that analysts have no time to catch up with other work items
3. Make sure free wifi is available (see 2).
4. Have the event close to most of your target analysts, rather than in an exotic location (greener and more convenient)
5. Keep presentations short and to the point
6. Have plenty of breaks, otherwise known as water-cooler moments (see 2.)
7. Tell stories and have no more than about three key narratives you want the analysts to leave with.
thanks for the picture mayr, courtesy of flickr and creativecommons
Jonny Bentwood says:
February 14, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Good points James – I would also add a few more:
1) Provide NDA content but ensure that the entire meeting is not under embargo
2) Ask the analysts in advance if there are specific things they want to hear at the event (best to find out before the event so that you are prepared and give good info)
3) Give the analysts soft copies of the presentations (can be given on the morning of the event) so that they can make notes on the slides as they are being presented
4) Provide 1-2-1 opportunities. Having a 1-2-many session is great for presentations and analysts are happy to ask some questions in front of their peers but recognise that some analysts will want to ask their questions in private.
Always enjoyed having you at events – and with you in mind I would add one specific one…
5) Catering – not everyone is a meat eater. make sure you know dietary requirements beforehand.
jgovernor says:
February 14, 2008 at 1:11 pm
cheers jonny. good ones. good catch on the NDA and the dietary issues. I HATE events where everything is NDA. totally pointless.
Jon Collins says:
February 14, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Plus:
Don’t start hyper-early in the morning and still expect analysts to be attentive late in the afternoon (particularly if (2) )
Make sure the event lasts as long as is necessary, but no longer
Ensure 1:1 schedules leave minimal dead time (but taking into account (6) )
For events that coincide with conferences, ensure time is allowed for walking the expo floor, but don’t expect analysts to be enthralled about keynotes/general sessions
Look for alternative configurations to PPT-driven “chalk and talk” – “fireside chats” for example
Mark Cathcart says:
February 14, 2008 at 9:24 pm
James, actually these are a great set of guidelines for any all day meeting where the content is mostly technical. Time is needed between sessions to discuss what you heard, to use other people as sounding boards for ideas etc. and we all have day jobs, and meetings almost certainly don’t get factored in. Nice one, especially on your birthday!
tecosystems » The Key to a Great Analyst Event: Do Less says:
February 14, 2008 at 9:50 pm
[…] anyway, James detailed his 7 Tips to a great analyst event, and I heartily agree with all of them but would like to expand […]
Robb Mapp says:
February 16, 2008 at 1:02 am
To Jon’s point, death by ppt has killed a few analyst events. Having presenters dialogue with the group is much more useful than pitching strategy. Transparency versus selling always wins.
I might add that Scotch & cigars are a good if you want to draw James & Cote to an event…just a tip for other AR jocks…
Tips from analysts about how to interact with them more effectively (new tip added 2/19/08) « SageCircle Blog says:
February 19, 2008 at 5:46 pm
[…] 7 Tips To Run a Great Analyst Event: Dos and Don’ts. […]