Conference - Best Practices

I have started a groupsite for an event my company is organising. I can't say mine are best practices but they are what I think are important and my duty as the initiator of the group

I take responsibility for initiating discussions by looking at who is in the network and consider what I know about them. I then think of a topic that is relevant to specific people in the network giving them a chance to respond and develop the discussion.

I also send a welcome note to everyone as they join the network, letting them know I am there if they need any advice and as well as encouraging them to start a new discussion, I offer to raise a topic which they can respond to.

I think it is important not to use the network as an overt marketing tool, the fact that people are on there means they are aware of the event and they are reminded every time there is an update.

I am frustrated by the fact that a lot of people have only included their names and not their company and position and in my welcome email I suggest it would enhance the networking if they were to include at least that level of information but I have avoided taking that any further as I am sure people will include more information when they see others doing so.

I am sure I will uncover best practices as I go along but I am happy with the way the network is developing and I think patience is the key.

There are three elements that make a Conference Sucessful online and or at a Facility:

1.  Substance

2.  Location: either the webpage has to be nice and or the facilities have to be already sucessful and 

     provide services no one else has

3.  Marketing of the two above..

I am personally can help you with all three items if you are willing to discuss any of these ssues please email me to smartcorp007@gmail.com

when developing a groupsite for a conference, exhibition or business summit, how do you restrict and monitor membership? Do you have a 'door policy' and only invite people to join the group once they have signed up to attend the event or do you utilise the resource to attract as many people as possible to join the group, encourage members to invite colleagues and peers or list the event on the public directory and then use the group to market the event to those people, once they have become members?

I have utilised the site to develop a group for one of my company's summits and kept a very strict 'door policy' and had tight control over membership primarily to protect the integrity of the members. I am interested to hear how other people have approached this issue.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Adrian