Today I got a press release from a company that was making an “>interesting offer: If a conference organizer uses the company’s services in response to an attendee’s referral, the company is offering to reimburse that attendee up to $500 in registration fees as a “thank-you” bonus.

I have never heard of anyone in the conference space doing something like this, but, while it seems like it could be a bit unwieldy to manage if it really catches on, what a cool idea. Leave it to the social networking folks to come up with an attendee incentive to market their stuff. I just hope that those who take advantage of it really think this is a good service for their conference, and aren’t just in it for the free reg!

If you find yourself designing your meeting’s brochure, signage, or anything else that includes type, you owe it to yourself to check out these 26 free retro fonts (you can download them straight from the linked site). If you have any sort of nostalgia theme, or just want a throwback look, you must check these out. (There also are links to many more beautiful, free fonts if you’re not in the nostalgia mood).

Fellow font freaks, rejoice!

We all (well OK, maybe it’s just me) love to complain about rotten customer service. And examples are everywhere, from conference Web sites that don’t connect registration with housing, to 800 numbers that send you on an endless loop through voice mail limbo, to TSA staff who, well, we’re not going to go there this morning.

So when I got this note moments after I bought a knitting pattern this weekend from Cat Bordhi of Passing Paws Press, I can’t tell you how absolutely delighted I was:

Dear Sue,

Thank you for wanting my Anemone Hat and buying it! I am grinning right now because I know that when you begin to wear it, you will attract happiness to yourself as strangers smile at you and take genuine pleasure in looking at you. The hat is disarming, innocent, and happy to wear. So I am glad you have chosen it!

Kind regards,

Cat Bordhi

I know it’s a form letter, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. It feels like she really is delighted that I bought that pattern, and that she’s anticipating the fun I’ll have with it. The specificity of it, the exclamation marks, the thought that she’s grinning thinking about my action, it all just adds up to one big dollop of warm fuzzy. Now I want to go buy more of her patterns (it doesn’t hurt that she’s an amazing, unique designer. And the Anenome Hat is wicked funky cute).

When you send e-mails thanking people for registering for your event (you do thank them immediately, right?), what feeling are you conveying? That it’s something you check off a list, or that you really care that that particular person signed up, that anticipating their participation gets your staff humming, that the thought of all they’ll get out of it makes you grin?

Yes, it’s a little thing, but it matters. A lot.

If people are talking about your property, it behooves you to listen, don’t you think? And yet all too many hoteliers still aren’t paying attention to what meeting goers and other guests are tweeting and Facebooking about their properties. Cara has a great post about those who are doing this well, as well as suggestions on how hoteliers can better serve their meetings specifically through social media monitoring.

Sure, there are many (including me) who think gamifying education, including that offered at meetings, is a great way to motivate people to learn. But if you think using a rewards-based marketing strategy to build loyalty to your conference or event, read this post first: Your Customers Won’t Take a Bullet for You. Not only does Kathy Sierra dissect loyalty programs beautifully to get to the beating heart of what really motivates us, she reminds me of just how much I have missed her writing. Just one point to ponder before you head over and read the whole thing:

“In fact, when you “incent” me to “engage” with your site, deep in my heart I understand now that I have sold out. By giving me bribes/incentives, no matter how much you call them “rewards”, you have communicated to some part of me that if I had to be incented to buy/act/engage/whatever, it must have lacked value on its own.”

Uh huh. Especially now, you can’t buy loyalty to your program, or even a one-time buy-in, unless, as she says, what you’re providing will “have upgraded my personal skills, knowledge, and capabilities. They have made my life better. They have made ME better.” Isn’t that exactly why you’re holding that conference to begin with?

If you are promoting a convention to an international audience, what colors do you use? Check out this post from Chief Marketer to find out why green may be good, if underused, among other international color tips. Interesting stuff.

Today’s guest post is by James Lee. Take it away, James!

Your marketing doesn’t have to end when you pack up and leave the trade show. You can extend the life of any meeting, conference, or convention—and you can do it almost for free. Here’s how.

Blog it, Tweet it, Facebook it
You can set up a show blog using a free host such as Blogger.com. Your blog, like your Web site, reflects the personality of your business—make it personal and use photos. Use the blog to post daily messages about the meeting.

Use Twitter while the conference is still in session to post short headline news of the day; your tweets can link to more detailed posts on your blog.

Write an e-newsletter about the Big Event and send it to your mailing list. Send e-blasts of special news and topics concerning your business, company or brand, and the things you learned or taught at the event. If you do this regularly and build in a way for recipients to share them, your message will spread. Keep e-blasts and e-newsletter items short, simple, and fresh, and include links to your Web page and social media pages so that readers can respond.

Use every available social media outlet you can think of and have the energy for—after all, they’re free. But remember that social media is not about reaching thousands of people; it’s about building relationships. As you’re your e-newsletters, keep your social media messages simple, targeted, and relevant to your customers and their friends and followers (your potential customers). Don’t forget to let people know where you are, and what you have to offer, with Foursquare.

Shoot it
Shoot videos of your meeting with a camera or your smartphone. If you aren’t good with a camera, you likely have a staffer who is. Make the videos available to all who were there and all who could not be there.

Or you can make a series of videos about your expertise and experience in your niche after the Big Event. Keep them simple, but make them entertaining (”Brought to you by Ourbrand!”), instructional (”Here’s how Ourbrand makes sugar cookies!”) or vicarious (”Here’s what you missed at Ourbrand’s Big Event!). Post them on YouTube and provide the link in your e-newsletter or e-blasts to keep your message going. Or sign up for your own free YouTube channel.

Hub it
Too many social media platforms can quickly become overwhelming. HootSuite, Twimbow, and Seesmic are social media dashboards in a Web application that you can download for free to help manage multiple accounts, organize your conversations, keep your message on target and spread your message without you going completely insane.

Advertise it
Advertising doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are the old standbys, the free listings you can get in directories that are all over the Internet. Make sure your business is in them all, with up-to-date address and phone information, a map, and, most important, your URL. Yahoo offers free classifieds, and you can always advertise on Craigslist. It’s not only free, it’s popular for people looking for a specific item, or sometimes just browsing in the miscellaneous section.

If your meeting yielded promotions for customers; if your conference yielded a need to market a new service or product; if your convention or trade show put products out for inspection and you’d like to multiply the number of people who see them, then advertise all these things immediately. Tie the ad to the recent convention by letting those who weren’t there know what they missed and which products you are emphasizing, or rolling out, after the show.

James Lee is a marketing analyst for Amsterdam Printing, a leading company in the promotional pens and personalized calendars business. James has owned small businesses himself and at Amsterdam concentrates on marketing ideas that utilize personalized pens, mugs, and other promotional items such as keychains, magnets and apparel.

I love a good spoof as much as the next person (I still think the Alaska Air spoof site was hilarious), but I’m not so sure The Meeting Guru promo for ASAE’s upcoming annual meeting works quite the way they hope it will. At least, not for the numerous people I’ve heard from who didn’t take the time to dig around the site long enough to figure out it’s a spoof and took it at face value. Or those who got it was a spoof and just think it’s a little too close to home (I think I’ve sat through a general session or two given by this guy’s brother) to be truly funny? Then again, I’ve heard others who think it’s just brilliant. I’d be curious to know what you think.

No matter how much tiger blood flows through his veins, Charlie Sheen’s debut show in Detroit was nothing short of a disaster. As Tom Asacker points out in this brilliant article (link to PDF download), “He seemed to believe that ‘Charlie Sheen’ was the brand, and that people were exchanging their time and money simply to be in the presence of ‘the Warlock.’” Though they lack the “wild and crazy” promise, it reminds me of some association shows to that still think people should come just because it’s the industry show, then blame attendees for their dissatisfaction with the experience. It’s not enough to have a good brand—you have to be able to deliver (preferably over-deliver) on your brand’s promise.

What else can conference and convention organizers learn from Charlie?

Check out Dave Lutz’ excellent summary of what sounds like a truly great session at EventCamp 2011 by Liz Strauss. I love this idea: “Instead of thinking of the top 10 reasons to attend, list the reasons that people shouldn’t.” (See his post for examples, along with three more takeaways.)