There is great value in differentiation. When first engaging with prospective customers and partners, they understandably want to know what makes your organization and its offering truly different from everyone else. They also want to know how specially those differences relate to their unique needs. It’s an instrumental part of the decision-making process, and for good reason. In today’s highly-connect, undeniably digital world, who you align with ultimately plays a significant role in defining your offering.
Having a best-in-class executive briefing center (EBC) provides you with an opportunity to differentiate what you have to offer by effectively telling your brand story. We recently presented a business case for building your own EBC including recent survey data from the Association of Briefing Program Managers (ABPM). ABPM reported that EBCs rank highest for activities relating to accelerating progression or faster closing of enterprise deals, especially for considered purchases, where prospect interaction and feedback are important in the sales cycle.
Simply put, having a strong EBC in place is your opportunity to create a truly immersive experience for prospective customers and partners. ABPM’s Spring Conference, taking place in Washington D.C. from April 15-17, will offer an array of educational sessions focused on refining and updating the briefing process.
What qualities define a best-in-class EBC?
While there are a number of factors to consider when creating or updating an executive briefing center, not every factor carries the same weight. Below are a few qualities that separate the good from the great.
Creating a seamless flow.
While movement through the EBC starts with having the right story – and knowing how to tell it – embracing a design led process helps ensure that all of the components are fully integrated. Ideally, you want to create an environment that goes well beyond going to see a great movie. You want to create a fully immersive experience for your prospective customers and partners.
The proper utilization so audiovisual technology is an important part of this puzzle. Yet, the use of sound barriers, lighting and environment control are equally important. The best AV systems are overkill if the all the other aspects of the space lag behind. Seamless integration is the foundation for a seamless flow.
Delivering immersive interactivity.
One key aspect that separates good from great is the ability to engage the guest. While your EBC needs to provide guests with access to a wealth of information, if you are simply dumping out data it will not yield the intended outcome. When you empower interactivity, it helps customize and relate your organization strengths and capabilities to your guests’ needs and shortcomings.
When focused on fostering an interactive environment it’s important to pay attention to what is actually happening within your EBC. Which aspects of your EBC garner the most engagement? How are guests interacting with each opportunity to engage? The proper deployment of sensors and other data collection technologies can empower you to make crucial changes that keep the level of engagement high. For example, if a specific component of your offering seems to garner more attention than others, you may want to take a deeper look at what is missing from other parts of your brand story.
Embracing Appropriate Technology.
Let’s face it, we are knee deep in the digital economy. As a result, technology plays an instrumental role in everything we do. However, that does not mean that the most expensive technology is always the best fit for the application at hand. Best-in-class EBCs are flexible, fluid and innovative environments that take into consideration that different customers and partners have differing needs/expectations.
Effectively selecting the proper technology starts with accepting that A true design led approach spends time upfront understanding the goals, the type of content involved and each individual aspect of the application. You never want to find yourself in a position where a technology deployment is taking center stage over your brand story or your ability to interact with the guest.
With over 50 years of experience working with both enterprise and entertainment clients, Electrosonic can help deliver outstanding EBCs capable of providing a truly immersive and interactive experience. Click here to learn more about how we can help.
