Printed session handouts are probably the most popular on-site deliverable (other than the Final Program) provided to attendees. Attendees pay a fair amount of money (i.e., $2000) to travel to and attend meetings, so they are looking to get the most for their money (i.e., education, solutions, contacts).
Problem/Solutions
There are two issues when it comes to speakers contributing session handouts.- Getting speakers to submit them in time for printing or CD production. This means incomplete materials to provide attendees or running around last minute getting copies made.
- Quality of content. The slides are great for talking points, but usually have little value without the talk. Hence the handouts should be substituted with something of value... not just slides. Other items to include could be supporting articles, forms, data that supports points made, other information sources for the topic. Download our "Getting Speaker's to Submit" tip sheet for ideas.
Session Handout Formats
Typically, printed session handouts are produced 2- or 3-up to save on printing costs, but we still find organizations mixing and matching 1-up landscape with 6-up portrait.Session handouts can be:
- Printed and bound in a meeting handbook or conference binder and given to each attendee OR
- Corner stapled and appropriate quantities are printed for each session based on registration numbers, room size or previous conference experiences.
They are then handed out to attendees in the room. Session evaluations usually accompany the handouts to gain insight into the value of the session and speaker.
Handout Idea #1 - Binder Building: Sometimes a conference 3-ring binder is provided to all attendees, but the content in the binder contains only the program, agenda of sessions, at-a-glance, maps, speaker bios and maybe the key note presentations. Then the handouts provided in the rooms are 3-hole drilled so attendees can build their own binder as they add the handouts from the sessions they want. This can reduce the amount of paper used by up to 70%!
Professionalizing Handouts
Some organizations provide their speakers a template to aide in consistency or guidelines to ensure quality content. The handouts are then either bound in a handbook and page numbered or the handouts are individually saddle-stitched (booklet style) to give it a professional pamphlet look.Green Handouts - Go Recycled or Go Digital
If printed handouts are a necessary part of your event they can be easily greened with these simple tips.- Print handouts on recycled paper containing at least 30% post consumer waste fiber
- Print handouts at least three-up or even six-up and print both sides of the sheet.
These two tips combined can reduce the virgin paper used for handouts by up to 65%!
Going digital or some call it "paperless" - referring to putting the handouts on CD or online and providing attendees with only a final program (see idea #2 below) and adhering the CD to the inside cover. This reduces the amount of print and can in many cases, reduce cost.
Placing the handouts online is sometimes done in advance of the event with the mindset attendees will print the handouts they want and bring them to the event (hence not really true paperless, but shifting the printing to the attendee). Some known issues with this approach are:
- Speakers do not like their information available until they present it.
- Attendees forget to bring printed handouts and don't like being responsible for it.
- Event organizers viewed as cheap by not making handouts available while also not reducing registration fees.
Handout Idea #2 - Learning Journals: Place handouts on a CD and adhere them to the back cover of a Conference Learning Journal (in 6x9 or full size formats). These journals contain the agenda of sessions, sponsor information - usually about the first 20 to 30 pages and include 30 to 40 blank pages for attendees to keep notes. The Learning Journal then becomes a handy take home resource. Another option is to include half or one-page summaries of each session in front of the blank pages.