The Counterintuitive Know Your Program Audience

1
The Counterintuitive Know Your Program Audience

• Mark Schofield
• NFPA
• November 15, 2007

2
NFPA The Authority on Fire, Electrical, and
Building Safety.

• The mission of the nonprofit NFPA is to reduce
  the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards
  on the quality of life by providing and
  advocating consensus codes and standards,
  research, training and education.
• NFPA serves as the leading advocate of fire
  prevention and is an authoritative source on
  public safety. NFPA's 300 codes and standards
  influence every building in the U.S.

3
NFPA Educational Products

• Open Registration Seminars
• Contract Seminars
• World Safety Conference
• Video
• On-line Learning

4
Fire Alarm Seminars
5
What a business, many come back every third year!

• The Counterintuitive?

6

• Project Manager
• Role - Manager of engineers, technicians
• Need - Understanding of major codes how they
  interact
• Domain Expert
• Role The Specialist, Resource to engineers,
  Internal Consultant
• Need Competency
• Designer
• Role Puts in on paperaccurately
• Need Ensure Compliancequickly, Produce!
  Billable Hours
• Auditor (POSH)
• Role Confirms Compliance
• Need Confidence!

7
How Segment Needs Influenced Open Registration
Seminars

• Increased schedule for Designer more deluxe for
  Project Managers
• Las Vegas and Omaha / Continental Breakfast
• Added more checklists and job aids for Auditors
  (Tools to confirm compliance)
• And, realized that the Domain Experts only went
  to the Conference

8
What a business, they have to come back every
third year!

• The Counterintuitive
• they are thems
• some will do much more

9
What a business, they have to come back every
third year!

• The Counterintuitive side note
• Seminar attendees do not attend the conference
  and vice-versa

10
(No Transcript)
11
Life Safety Code Programs

• Plans Review

12
Lower the price, theyll come by the dozens!

• The Counterintuitive?

13
Low Price Seminar Test

• Test create a financially viable seminar model
  below the 200 per day threshold, to reach the
  segment of our audience that has proven to be
  price sensitive.
• Background When subsidized by a Grant, average
  attendance in the NFPA 1600 seminar was 65,
  without the subsidy it averaged 18

14
Low Price Seminar Model

• Non-code seminars 
• NFPA 1600
• Emergency Evacuation Workshop
• Facility Safety
• 1-day of Management and Prevention
• 1-day of Maintenance Protection

15
Lower the price, theyll come by the dozens!

• The Counterintuitive
• The offer and the Sponsor have far greater
  influence than price

16
Just my opinion, but you are wasting money on a
32 page brochure

• The Counterintuitive?

17
Conventional wisdom
8 Page
32 Page
ASAE 64 Pages in 2004 Exhibitor Show 52 Pages
in 2004 MacWorld 28 Pages in 2005
18
Background Information

• Potential Cost Savings (8 Page)
• Printing 22,000
• Postage 5,000
• Design 3,000

• Strong relationship with NFPA
• Dedicated to the Industry
• Networking with peers
• Magazine, Web, Email
• Contingency plan if needed

8 Page
19
The Test

• 32-page brochure mailed to 190K, subsequent
  mailings sent to smaller targeted audiences
  within that list.
• 8-page brochure nth select of 10K Consistent
  across all lists and mail drops to insure
  integrity

20
The Results
21
Action Steps/Results

• 2006 2007 NFPA conference brochure was 12-pages
  (Pre-conference)
• Website / Email / Advertisements / Calendar
  Listings / Etc
• Saved 30,000
• Exceeded attendance target!

22
Just my opinion, but you are wasting money on a
32 page brochure

• The Counterintuitive
• Dont confuse me?

23
Dull Dull Dull Fancy Fancy Fancy
39,947 272 .68 39,947 212 .53
24
I dont want to share

• The Counterintuitive?

25
Background

• Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation
  (JCAHO) requires use of NFPAs Life Safety Code
• NFPA decides to test a 3-day Health Care Life
  Safety Code seminar, then
• JCAHO approaches NFPA to jointly hold 3-day
  Health Care Life Safety Code seminar

26
NFPAs Seminar Results

• Boston 13 Attendees
• Baltimore 16 Attendees
• Orlando 22 Attendees

27
(No Transcript)
28
Shared Seminar Results

• Boston 13 Attendees
• Baltimore 16 Attendees
• Orlando 22 Attendees

• Boston 68 Attendees
• Chicago 76 Attendees
• Orlando 79 Attendees

29
I dont want to share

• The Counterintuitive
• The sum is greater than the parts

30
An Amazing Selection of Unbelievably Priced
Seminars!

• The Counterintuitive?

31

• Earn valuable CEUs
• Interact with nationally recognized instructors
• Protect lives and property
• Stay up-to-date with evolving fire protection and
  safety standards

32
Brand Statements

• There are 300 Fire Codes. And one reliable
  source to help you sort through them.
• Fire protection and safety standards are
  constantly evolving. NFPA gives you the most
  up-to-date information.
• Fire protection and Safety requires extensive
  knowledge in hundreds of areas. NFPA brings you
  experts in all of them.

33
An Amazing Selection of Unbelievably Priced
Seminars!

• The Counterintuitive!
• not our spin, but their perceptions

34
More Counterintuitive?
List Description Mailed Response Attendees
buyers of 70E 4,028 1.76 71 40
healthcare section 436 1.15 5 3
buyer of NEC 200 996 0.90 9 5
electrical section 604 0.66 4 2
buyers of LSC 101 5,967 0.52 31 18
industrial section 421 0.24 1 1
Total Lists 12,452 0.97 121 68