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Print vs. Digital Materials: Why You Need Both

The print vs. digital conference debate is alive and well in the abstracts world. All too often, conference managers believe they must choose one or the other for their upcoming event. To that we ask: why?

If we were to try to pinpoint a source of the debate, it would simply be a product of the times. Almost everything has made the transition to digital and amongst that which has, digital tends to be more popular than print. However, the same isn’t necessarily true in the conference realm.

3 Reasons Why Print Isn’t Dead

Contrary to popular belief, print isn’t dead. If you’re curious as to why, here are three simple reasons:

• Engagement – Those who read materials in print tend to be more engaged than those who read the same materials on a digital screen. For this reason, many attendees prefer printed materials.

• Options – Your attendees like having options. More importantly, different demographics in your audience are more likely to prefer either print or digital. By providing both choices, you can ensure you aren’t leaving any of your attendees without their preferred option, elevating their conference experience in the process.

• Preference – As we briefly mentioned above, some audience members are likely to prefer print to digital. If you don’t offer a print option at all, some attendees may be left without conference materials.

Print and Digital Work Together

It may seem counterintuitive, but print and digital materials actually complement each other nicely. In fact, many of your attendees will use both if you make both available.

Consider this: Print materials work best for credibility purposes and digital content is available anywhere and on any device. By combining credibility with ease of use, you can appeal to all audience members and allow each attendee to customize how they consume content both before and during your conference.

Don’t Treat the Print/Digital Debate as an All or Nothing Approach

Many conference managers feel pressured to either be all print or all digital. And, with more and more materials being put in the digital realm, print tends to be overlooked in today’s market.

However, by combining both, you can appeal to your entire audience without making concessions – what a beautiful thing.

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