When people go to events, they put something important into it. It could be money, time, energy, or all of those things! So, of course, they expect to get something just as good, or even better, in return. That’s why event planners need to really think about the event attendee experience. It’s a big deal for whether the event goes well or not. Attendee engagement strategies take some planning and a little creativity. But as you read on, you’ll see that most of these strategies aren’t hard to execute. If you want your attendees to really remember your event, keep reading!
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Virtual Events And The Best Attendee Engagement Strategies
A study done by Grand View Research notes that virtual events are growing at a 20% annual growth rate. That’s huge! What it indicates is that more and more event planners will adopt the virtual event format in the coming years. Considering these facts, you can’t underestimate the value of virtual event attendee experience! But before we jump into the attendee engagement strategies for virtual events, let’s look at the key issues that virtual audiences face:
– Fatigue from long screen time
– Predominantly one-way communication
– Environmental distractions
– Technical hiccups
– Fewer opportunities for networking
We’ve covered the common issues with virtual events. Now, let’s look at a few attendee engagement strategies and make sure your event isn’t a snooze-fest.
Immersive Experiences
People join virtual events wanting something that feels real. It might sound strange, but that’s just how it is! No matter how great your content is, attendees want a virtual space that feels like being at a real event.
That’s where a virtual event setup like that provided by Dreamcast can help event planners. It’s got everything you’d expect at a real event: booths, characters, banners, the works, but it’s all in 3D. Even for exhibitors and sponsors, virtual booths are a great way to gain visibility and attract people’s attention. The best part is you can totally change up the look of your online space. Add colours, designs, symbols, and anything else you think would make the event feel more lively. Your attendees will feel like they’re actually at an event, but online.
This is one of those attendee engagement strategies to execute, which an event tech company like Dreamcast can help you with. They can give you the best virtual event setup for an experience that really grabs people’s attention.
Gamification
Gamification is one of the most classic and time-tested strategies for an enhanced virtual event attendee experience. Research and Markets backs this by observing that gamification has a higher success rate than all other attendee engagement strategies in terms of sustaining audience participation. Gamification includes polls, trivia, and small competitions sprinkled throughout the event. If we go a step further, we can include virtual badges and rewards, too.
The purpose of all these methods is two-dimensional. It’s knowledge retention plus fun. There’s an interesting way for your audiences to recap the event content and also shine like a topper in a classroom. You can push the envelope a bit and think of games like mystery guest challenge, digital passport, virtual escape room, etc., while making your gamification strategy.
Higher Interactivity Quotient
Interactivity makes virtual events significantly more interesting. No wonder, right? In virtual events, especially, it’s integral that the audiences get to speak at some point. Sitting and listening to a speech or monologue can be monotonous because, as it is, the attendees have to be fixated on the screen. Unlike physical events, there’s not much scope for body movement. Plus, there’s an energy shift in virtual events.
When you sit in a live session with a hundred other people, moments of laughter, applause, or even silence are shared. Everyone contributes to the room’s energy. This raw shared energy is absent from virtual events because, at the end of the day, it’s you and your screen. Your co-attendees are just small windows on the screen. So, having the chance to ask questions, hold discussions, and exchange views is a minimum requirement for a better event attendee experience.
Leave Space for User-Generated Content
User-generated content keeps people interested and helps your event reach more viewers. Want to try it? Start by making a special hashtag for your event. Ask everyone to post their favourite moments, thoughts, and photos using that hashtag. You can also let attendees ask questions, pick which topics they want to hear about, or tell you what they think. When people share their own content, they feel more connected to your event and help spread the word to others.
Top Attendee Engagement Strategies For In-Person Events
Now let’s talk about in-person events. These events have their own problems. The biggest challenge? Managing crowds in real time. Event planners worry about many things. How will people check in? How will they find their way around? The whole feel of the event matters too. Making it look and feel right costs money. Here’s something important to remember. People spend way more time and energy coming to in-person events than virtual ones. They travel, get dressed up and leave their homes. So they expect the event to be really good. This means you need strong attendee engagement strategies. What can you do? Let’s explore some ideas.
Using Event Tech In The Best Way Possible
Improving event attendee experience is not just about looking after the fun and games. It’s about paying attention to every major touchpoint, like event registration, event check-in solutions, etc. To better understand this, imagine that you attend an event. Upon reaching the venue, you find a massive crowd hovering around the check-in counter. What would be your first thought? To dash, right? If not, you’ll surely heave a sigh of disappointment.
This is the first touchpoint where the event organiser fails to engage you the right way! This can be made better by using the right event management technology. For example, Dreamcast offers advanced event check-in solutions like QR code event registration, turnstiles, etc., to make check-ins smoother. Plus, there’s a customizable mobile event app solution that makes event venue navigation easier. Here are more details on the kind of event tech that improves the overall event attendee experience:
– Automated communication system for updates and CRM, like Dreamcast’s WhatsApp integration.
– Simple and easy payment technology that makes shopping easy for attendees. Dreamcast’s Cashless is a great example.
– Event live streaming solutions that engage a wider audience.
– A wholesome mobile event app for event-related communication and networking.
These are just a few of the many advanced event management technology solutions that trusted providers like Dreamcast provide. You’ve just got to remember that the quality of attendee experience majorly depends on how well they can navigate the event.
Social Walls And 360° Photo Booths
Photo booths are a fun way to enhance the event attendee experience. A 360° photo booth is extra cool because everyone loves taking pictures. You can make it even better with fun themes and frames. People will remember that. Social walls are another great idea. These walls show posts from your attendees in real time. Ask people to use your special hashtag when they post. Display all those posts on a big screen. When attendees see their photos and comments up there, they get excited. It makes them want to share even more. Other people at the event will want to join in too.
Ample Chances To Network
Help your attendees meet the right people. Give attendees a mobile app where they can search for other guests. They can sort through connections and find people they actually want to talk to. This makes networking way better. Want to make it even cooler? Match people based on what they do for work or what they’re interested in. When two people with similar goals meet, their conversations are more interesting. They actually have things to talk about. This beats random small talk any day. Your attendees will thank you for helping them make real connections instead of just handing out business cards to everyone. What’s even better? AI can do all this for you. Dreamcast’s AI matchmaking solutions can help you!
Go for Collaborative Sessions Like Workshops
Skip the boring general sessions. Try hands-on activities instead. People can work together and get to know each other at the same time. It’s a smart way to boost your event attendee experience. You could run a hackathon where teams solve a real problem and build something. Or try a storytelling workshop. These attendee engagement strategies actually work. Here’s how to start. Give each activity about an hour. Figure out what people will do? What will they learn? How will it work? Start with an icebreaker. A quick poll works great. So does a word cloud or quiz. This gets people talking right away. It also sets up what your workshop is about. Simple, but effective.
AI-Powered Solutions
Right now, everyone’s talking about using AI to make events more personal. The best thing is, AI can take the load off event planners in terms of handling the mundane tasks.
Here are a few ways AI is making events better:
- AI Chatbots: Provide quick answers to questions, plus they help people find their way around the event.
- AI Matchmaking: This can be part of an event app, platform, or work as a separate product altogether. Dreamcast provides event planners with all these options.
With AI helping out like this, people at in-person events feel like they matter.
Conclusion:
Want to make your event awesome? You don’t need to do a million things. Just get a feel for what your audience likes and pick your attendee engagement strategies accordingly. Whether people are there in person or online, make it easy for them to meet each other. If tech helps, go for it, but keep things personal too. Also, test everything first! When people feel like they matter, they’ll remember your event. Things like games, social media walls, photo booths, or even group activities can really make the event attendee experience better.
FAQs
When attendees are engaged, they pay attention and participate. They’ll remember your event and share it with others. If people get bored, they might leave early or just tune out. You want attendee engagement strategies that keep them hooked from beginning to end.
Virtual attendees have many distractions at home. It’s easy for them to check their phone or open another tab. You have to work hard to keep their attention on your event. If you don’t, they will simply leave.
Immersive experiences make people feel like they’re part of the event. Instead of just watching, attendees feel involved. Think about VR demos, games where you interact, or videos that show you 360 degrees of the action. The point is to make them feel present, not just like they’re watching.
Tech can help you manage events. This tech can be QR code event registration or checking in people using face recognition. These event check-in solutions make check-ins faster.
