Ways to cultivate engagement experiences at events

Two words that should probably be instantly associated with the word ‘events’ are engaging and immersive. There is absolutely no point in creating an event that fails to offer an unforgettable experience. Anyone who’s been in the events business long enough knows that at the end of the day, an event’s success is determined by the attendees’ experience. And a good way to offer them a great time is to keep them fully engaged.
Here’s how you can take the engagement game to the next level at your upcoming event.

1. Planning and producing content
Well, this piece of information is out there and everyone knows it really well, but let’s reemphasize on the fact that video content proves really successful in engaging an audience. But, beware, as it tends to get tricky sometimes, especially when you have several other things to worry about. So make sure to plan your video content well, be it before the event, when it is ongoing or for sustainability purposes. So, what does creating great content entail? Remember that social media content is no easy business. While you take care of the communication for the current edition, make sure to think of the future as well and have a team in place to chalk out the plan for next year’s show. Sometimes video content has to be shot, edited and rolled out on the spot, and in this case, it is not about the tool but how you use it. Lastly, producing video content involves a lot of experimentation and learning. Videos have to be desirable to watch. It can be a fun, educational or quirky video, understand your audience better and learn what kind of content to feed them with.

2. Engaging with the audience via live streaming
The event industry has seen a consistent rise in the popularity of live streaming. Engagement with audiences at events is crucial and can serve as a very powerful tool. Imagine a high-profile conference where world leaders are speaking and you open the Q&A session to the entire world. Basically, anyone with an internet connection can pose a question to these leaders. It is important that other than those physically present at the event, you also engage those who are connected online. A good practice to be constantly engaged with the latter lot is to have an MC or a moderator dedicated to the remote audience. Activating online polls also works great in order to get instant feedback. What’s important is that online audience or those physically present, giving them an engaging experience is pivotal.

3. Power of the tool of gamification
Gamification has made its presence felt since quite some time, but not all understand how it works and how it can be used effectively. Well, there are industry experts who can tell you how gamification can be used as an event strategy. Gaming is all about playing, but, yet, there is a strategy to it. So, you can come up with crazy ideas and fun things for your clients to do in gaming and get people to ‘grow down’. What’s growing down all about you ask? Well, growing down is a fabulous way to see gamification. When we were kids we learnt through games, didn’t we? Why can’t we do the same as grown-ups? Gamification is still not fully understood by professionals but once you understand the purpose of using it and how you want your audience to feel with its use, the best thing is to go forward with it. Gaming as a strategy may not work at all events, but it works in most places. The key is to know where it will work and where it won’t and then go for it. A lot of people perceive gaming as risky, but in the end we all have a kid hidden in us and have enjoyed gaming at least once in our lives. We know it doesn’t bite. As an event organizer, know and understand your audience and focus on what you need to achieve. Once you have taken care of these things, gaming as a strategy can work wonders.

To conclude, don’t forget to create an immersive and engaging time for your audience. Whatever the age group or the type of your audience, they must go back with great memories so that they return for the next edition.