Samaaro + Your CRM: Zero Integration Fee for Annual Sign-Ups Until 30 June, 2025
- 00Days
- 00Hrs
- 00Min
Events are, by nature, networking opportunities, learning opportunities, and authentic, bonding experiences. With so many distractions around us, it’s sometimes difficult to get your audience to be engaged in meaningful ways. The best way to ensure engagement with your audience during an event is to have engagement strategies employed in all three areas: Pre-event, Event, and Post-event. This guide contains simple engagement strategies for each component of an event, so we can help to create meaningful experiences for attendees.
Pre-event engagement
Use Social Media
Social media is a great way to create interest and excitement about an event and keep that same energy when leading up to the event. However, there are ways to not only have audience members engage through social media while they are engaged at the event but want to encourage them to engage after also through follower sharing and likes of their product. For example, you can use methods that would include audience engagement from home through polls about the event, user-generated content supporting the event, and to encourage audience members using the event hashtags corresponding with your event. Not only is this building your community ahead of time, but this also has your audience engaged weeks before the event occurs!
Think of teaser campaigns and countdown
If you are working with presenters of the event, or using event partners, go a step further and collaborate by posting teaser campaigns. You could post a short video of presenters discussing their presentation or partner talking about an amazing vendor item. For early bird registrants, make them feel exclusive and valuable with special packed digital products or discounted access to vendor products.
Offer Interactive webinars and Q&A
Before the event, offer more interactive and engaging webinars or panel discussions with key presenters or other familiar professionals. Ask attendees to submit their questions or topics prior to the discussion to allow for their involvement in the posting process. Announce the events through different branded channels and consider providing the webinars through your website for people who could not make the live events.
Using Email, SMS & WhatsApp Marketing
For email marketing you can promote event(s) notices, but with email marketing you can send out substantive content like speakers and biographies, session agendas, and sneak peeks of the venue site when you send out email promotions. Email promotions can include RSVPs, interactive maps or customized agenda to attract attendee participation.
During the Event Engagement
Interactive Sessions or Workshops
To promote attendee engagement, plan different session delivery methods, such as conducting an interactive demonstration, round table discussions, or hands-on workshops. No matter which session you schedule ensure you give participants opportunities to share, offer opinions or share for some hands-on experience to create an inviting learning atmosphere.
Encourage Attendee Engagement
Utilize real time interactive tools during your presentations such as live polling, open Q & A coaching sessions and live forums – live action! Give opportunities for the attendees to provide their opinions, questions, or share their experiences with the presenters, and provide interactivity.
During the Event Engagement
Interactive Sessions or Workshops
To promote attendee engagement, plan different session delivery methods, such as conducting an interactive demonstration, round table discussions, or hands-on workshops. No matter which session you schedule ensure you give participants opportunities to share, offer opinions or share for some hands-on experience to create an inviting learning atmosphere.
Encourage Attendee Engagement
Utilize real time interactive tools during your presentations such as live polling, open Q & A coaching sessions and live forums – live action! Give opportunities for the attendees to provide their opinions, questions, or share their experiences with the presenters, and provide interactivity.
Using Gamification Features
Consider different gamification features such as leaderboards, scavenger hunts, and interactive challenges associated with session engagement. Motivate attendees to engagement throughout the event by offering points for participating in activities that they can redeem for lifestyle benefits or prizes when they return home.
Providing Networking Opportunities
Provide networking opportunities that relate to the attendees’ interests or industry. Consider using an event app to implement matchmaking algorithms for meaningful connections and/or facilitate networking opportunities that promote meaningful connections.
Event Apps or Platforms
Use apps or platforms that are specific to your event to allow your participants to build their unique agenda, chat and share their ideas and opinions live. In addition to agenda building and a chat function, you may want to consider offering engaging experiences through interactive maps, live polling, or a rating of sessions.
Using Gamification Features
Consider different gamification features such as leaderboards, scavenger hunts, and interactive challenges associated with session engagement. Motivate attendees to engagement throughout the event by offering points for participating in activities that they can redeem for lifestyle benefits or prizes when they return home.
Providing Networking Opportunities
Provide networking opportunities that relate to the attendees’ interests or industry. Consider using an event app to implement matchmaking algorithms for meaningful connections and/or facilitate networking opportunities that promote meaningful connections.
Event Apps or Platforms
Use apps or platforms that are specific to your event to allow your participants to build their unique agenda, chat and share their ideas and opinions live. In addition to agenda building and a chat function, you may want to consider offering engaging experiences through interactive maps, live polling, or a rating of sessions.
Post-Event Engagement
Personalized Thank You Emails
Create email follow-ups to the event to both say thank you and highlight any personalized positive things that were relevant to that participant’s interests. To enhance the value of the post-event follow-up, add in appropriate hyperlinks to any resources or recordings, or follow-up information that was shared at the event.
Post-Event Engagement
Personalized Thank You Emails
Create email follow-ups to the event to both say thank you and highlight any personalized positive things that were relevant to that participant’s interests. To enhance the value of the post-event follow-up, add in appropriate hyperlinks to any resources or recordings, or follow-up information that was shared at the event.
Share the Event Story
Create a comprehensive content strategy for post-event. Share behind the scenes, event highlights, snippets of keynotes, participant testimonials and sneak previews through newsletter and social. Be sure to create content in engaging formats, such as blog recaps, videos or infographics to maximize engagement and reach.
Share the Event Story
Create a comprehensive content strategy for post-event. Share behind the scenes, event highlights, snippets of keynotes, participant testimonials and sneak previews through newsletter and social. Be sure to create content in engaging formats, such as blog recaps, videos or infographics to maximize engagement and reach.
Feedback Collection
Create a detailed survey or questionnaire for participants to reveal feedback in greater depth about a variety of aspects of your event, including programming, networking opportunities, operations, and participant satisfaction. Even the best feedback will never capture the event nor the significance of the event in a meaningful way, so consider feedback to emphasize what will be an improvement opportunity for the next event.
Post-Event Resources
Allow participants to be able to access recordings, slides, whitepapers, and whatever other resources were shared during the event at their convenience. Give participants a central location and repository of resources that they can access and use to further their education beyond their event.
Post-Event Social Engagement
Once the event has ended, begin the conversation on social media and/or online communities focusing on the event’s content; allow participants to continue networking and discussing their experiences, and key take-aways from the event. Continue to give participants opportunities to engage through materials, discussions, or special offers; continuity of the participants experience is important – they will continue to relate to or reference things they heard or learned at your event.
Ideas/ Suggestions for Event Engagement
Feedback Collection
Create a detailed survey or questionnaire for participants to reveal feedback in greater depth about a variety of aspects of your event, including programming, networking opportunities, operations, and participant satisfaction. Even the best feedback will never capture the event nor the significance of the event in a meaningful way, so consider feedback to emphasize what will be an improvement opportunity for the next event.
Post-Event Resources
Allow participants to be able to access recordings, slides, whitepapers, and whatever other resources were shared during the event at their convenience. Give participants a central location and repository of resources that they can access and use to further their education beyond their event.
Post-Event Social Engagement
Once the event has ended, begin the conversation on social media and/or online communities focusing on the event’s content; allow participants to continue networking and discussing their experiences, and key take-aways from the event. Continue to give participants opportunities to engage through materials, discussions, or special offers; continuity of the participants experience is important – they will continue to relate to or reference things they heard or learned at your event.
Ideas/ Suggestions for Event Engagement
Personalize experience – personalize experiences based on attendee preferences/interests
Use a variety of mediums – use visually engaging content including videos, infographics, graphic organizers, etc.; and interactive engagement
Follow up – provide meaningful networking introductions or experiences
Communicate – communicate with participants in the lead-up to, during and, following the event in order to keep them engaged
Measure success/ data – Look at data to understand what was successful, and to look for anything else that needs improving.
Successful in-person events don’t just happen; they are planned experiences that involve attendees. By employing pre-event, during-event, and post-event engagement, we, as event managers, can create memorable experiences that matter to attendees.
Finally, event engagement is a journey, an evolutionary process that involves innovation, personalization, and knowing what the attendees’ needs and interests are. When using these different engagement strategies along with Samaaro, we can enhance attendee experience and increase the experience of what can be an extraordinary in-person event. Give Samaaro a try! Sign up today for a free trial!
