slide 1:

10 Ways to Drive Attendee Engagement at Event As an event organizer the most challenging task in your already stressful job is to drive attendee engagement. Whether you are planning a conference workshop meetings or a trade show keeping your audience engaged is an uphill task. The proverb ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink ’ comes to mind when your attendees don’t connect with your event for various reasons. But this can be overturned if you create enough engagement opportunities for them. That is the only way to stand out from the rest and create clear value for your audience. As an event marketer your biggest challenge is to maximize event engagement the moment the invite goes out to your target audience. With an average of 30 of the marketing budget spent on events measuring key metrics of engagement is nebulous at best. For a great event experience use event management software your one-stop shop to engage and measure event performance. Built specifically to boost participation at events it is your best bet to increase leads and level up your organization’s growth. Here are the top 10 ways to drive attendee engagement using event technology: 1. Pre-Event Hashtags Attendee engagement starts the moment your event is set up.

slide 2:

Create hashtags for people to use while commenting about your event. Have contests and early bird discounts to not only promote your event but also boost registrations. With hashtags your event can be a hit among the social media fraternity and potentially build a community that talks about your event. 2. Event Registration Event registration software is not just about easing the life of event planners. It also simplifies the tasks for your audience who are interested in your event. Event management technology can collect data and attendee preference to give them a tailor-made experience. While this alleviates the overall experience it also provides you hard metrics that can help you measure the performance of your event. 3. Crowdsource Content While sending invites to your audience crowdsourcing topics is a great way to drive engagement. Create event content based on what your audience would like to hear rather than on topics that don’t spark any participation. This will also ease your job as you won’t have to think about the topics to be included in the event agenda. 4. Personalize Attendee Agenda An important aspect of attendee engagement is creating a unique

slide 3:

experience that makes people feel valued and important. To deliver curated experiences create personalized agendas based on your registrants’ preferences. Instead of herding everyone into one session create sessions that appeal to individual tastes. It is all about personalization and event technology can help build a detailed agenda of your registrants based on their session interest and activities. 5. Mobile Apps with Customized Content As paperless event become more and more popular mobile event apps make it easy for planners to share tailored event content and agenda. This keeps attendees interested and makes them feel important. Make sure you promote your app well before the event day for maximizing app adoption. Your app should be integrated with social media networks for people to connect before and after the event. It is a great way to keep the conversation going long after the event is over. 6. Keep Contests Mobile app features like gamification make it easier for planners to have games and contests that keep the buzz alive. Whether it is a basic treasure hunt or any other icebreaker mobile apps can help participants build lasting relationships. If possible theme the game around the topic of your event and ensure the app is easy to use and intuitive. 7. Send Push Notifications

slide 4:

Keep your attendees informed by sending push notifications. Make sure the app acts as a repository of all the event-related information like floor map agenda session details speaker information venue points of interest etc. By having all the information in one place you make it easy for people to engage with event content and take appropriate action. 8. 1-to-1 Appointments Technologies like business matchmaking apps make it easier to network with other attendees and schedule 1-to-1 meetings. This is by far the best way to boost networking  —  one of the primary reasons for people to attend events. With targeted networking based on preference and common interests attendees will find value in your event and ultimately increase their revenue. 9. Live Polling and Surveys Event technology features like live polling and surveys also keep the engagement alive while saving your precious hours on collecting feedback on the paper. Gain valuable insights into your event like favorite session speaker venue etc. Encourage your speaker to ask questions and receive answers through the mobile event app. You can send survey questions during all phases of event planning  —  before during and after the event 10. Use Energizers

slide 5:

Based on your audience’s demographics incorporate energizers like gums drinks hard candies or even stress balls. Incorporate local cultures and don’t shy away from experimenting. For a more orthodox audience stick to the basics such as stretching upbeat videos etc. Conclusion Using the right technology can completely transform events  —  turning it from a simple marketing channel into an engaging platform for networking and connecting. When looking for the right technology consider the 10 points mentioned above to drive engagement and have a stellar success