Leveraging Technology to Enhance Engagement for All Event Types

We’ve all had to alter our thinking and the way we design our events to meet ever-evolving participant expectations. Technology and data have played large roles as steppingstones, facilitating a path for event organizers to reimagine the event experience for all their key stakeholders.

The Scoop sat down with Riley Sawyers, Senior Customer Success Manager, Nolan Ether, Content Marketing Leader, and Lisa Vogel, Leader, Field & Event Marketing all with Webex Events, formerly known as Socio.  Fresh off their EMS panel session, the Webex Events team was eager to discuss a topic on everyone’s mind – leveraging technology to enhance engagement across various event formats.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach for hybrid events, mused Sawyers, suggesting that “hybrid means different things to different people.”  The Webex Events team collaborates with clients to answer the challenging questions, such as what “hybrid” specifically means for their event, and what are the most effective ways to leverage technology to bridge the gap between online and on-site audiences in a highly engaging manner

Engagement needs to be a mix of accessible, interesting, and realistic for all audiences and the modalities in which they choose to access your event and interact. Assembling the right team is one of the first steps to delivering attendee-centric events. Understanding the technology and data you have at your disposal and connecting closely with your marketing team will lead you down the path of maximum audience engagement.

We asked our panelists for three key themes event organizers should consider when designing hybrid events for maximum engagement.

Leverage Technology to Increase Event Revenue

• “People don’t want to give up the reach of virtual,” said Ether. Look beyond just the platform that technology provides and research the engagement and interaction opportunities it can facilitate between sponsors and attendees.
• Consider the advantages of technology on your budget and content. With a virtual experience, it is potentially easier to bring in a high-profile speaker than it might be in an in-person experience.
• Technology provides event organizers with interactivity options and participant behavioral data, which give us insight into audience needs, thus informing marketing campaigns and making them more effective in maximizing audience size.

Curate Experiences Around Event Segments and Channels

• Design your event segments like a live television broadcast. Allowing attendees to be more present in a moment is a great way to set milestone markers in their customer journey and create a memorable experience.
• “There’s a place for everything. Not every event has to be hybrid,” said Vogel. Consider the brand and message you want to convey and during what period to focus the energy on the appropriate event platform or channel.

Repurpose Content and Extend its Useful Life

• Content can create more programs. Consider different content formats such as videos, blogs and clips that can be disseminated from event content.
• Use your event content as a strategy for building engagement portfolio touchpoints for your brand. Creating a cadence of engagement, and layering in different format types for different events, leads to stronger audience reach and extended content lifecycle.

For more ideas from the Webex Events team on creating highly engaging virtual experiences, view the full The Scoop interview here.

Interested in bringing The Scoop to your next event? Contact us today to speak to one of our expert humans!