Parallel Events – 3 Takeaways You Need Now

While we presented our ideas for a parallel format, it can and should be customized for you and more importantly, your audience. Keeping and building your audience and brand loyalty depends on the impression of the user experience. Let’s review the top three takeaways from the Parallel Events Summit.

The root cause of zoom fatigue is minimum engagement

• During a lively discussion in the Parallel Events Q&A engagement activity, the topic of zoom fatigue arose, and the conversation turned to the idea of zoom fatigue and how it isn’t as simple as people think it is. Zoom fatigue is a direct cause of minimum engagement for the time commitment expected by a host.
  
  
• An easy solution to zoom fatigue is shorter sessions with majority focus on engagement and interaction to keep the participant thinking and creating their own outcomes.
  
  

Setting expectations for participation

• User participation can be challenging and, in some instances, make for an awkward session if a moderator is left cold calling on users to engage. Setting engagement expectations prior to the event can help increase user engagement and enhance their experience.
  
  
• When setting expectations, incentivize your audience. Provide them with motivation, encouragement, and meaningful benefits to participating.
  
  

Customizing a process for selecting moderators

• Finding the right personality traits to fit your content and audience is imperative to a successful user experience. Traits such as expertise in the topic area, ability to drive a conversation, keep it on track, and make the session fun.
  
  
• Create a form and process for people to submit their profiles to be considered for moderation. Include specific and relevant questions pertaining to the event and content to make selection as smooth and efficient as possible.
  
  

While there are multiple considerations in the planning phase of a parallel event, the summit offers the basics to get you started. Engagement is the primary focus which takes “realistic creativity”. Realistic creativity looks at factors such as budget, technology, audience comfortability and team resources. Being practical while at the same time not being afraid to be innovative, is the best time to dive head first into a new event format and refine those already in your repertoire.

For more details and to view the full sessions from the Parallel Events Summit, click here.

Interested in learning more about how beedance can assist with your parallel event strategy? Contact us today to speak to one of our expert humans!