We’ve all attended those corporate events that just drag on and don’t leave much of an impact – no one wants to be that person! Increasing audience engagement is essential when making your event fun whilst growing and creating brand awareness. This engagement doesn’t start and finish at the event, it’s the actions you take before, during and after! Here’s how you can boost engagement through your events…
Before the event
It may not come as a shock, but promotion is key! Consider publishing a blog or posting on social media to kickstart the engagement Here you can featuring information on where the event is being held, what it’s about, keynotes etc. Think about who your attendees are and what they want to experience – where do they come from, what is their job role, how can you help them? By tailoring your event to your attendees needs, you’ll have a higher chance of interest and people will be more interactive, finding your event useful and an enjoyable experience.
During the event
During the event, you want to make it as enjoyable as possible to leave a great lasting impression. Your attendees are there to either learn, network or maybe share experiences, so make sure what you have to offer is actually benefiting them, not just you. You could invite keynote speakers, plan interactive games, or hand out gift bags – to create engage throughout. It doesn’t always have to be so corporate and serious – that’s when you’ll lose peoples interest.
Get creative with your ideas – you could use technology to mix things up. Using apps like (link) Kahoot! to get people involved is a great idea for those attendees who are shy to speaking up. You can create polls or quizzes at the end of your event to see what people learned or if they’d be interested in attending another one of your events!
KEY TIP: Don’t forget to take pictures/microblog the event, these are great for posting online and creating engagement with your attendees via channels like LinkedIn.
After the event
So, the events over and you want to know how your attendees really felt about it? The best way to get real feedback is to send out surveys! This could be something to add on to a poll at the end of the session, something you hand out to attendees before they leave or something you email out afterwards. Ask them questions like ‘Did you find it informative?’ and ‘Would you attend another one of our events in the future?’.
Another way of receiving feedback would be to talk to them directly, asking for their name, company, job role etc. Remember to be genuine when talking to your attendees, don’t pressure them to say what you’d want to hear, constructive criticism should always be welcomed!
KEY TIP: Send out thank you emails. This could be something you send along with a feedback survey. It’s a great way to keep the engagement going after the event is over and to let them know how happy you were that they attended. Creating those lasting impressions shows your company wants to help solve their problems, which can increase your connections!
At JobHoller, we help companies attract & engage talented candidates through their employer brand. We know that every organisation is unique, and has a story to tell, and we are here to help you tell it! Whether you are looking for a full employer brand strategy, or just a short-term campaign to attract and engage candidates, we can help!
Contact us today to see how we can help you.
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