What is Attendee Engagement And Why Does it Matter?

If you’re part of the meeting and event business or are simply seeking services in the field, understanding the ins and outs of staging an entertaining, interactive event is a necessity that could make or break the success of your occasion.  In the industry, attendee engagement is the new black, but what is it, how do you get it, and why’s it so important?

More than People Pleasing

Developing and organizing large-scale events can involve overwhelming, daunting tasks, but whether you’re hosting a wedding, a concert, a career development seminar, or a company picnic, simply lining up a venue, parking, and entertainment or dining options isn’t enough to ensure that attendees are going to get involved, and more importantly, excited about the experience. This is where Attendee Engagement comes in; those in attendance should feel a sense of enthusiasm, value, and loyalty when the right features and content are in place to pull them in. How do you encourage involvement and establish your event as one not to be missed?

Know Your Why

Having a great game plan is a necessity when it comes to successfully developing and organizing content that will encourage attendee engagement. Why are you staging the event? Clearly defining and communicating this end goal establishes a framework for what activities should be planned and introduced and how they will support each aspect of your purpose. Providing guests with a thematic thread that ties the entire day together will create an enjoyable sense of harmony and appreciation that they won’t be able to stop themselves from sharing with friends and family via social media.

Encourage Engagement

There are 4 main types of attendee engagement that can be developed to support the focus of your event:

• Engaging and Networking

Regardless of the type of event hosted, many people will attend for the primary reason of networking, whether it’s to meet potential clients, business contacts, or to connect with old family or new friends. By creating convenient opportunities, whether one-on-one, in groups, face-to-face, or virtual, attendee engagement will be encouraged and facilitated through strategic planning and will create a more valuable experience.

• Engaging With Material

Creating the right content, exhibits, and activities for the people in attendance will encourage them to get involved and provide a way for them to find value in the experience. Look for ways to maximize the time you have with these individuals by providing learning opportunities around every corner, and they’ll definitely bring friends when they come back.

• Engaging With Event Sponsors

If your event involves corporate sponsorship, it’s especially important to supplying these paying clients with authentic connections to qualified attendees.  Providing creative methods for attendees to experience the benefit of the brands they may support is important, as is a reliable method for capturing registration and satisfaction information that will be useful for following up.

• Engaging With You or Your Organization

            As an event organizer, hosting a successful experience will come down to effective communication, not only between those behind the scenes but also between yourself and your attendees. Whether the event is for consulting, logistics, or promotional purposes, creating a simple and effective means for guests to follow the agenda and to engage in activities will help them get the most satisfaction and value

Need to Customize an Engaging Experience?

With over 40 years of expertise and experience in the entertainment and event planning industry, Tent Renter’s Supply is ready and available to assist in creating the perfect occasion for your guests. Contact us today to learn about our incredible inventory and about how we can make it work for your needs.