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In the early months of the pandemic, businesses attempted to make their newly virtual events memorable experiences. As in-person events have made their way back onto people’s calendars, these same businesses are now searching for ways to make their next in-person event immersive while exceeding industry standards.
Luckily, businesses have plenty of ways they can plan a memorable event, regardless of the audience size or location. To help, 10 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer tips to make your next event the talk of the online (and offline) sphere.
Make Memorable Content
You want people to remember your event, so you need to give them something unique to latch onto. Make it entertaining and memorable. Give them a moment they can easily refer to and will want to tell other people about. They will end up remembering all the content that you worked so hard to deliver to them. – Seth Yudof, Fan Rebellion
Focus On the End Result
What is the desired end result? For most, it will be an emphasis on how attendees feel when they leave. By focusing on the experience and giving attendees an opportunity to be known versus simply seen, you will create an environment that they can’t wait to come back to. After all, we are a culture that is desperate to be known and often settles for being seen. – Cody Jefferson, Embrace The Lion
Develop the Event Around Your Headliner
It really depends on who is at the helm of your event — your headliner, your key speaker and the main reason folks will want to show up. Utilize their brand to align with your own and develop the event around them. Folks don’t go to events just because; they are there to experience something they relate with, to grow from something or to see their favorite performer. – Matthew Himes, Levitt LA
Keep Memorable Moments Short and Powerful
See the world through the attendee’s eyes (and other senses). What experiences will truly “wow” them? Keep memorable moments short and powerful. Create a perfect blend of education, entertainment and surprise sensory moments. Using a professional to develop creative ideas can yield more breakthrough ideas than relying on internal resources. – Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch
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Increase Audience Interactions
Break down the wall between the show and the audience. If you want to take your event to the next level, the key is in the audience experience. Instead of having clear boundaries between the presentation and the audience, mix it up. Also, give the audience ways to participate and interact. Impressions become durable when we move from observing to experiencing! – Bob Bonniol, MODE
Build Community Around High-Level Participation
Memorable events and seminars require high levels of engagement and content that leave participants with knowledge and tools they can use. With all of our seminars, participants are actively involved in discussions as well as making presentations. There’s lots of high energy with some tears and lots of laughter. Everyone leaves feeling like they were part of a community. – Joe Hart, Dale Carnegie & Associates
Cultivate a Collaborative, Valuable Atmosphere
No one wants to attend an event that is just a sales pitch. To make your business’s next event one people will talk about, you must offer quality for their time. Provide valuable content and speakers that attendees will find interesting and relevant. Create an atmosphere where people can connect and exchange ideas. Ensure it is an event where attendees would say, “I’d spend time doing that again.” – Evan Nison, NisonCo
Integrate Social Media
Adding a real-time social layer to your business’s next event can make it stand out. Nowadays, many companies use new-age social media aggregator tools to aggregate content in real time from social media related to your event and then display it in an infinite stream of content on a digital background. You can also aggregate information pieces related to your business vertical and do the same. – Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
Energize Your Audience
To make an event memorable, you have to create a memorable experience. Determining how you can provide a valuable, unique and social media-worthy experience will put you in a great position. As far as exactly what you provide will depend on the type of business you have. Beyond that, playing music that energizes your attendees and complements your brand identity is massively important. – King Holder, PROCUSSION
Sprinkle Surprises Throughout
Make the event fun. Surprise your guests and give them more than you offered. Actually have a fun “people person” on hand (virtual or live) to just engage. Talk, listen and share something — “Did you discover the gourmet chocolates near the flowers?” “Did you get to do the immersive experience on the 2nd floor?” — but do it like a guest, not like an employee. – Susan Johnston, New Media Film Festival®
