Pre-event engagement
Optimization is done before the event. Pre-event engagement helps you collect valuable insights from your attendees before you run your event.
And these insights in turn can be leveraged to finetune essential elements of your event.
Don’t jump blindly into your event assuming to be in the know about the right content and relevant topics for your attendees just because you are an expert of your industry.
You may know the drill and that’s perfect but your attendees potentially face unique challenges that you haven’t had on your radar yet.
Be flexible and keep your finger on the pulse of what your attendees truly desire.
Listen to them, make them your co-creators, and build an agenda that resonates with their needs and interests.
That way, you can drive business with your (virtual) event instead of simply putting your message out there without providing any real value.
Engage, entice, excite!
Getting people excited and hyped up about a virtual event is far from easy.
At the bottom line, attending a virtual event equals sitting down in front of your screen and watching a video (live) stream. All alone, in your all too familiar own home.
The times in which you could convince people to register and get them excited for your event by highlighting a popular city as the event location or allowing a sneak peak into an impressive event venue are gone (at least for the time being).
You need new compelling arguments. You need a new pre-event engagement strategy that meets the special demands of virtual.
Consider these elements for your pre-event virtual audience engagement efforts:
1. Online buzz on social media
First, you need to spread the word about your upcoming event, entice and excite your target audience!
Social media channels are the ideal platforms for getting the buzz started because that’s where people gather online to interact with each other and talk about trending topics.
The biggest challenge now is to know how to join the conversation and to grab people’s attention.
Build anticipation and hype! Do not reveal your entire event agenda all at once – unfold your program gradually instead. Always leave your audience wanting more.
Announce speakers, special guests, or exciting elements of your virtual event one by one.
This way, you will pique people’s interest and they will keep following along to find out what’s yet to come.
Use scarcity and FOMO (fear of missing out) on social media to spur your ticket sales!
Consider, for example, offering a limited amount of early bird tickets at a reduced price or create and promote exclusive content that will only become available to registrants.
Even if sharing “behind the scenes” impressions might seem not as exciting for a virtual event set up in comparison to a huge event venue – do it anyway! Share insights into your event preparations on social, thereby passing on your excitement to your audience.
Keep the hype alive during your event as well. Share screenshots or short videos of your recorded live stream on social media – this will most certainly create fomo among your non-registrants and they may be the first to sign up for your next event.
Don’t be the only voice out there! Encourage also your attendees to engage via social media during your event – have them use your branded hashtag and share their experience with their personal networks.
This will not only continue the conversation about your event on social media but also tremendously increase your reach – which you will benefit from in the long-term!
But let’s return to our focus on pre-event engagement and hype.
2. Pre-event content co-creation
So, all the online buzz shows its effects and people start to register for your event?
Fantastic! Now, take it to the next level.
Engage people while they register! Let attendees presubmit any questions they may have while registering for your virtual event.
Show genuine interest. Demonstrate that you would like to discuss at your event what your attendees are most interested in.
Don’t be afraid of making this a mandatory part of the registration process.
Mandatory fields can result in fewer registrations. That’s true. But think about it again.
What matters more to you? A high registration rate but many no shows and little involved attendees?
Or (maybe) a registration rate which is a bit lower but attendees with high quality engagement who will nurture the conversation during your virtual event?
Forget about registration numbers! Measure attendance rate instead. How many signed up for your event and how many actually show up? How many of these people participate in the conversation?
That’s what matters!
In a similar vein, make the most of your event agenda on your website. Don’t only present your planned timeline, sessions, and speakers there. Instead, use it as an interactive platform for registrants to co-create the program before the event takes place.
Under each session or speaker page, give people the opportunity to post their comments. Encourage them to express their opinions, preferences, or questions.
Use your pre-event communications (emails or social media postings) to send your attendees a reminder of this engagement opportunity.
Finally, send the list of questions and comments to your speaker(s) before the event, so that they can craft the conversation in the best possible way around the attendees’ input.
3. Pre-event networking
Networking seems to be one of the very few constants in a world of change within the events industry.
People attend events to network, to meet like-minded people, and to exchange knowledge and ideas with one another – no matter if the event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid.
However – while networking and interaction to some extent happens naturally at in-person events – you have to work a little harder to replicate this experience at your virtual event.
This is where pre-event networking comes into play!
Make sure to use an event platform that allows you to display an online guest list on your event website. Your attendees are then able to see who else is going to participate in the event.
Found a familiar face or spotted an interesting new contact? Via chat, email, or social media, your attendees can then connect and interact with each other before your event begins.
If it aligns with your event agenda, they can maybe even schedule 1:1 virtual meetings for during your event?
Again, you can also consider leveraging social media. Create a private group on Facebook or LinkedIn that attendees can join and let the members mingle and get each other hyped up for your event there.
Conclusion
All in all, remember that you set the scene! You need to become a proactive facilitator of (pre-event) audience engagement to get the ball rolling.
Make sure to remind your registrants of the different pre-event engagement opportunities they have to maximize their participation.
The more you can do to engage before your event, the higher the chances are that you will see engagement during your event.
Aim for a smooth and consistent event journey. Before, during, and after should go hand in hand. So ensure that the gained input from pre-event engagement is continued during the actual (virtual) event.
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