Steps to Improve Virtual Attendee Engagement at Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are here to stay. Even if regulations surrounding events are being lifted, some people prefer to attend events online. As per 71% of event organisers, the biggest challenge is engaging the attendees and improving the virtual attendees. Given that no show rates of virtual attendees are at 35 per cent, this number is bound to increase in the future.

Then, how can event organisers engage with their virtual attendees?

 

Event goodies

People love receiving free stuff, and they are likely to attend if they might win something from the event. People will be more likely to join your other events if the events are incentivised. To engage the virtual attendees, you can give out company goodies to their addresses. With company-branded merch, you can give vouchers, t-shirts, productivity items, workshop discounts, membership subscriptions, etc. If you cannot send them goodies physically, vouchers and subscriptions are the best alternatives. 

 

NFTs

Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are catching up to speed in blockchain technology. NFTs are digital transactions in the form of music, films, photos, documents. It can be confusing to understand, but it is an exchange of digital content in layman's terms. While this sounds like 'oh, this can be copied online and shared'. 

But that is not how it works. NFTs are not transferable. Each of them is unique, and what is better to attract the audience's attention than offering something unique. 

 

High-quality production 

Nothing is more annoying than a glitchy internet connection from the end of the organisers. Not only that, poor floor plans and event setup can be discouraging and tiresome. Any good event planner knows that appearance and setup are essential, regardless it is an online event or an offline one. If you want your event to be treated like a professional, set a proper environment for the attendees. Invest into quality cameras, good microphones, excellent set designs, lighting, setting up camera angles etc.

 

 

Engaging content 

There is a lesser chance of virtual attendees not getting bored if the content disseminated is interesting. If the content and the speakers are not engaging, they will start scrolling on social media or, worse, log off the event. Forcing people to say events is never a good idea. High-quality production includes creating content that is both compelling and original. With Optimiser Event Managment Suite, users can create content and share with attendees to ensure they are continuosly engaged. 

 

Micro-events

What are micro-events? 

Some organisations offer gaming events in the form of micro-events. These are events inside events. These are short, allowing the guests to pick and choose which speaker they want to listen to. It offers a personal touch, and every attendee will feel heard in smaller groups. They are more likely to engage with other attendees if they are actually interested in the activity. 

 

Icebreaking sessions

Ice breakers are dull and primarily predictable. But with the most creative icebreakers, even the most cynical attendee can be engaged. Not to mention, they can be entertaining. Gamify the process, and in that way, you can educate them more about the audience and keep them compelled. These will evaporate the people's hesitation and help in team building. 

 

Event management software

Investing in event management software is extremely important. One of the top UK CRM is Optimiser. Offering an event management suite, it is AI-enabled and straightforward to use. Technology is the future, and inventing into it is the need of the hour. Optimiser's suite allows them to efficiently handle multiple events and avoid confusion between them. Event organisers can keep track of the progress and improve engagement with the help of the data collected.

 

 

Brand awareness

Building brand awareness is a vital part of any event. It has been a popular trend. While talking about virtual engagement, gamifying the process is the trick. It takes time to craft some games, but the end result is worth it. This makes the brand more relatable and sends out the message that the brand wishes to communicate. Make use of Email Marketing platform, to connect with audiences and increase awareness about brand. 

 

Live polls

Offer live polls to ensure that you know the audience's opinions. Passive viewers can be turned into active attendees by discovering what they like about the event. You can use this opinion to create content that will interest future attendees during future event planning. The questions asked should be concise, clear and relevant. 

 

Summary 

The event planning is both innovative and adaptable. With these tips, event organisers can improve the engagement rate and win more customers by converting leads into high-paying customers.