Consistently branding your event helps address all of these factors. Your organization’s brand reinforces its mission and values while emphasizing the professional aspect of your association. Using your brand strategically will draw attendees into your event, allowing them to have a memorable experience that leaves a positive impression of your organization.

In this quick guide, we’ll look at three areas of association events where you can use branding to communicate your mission:

• Registration Forms
• Promotional Materials
• The Event Venue

Before you dive into branding your event, Loop recommends compiling your association’s brand guidelines into a single document. This brand guide will then serve as a reference for anyone who works on your event branding to ensure every aspect is cohesive.

Registration Forms

Registration marks the beginning of the event experience for attendees. Create a good first impression by making your association’s branding pop on your registration website and form!

In particular, ensure these aspects of your branding are front and center as members sign up:

• Logo. Your logo is the visual representation of what your association stands for, so it serves as a “seal of approval” that connects your event materials back to your organization. Place it in the top corner of your registration form so attendees see it right away.
• Fonts. Choose fonts that look professional and are easy to read on a screen—sans serif tends to work best. Use different typefaces for headers and body text to add visual variety, but avoid having more than two distinct fonts on the form so it doesn’t look cluttered.
• Colors. As you incorporate your brand colors into the form, make sure there’s enough contrast between the text and background colors so it’s easy to read. Let’s say your association’s colors are red, black, and light gray. You could use black text on a light gray background or vice versa and then include red as an accent color to make the form more visually interesting.
• Messaging. Branding extends beyond visual communication. It also applies to how your association presents itself in writing—like the informational content on your registration form. Keep your written tone, word choice, and mechanics consistent so your members can be confident they’re registering for your event.

To provide the best possible sign-up experience, your registration form’s branding should be consistent with the rest of your organization’s website. This cohesion allows for a seamless transition between the informational page about the event and the form, as well as other parts of your site where first-time attendees might look to learn more about your association.

Promotional Materials

In addition to your association’s website, feature the above branding elements in all of your other event promotional materials, including:

• Email marketing. Create a branded letterhead for email blasts about your event that includes your logo, fonts, and colors, and reference your messaging guidelines as you write the copy. Additionally, when association staff members respond to questions about the event, have them put your logo in their email signatures to instill trust that the responses are from real people at your organization.
• Social media. Ensure your association’s visuals and messaging shine on every social media platform. According to Getting Attention, Facebook is the top ROI-generating social media site as of 2023, with Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok all tied for second place. Advertise across all of these platforms for the widest possible reach—along with LinkedIn, since its users are probably looking for professional development opportunities like your event!
• Direct mail. Although many organizations focus on digital marketing, direct mail isn’t dead. Rather, it’s a great way to make your brand more tangible for event attendees! Use your brand fonts and messaging guidelines to communicate what benefits members will receive if they attend your event, and incorporate color into your invitation letters wherever possible to catch their attention.

If you promote your event through co-marketing opportunities, ensure your partners or sponsors include your association’s logo alongside theirs and add direct quotes from your organization that capture the essence of your mission-driven messaging. Not only will you make your association’s brand recognizable to your sponsors’ audience, but you’ll also communicate even more about your mission by showcasing your partnerships with organizations whose values align with yours.

The Event Venue

Branding a space looks different depending on whether your event takes place in person or virtually. We’ll cover each of these options in the following sections.

In-Person Events

Some of the best places to feature your brand colors, fonts, and logo at in-person events include:

• Signage and banners at the venue
• Your event app and other interactive tools
• Name badges for attendees, speakers, staff, and volunteers
• Event swag like notepads, pens, water bottles, and phone wallets

Incorporating your brand in these ways makes your venue look cohesive and professional, in addition to showcasing your association everywhere at the event.

Virtual Events

For virtual events, you’ll primarily brand the technology associated with your event, including your:

• Online event agendas
• Hosting platform’s waiting rooms
• Livestreams and pre-recorded videos
• Presentation slides

Additionally, your association may already send member and donor gifts through the mail, so why not mail out swag packs to virtual event attendees as well? That way, they’ll have a tangible reminder of your event (and your mission) in addition to seeing your branding throughout the virtual experience!

Communicating your association’s mission through branding doesn’t end when your event is over. Incorporate your brand into thank-you messages and other follow-ups to keep it top of mind even after attendees leave. Also, include a couple of questions in your post-event survey about brand recognition and your association’s mission to determine how much your efforts resonated with your audience.

The post Communicating Your Mission Through Branding at Events appeared first on EventMobi.

With nearly 3 in 5 employees reporting negative impacts of work-related stress, event planners such as yourself need to take ownership of their mental health and seek out stress relief strategies that work for them.

That’s what this guide is for! Here, we’ll cover the top stress relief strategies. With them in mind, you’ll be able to confidently manage your mental health and ensure that you can handle your day-to-day responsibilities.

Why Is Stress Relief Important for Event Staff?

Before we explore the strategies, let’s take a closer look at why stress relief is so important for event planners and other event staff. According to Swaim Strategies, planning an event requires many steps, such as determining your event’s purpose, setting event goals, establishing your budget, deciding on event details, promoting the event, and following up with attendees afterward.

As an event planner yourself, you know that these steps can each be broken down into dozens of smaller tasks, resulting in a great deal of work on your plate. Aside from the workload, there are many other stressors that you may encounter, such as communication issues, meeting client expectations, tight deadlines, long hours, and more. In fact, event planning is considered the sixth most stressful job.

As stress builds up, it leads to several negative effects, including reduced motivation and job satisfaction, physical and mental health problems, low productivity, increased absenteeism, and interpersonal conflicts. All these effects can create a vicious cycle that results in lowered productivity and even more stress, eventually leading to burnout.

3 Stress Relief Strategies for Event Planners & Staff

You know that event planning is hard work. Because of that, you need to take stress management into your own hands and implement practices that will work for your unique needs. Consider the following three stress relief strategies and how they might help you become a more fulfilled and less stressed event planner.

1. Prioritizing Time Management

When you have a mountain of tasks to complete, it’s natural that you might not finish all of them within a single workday. That’s totally okay—as long as you’re making the most of your time at work with effective time management skills.

Here are a few ways you can better manage your time at work:

• Choose a daily priority. Every day, identify your most important or most time-sensitive task. Commit to completing this task before your workday ends to ensure you stay on top of your responsibilities. This strategy will allow you to approach your work more mindfully.
• Break big tasks into small ones. When faced with a large, daunting task, some professionals will feel overwhelmed, increasing their stress levels. To combat that, break any large task into its smaller parts. For instance, if you need to book a caterer for your next event, you can break the task into researching and identifying five top choices and requesting a consultation or quote from each.
• Choose a time management system. You may benefit from having a dedicated time management system. For example, you might consider time-blocking, where you dedicate certain “blocks” of time to focus on certain tasks without allowing other tasks to distract you. This might look like setting aside two hours in the morning to research event registration software and dedicating the hour after lunch to answering and sending emails.
• Automate repetitive tasks. Streamlining routine tasks can significantly boost your productivity by leaving more time, and energy, for larger projects. Using AI-powered tools, for instance, to automate processes like content translation, generating speaker descriptions, or wording email responses can save you hours each week. This speeds up your workflow and ensures consistency and accuracy, allowing you to focus on creative tasks that drive a greater impact on your attendees’ experience.

The most important aspect of time management is to stay realistic about your capabilities. Give each task the time it deserves and try not to underestimate how long they take—otherwise, you might reach the end of the workday without completing all the tasks you intended to.

If you’re looking for ways to reduce the time your tasks take, you may request that your company purchase software to help you do so. This is a common practice for businesses and nonprofits. For instance, a massage business might purchase massage therapy software to streamline bookings and a nonprofit might purchase a constituent management system (CRM) to help keep track of all its supporters.

As an event planner, you’ll probably benefit most from event management software. The right solution will help you organize memorable events, streamline your promotional efforts to increase ticket sales, manage attendee data, measure your event’s return on investment (ROI), and more.

Recommended Resource: Are you looking for cost-effective, easier ways to build and manage your events? Watch 8 short videos to learn how to deliver events in any format that engage attendees and offer sponsors more value—no matter your team size or budget!

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2. Fostering Work-Life Balance

Aside from strategically managing your time at work, you must also foster a work-life balance that supports your priorities and needs. While it’s inevitable that you’ll have long days as an event planner, that doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your work-life balance every day.

Consider these ideas for finding a balance between your personal and professional life:

• Take breaks when necessary. During the workday, don’t hesitate to take breaks if you need them. They can actually improve your productivity by increasing creativity and decision-making ability, resulting in higher quality of work. If you’re feeling stressed, take a quick 10-minute walk to clear your head and help you refocus.
• Set boundaries with work. Allow yourself to fully disconnect from your work when you’re at home or taking personal time. To do so, set reasonable boundaries with work, such as not working through your lunch hour, not checking your emails or taking work calls when you’re out of the office, and limiting overtime hours to what is absolutely necessary for your role.
• Take your vacation time. The best way to recharge is taking time away from your stressful work environment, which means taking your vacation time. Even if you’re worried about your workload, studies show that for every additional 10 hours of vacation time employees take, their year-end performance improves by 8%. If nothing else, think of it as a way to perform better in the future!

When it comes to finding the right work-life balance, your first step should be staying mindful of your needs. Constantly assess your work performance and stress levels and adjust your approach if you find your standard of work slipping or your stress rising.

3. Setting Aside Time to Relax

On the surface, this strategy may seem very similar to the previous one. However, there’s a difference between balancing your personal and professional lives and setting aside dedicated time to relax.

Make space for yourself to connect with your peers and participate in any hobbies that help you reduce stress and feel more positive. This could mean getting dinner with friends, going salsa dancing, watching a movie at home, or any other activity that you find relaxing.

You can even seek external sources to help you relax by treating yourself to massage therapy or booking time with a mental health counselor. These activities may even be covered by your health insurance (according to MassageBook, some massage therapists will accept insurance to make their services more affordable!), making it even easier for you to participate in them.

Ultimately, the way you relax is entirely up to you. What you need to do is identify what helps you unwind and completely detach from the stress of work.

Your Mental Health Matters

From worrying about vendors to gamifying your event for attendees, you have many responsibilities to stress over as an event planner. However, to ensure you deliver events that meet your goals and drive the impact you desire, you must take care of yourself. With these stress relief strategies, you’ll be well on your way to developing increased focus and productivity in your event planning, all while still being able to relax!

The post Managing It All: 3 Stress-Relief Strategies for Event Staff appeared first on EventMobi.

Want to establish authority in your field? Generate quality leads for your sales team? Drive legitimate revenue? A conference can help you achieve these things—if you host it correctly.

To ensure your conference is a smashing success, invest in conference management. Doing so will lead to greater attendance, better experiences, and happier sponsors.

Keep reading this comprehensive guide to learn:

What Is a Conference?

A conference is a formal gathering that brings together like-minded people to discuss specific topics. Conferences usually take place over multiple days and require a fee to attend.

Oftentimes, conferences include keynote speakers and workshop sessions, each designed to educate attendees. Most of them give said attendees a chance to network with each other as well. Exhibitions and product demos are also regular occurrences.

While every organization’s goals are different, almost all of them host conferences for similar reasons: to connect with a target audience, generate leads, and drive revenue.

How Do Conferences Differ from Events and Conventions?

“Event” is a blanket term that includes everything from intimate weddings to mega industry get-togethers. (Like the annual Salesforce conference, Dreamforce, for example.) 

Both conferences and conventions fall under the “events” umbrella. But conferences and conventions have a few differences you should know about.

As described above, a conference is usually a formal, multi-day event that allows attendees to discuss specific topics and network with like-minded individuals.

Conventions, on the other hand, are often larger than conferences and focus on entire industries or fandoms, rather than specific topics within said industries.

That said, conventions also aim to educate attendees via speeches, panels, and workshops. So the difference between conferences and conventions is about scope and content. Conferences are smaller and more focused. Conventions are larger and, at times, less formal.

Recommended Resource: Want to deliver amazing attendee experiences at all of your upcoming events? Watch this free Events Masterclass session, Event Apps 101: Your Playbook for Creating Engaging Event Experiences, for tips from industry experts!

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Common Conference Types

There are many different conference types out there.

This is good because it gives conference organizers more ways to achieve their goals. Everything from academic conferences to virtual events is fair game.

But some conference types are more common than others. Here are the six kinds of conferences you’re most likely to see in the event industry:

Seminar

A seminar is a small, interactive conference. During the event, subject matter experts share information on a specific topic with attendees. This is often followed by a Q&A session or group discussion. As such, seminars are typically less formal than other conference types.

Symposium

A symposium is a medium-sized gathering. This kind of conference often features multiple speakers, who each present information on related topics. In fact, conference organizers usually plan symposiums around central themes to promote cohesion. Because symposiums are bigger get-togethers, they typically don’t involve a ton of audience participation.

Workshop

A workshop is a hands-on event that allows attendees to build skills through practical learning. Like seminars, workshops are usually small, informal gatherings led by subject matter experts. The main difference has to do with participation levels. While seminars encourage attendees to ask questions, workshops allow them to actively participate.

Roundtable

A roundtable is a unique kind of conference. There’s no lead speaker. Instead, a small group of people have conversations about specific topics. The goal of the roundtable is to create an open dialogue between folks with diverse viewpoints and solve problems.

We should say that, while the number of people participating in the roundtable is always small, the number of people watching can be as large as conference organizers want. 

Summit

A summit is a large event that attempts to address popular issues in a strategic way. Because of this, summits usually feature influential speakers. While summits often draw a lot of attention, guests typically need an invitation to attend. (In other words, not everyone can buy a ticket.) Limited guest lists help conference organizers keep their events focused on event goals. 

Virtual Conference

A virtual conference is any conference that’s hosted online. Audience members can attend from anywhere in the world, as long as they have a WiFi connection and a ticket. This makes most virtual events more inclusive. Since attendees don’t have to spend money on travel-related expenses, more people have the ability to attend.

Most virtual conferences feature keynote speakers, workshops (hosted via breakout rooms inside the host’s event platform of choice), and attendee networking sessions.

We’ve chosen to segment conference types by format. But they can also be segmented by content. For example, academic conferences focus on specific scientific disciplines and enable attendees to display their findings, network with other researchers, and learn about their fields.

Academic conferences are very different from, say, technology conferences. These aim to educate attendees on tech ideas and products while also encouraging networking.

Conference organizers can select the right conference type by choosing an event format, a specific content type, or a combination of the two. You could host a virtual conference, for instance, that tackles healthcare topics. It’s up to you.

Why Is Conference Management Important?

Event planning is never easy. Important? Yes. Rewarding? Absolutely!

But if you’ve been in the event management space for a while, you know that planning a successful conference takes work. That’s because conferences have a lot of moving parts. 

Fortunately, conference management can help you streamline many tasks, from proper budget allocation to communication with vendors to monitoring team members.

Here are three concrete benefits you’ll enjoy once you commit to conference management:

More Registrations, Ticket Sales & Attendance

Want to attract more conference attendees? Partner with interesting speakers, plan valuable content, and promote your events and sessions to the right audience.

Conference management can help with these things, while keeping your event focused and on budget. That’s because proper management looks at the big picture, ensuring your team does what it takes to reach its target audience and drum up excitement.

Greater Attendee Engagement

Conference management leads to happier attendees–and more memorable event experiences.

A well-managed conference tackles relevant topics and presents them in interesting ways. It also gives attendees a chance to network. In fact, 77.7% of people say they prefer in-person B2B conferences because of the networking possibilities.

These things lead to greater attendee participation, which is key to a successful event. If your attendees aren’t actively engaged at your event, they won’t learn as much. This will lower their satisfaction levels.

Higher Sponsor Satisfaction & ROI

As a conference organizer, your attendees should be your number one priority.

But your conference sponsors should be a close second. After all, these organizations can add legitimacy to your event, while improving its financial outlook.

Proper conference management will help sponsors feel valued. As we just discussed, it will also create more engaged attendees, which will help sponsors achieve a greater return on investment (ROI). Both of these things will increase sponsor satisfaction and lead to additional partnerships.

Conference Management Types

There are a bunch of ways to pursue conference management. Here are five common management types you can use to achieve organizational goals:

In-House Management

In-house management is when an organization uses internal resources to plan and execute a conference. This management type allows for maximum control over event details. But it can put a significant strain on an organization—especially if it doesn’t have in-house expertise.

Joint Partnerships

A joint partnership is a collaboration between the organization hosting a conference and an outside agency. Both entities assume various event management duties. This model allows organizations to outsource difficult event planning tasks but often leads to higher costs.

Third-Party Organizers

If you want to host a conference, but don’t want to plan or execute it, you can work with a third-party organizer. These companies have the experience and skills to create successful events. This model allows organizations to focus on content, while the third-party organizer handles logistics. The downside is the lack of control and additional costs.

Volunteer-Driven Management

Do you represent a nonprofit organization? Maybe you’re planning a community-based conference. Either way, the volunteer-driven management approach might be a good fit. Volunteers will give you the resources to plan, organize, and execute an event. (All without a giant budget.) Unfortunately, this model might not give you enough expertise to make your conference successful, as volunteers don’t always have the necessary skills.

Sponsorship-Driven Management

Many sponsors are happy with their name and logo on conference marketing materials. Other sponsors want to help plan and execute the events they support. The latter scenario is known as sponsorship-driven management. While this model can relieve your organization of some event management tasks, you’ll have to share control of decisions.

The Conference Management Process

So, how do you actually, you know, do conference management?

You take a step-by-step approach that will keep you organized, your audience informed, and your budget in line. In other words, you follow this proven process:

Determine Your Goals

What does a successful event look like to you?

Before you do anything else, decide what you want your conference to accomplish. You might want to increase brand awareness. Or generate leads. Or drive revenue. Or something else.

When you know what your goals are, you can make strategic decisions to achieve them. That’s why every event management process starts with goals.

Create a Budget

Now that you’ve determined your goals you can create an event budget.

How much money can you spend on your conference? Make sure it’s enough to cover conference management software, a venue (for in-person events), speaker fees, marketing campaigns, event workers, AV equipment, and whatever else you need.

Assemble Your Conference Planning Team

You’re not going to plan your conference all alone, are you? We hope not!

Event planning is often time-consuming and complicated. If you don’t have other people to share the workload with, you’ll be super stressed and your event will suffer.

The question is, who do you want on your conference planning team? Recruit individuals who are excited about the event and have complementary skills. Then make sure they have the time to help make your get-together a memorable experience.

Finalize Conference Logistics

Next, nail down a date, time, and place for your conference.

You need to be strategic here. For example, you probably shouldn’t plan your event on the same day as the Super Bowl. Or in the same building as a competing conference.

Also, take into account the weather, the accessibility and atmosphere of your venue, and any other details that could affect conference attendees in a negative way.

Secure Speakers and Sponsors

Great speakers make life easier for conference organizers.

Why? Great speakers attract an audience, deliver quality content, and increase attendee engagement. This last perk is especially important, as 82% of conference organizers use attendee engagement as a KPI for their events.

Identify potential speakers who align with your conference goals and fit your budget. Then send them (or, in some cases, their teams) a personalized invitation to present. Make sure you explain why they’d be a perfect match for your conference and the benefits you can offer.

If a speaker agrees to participate, send them a contract that stipulates their role in the conference, the amount they’ll earn, and other pertinent details.

You can use a similar process to secure sponsors. Identify brands that serve your audience or believe in your conference mission. Contact them to explain why they should sponsor your event. Then draft and sign a contract that defines the role of each sponsor.

Adopt the Right Conference Technology

You could host a conference without conference management software. But why would you put yourself through that particular brand of misery? There’s no reason for it.

Instead, adopt software that will help you market your event, facilitate registrations and check-ins, design event badges, track attendance, help attendees network with each other, and handle many other details. (Note: we’ll talk more about these tools in a bit.)

Doing so will make life easier for you and improve the attendee experience. Research shows that 62.9% of people expect in-person conferences to use modern tech.

Promote the Event

So, you’ve created amazing content, connected with top-level speakers, and secured sponsors for your conference. You’ve also invested in technology to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Now what? Now you need to market your conference, of course!

Email your subscribers about the event. Talk about the planning process on social media and explain why your followers should attend. If you have room in your budget, invest in a few paid ads or influencer marketing campaigns to reach more people in your target audience.

Get the word out about your conference so the right people know about it.

Facilitate Event Registration

If you market your conference effectively, people will want to register to attend. The way you handle this process will set the stage for the entire event. No pressure!

Fortunately, the right event technology will help you streamline registration and ticketing. You’ll want to create a registration website that allows your attendees to sign up, pay, and receive event-related information with ease.

Again, more on conference technology in the next section. Stay tuned.

Manage Onsite Operations

Finally, make sure your actual event runs like a well-oiled machine.

If you’ve completed the steps above, you should be ready to host a successful conference. That said, it never hurts to do a dry run or two.

Make sure your team knows what their jobs are and the equipment you rented works. Then take a look at your check-in process to ensure it’s convenient. Lastly, have people on standby to handle problems that pop up during the conference. (There’s always a few of them.)

How to Select the Right Conference Management Software

The right tools will streamline conference management for your team. That way you can focus on tasks that need human input, like allocating resources and negotiating with sponsors.

The question is, which conference management software is right for your organization? We can’t answer that question for you. But we can tell you which features to look for:

Try to invest in an event management platform that has audience engagement tools, too. This will make attendee participation more natural and convenient during your conference.

Last but not least, experience the tool you want before you buy it. Some tools offer free trials. Others offer in-depth demos. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Why EventMobi is the Best Conference Management Solution on the Market

You don’t have time to research every conference management software on the market. Luckily, you don’t have to. Just go with EventMobi!

EventMobi’s event management platform is both easy to use and innovative. It’s also versatile, allowing users to manage virtual, hybrid, and in-person events. 

With EventMobi you can…

• Create a branded event website for your conference that includes customizable registration forms, secure payment processing, and reporting capabilities. “Overall, we have gained a lot in terms of participant loyalty and opportunities for our partners thanks to EventMobi.” – Andrea Held, Managing Director of Alkmene Verlag GmbH
• Enjoy a revolutionary event management platform that will supercharge marketing campaigns, live stream video, facilitate networking, increase audience engagement, and much more. “The gamification really drove traffic to our exhibitor booths.” – Arlene Schilke, CMP, DES Executive Producer, GO WEST 23
• Use one of the best Mobile Event Apps on the market to engage conference attendees, increase value for sponsors, and display post-event content. “We had a lot of individuals on-site actually come and ask, ‘Where did you get this app? How can we use this at our next event?’ And I highly recommend this [event app] for any future event.” – Javon Findlator, Executive Lead, CAMS Visible Minority Committee
• Streamline onsite processes with simple QR check-ins, create your own attendee badges, and even receive professional day-of support. “The EventMobi Event App really enhances the experience of the attendees.” – Melissa Arnott, Show Manager, Canadian Meetings + Events Expo Director of Events, Newcom Media Inc.

Get Started with Effective Conference Management

It doesn’t matter if you’re hosting in-person, hybrid, or virtual events. Effective conference management is key to a successful gathering that engages attendees and achieves goals.

Of course, technology makes conference management easier. You just need to choose the right platform for your organization. Might we suggest EventMobi?

Sign up for a free demo of EventMobi today to see if the tool meets your unique needs.

The post Conference Management: What Event Organizers Need to Know appeared first on EventMobi.

With so many different tasks on your plate and stakeholders to cater to, managing events is a tall order. To stay on top of everything, you need a clear strategy that incorporates event management best practices to guide you.

Curious to learn how you can use event management best practices to create more impactful events in the long term? Read on to explore event management best practices that allow you to both delight your attendees and achieve your organizational goals.

Recommended Resource: Using event technology is one of the top best practices for running successful events. To see how quickly you can put event technology to work for you, watch How to Get Started with an Event App of Your Own (In 6 Easy Steps!)

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1. They help you achieve your event goals and objectives.  Proper event management best practices enable you to effectively work toward your event goals like increasing registrations, generating revenue, and building brand awareness.
2. They enhance the attendee experience. Focusing on critical details and contingency planning best practices will create a smoother event experience for attendees—and ensure they remember an event for all the right reasons.
3. They drive future event success. Documenting processes and lessons learned allows you to continually improve your events. You can use established best practices to create a knowledge base that informs your future event strategy and execution.
4. They provide structure and organization. Detailed plans, timelines, and procedures inherent in best practices give you a reliable framework to operate within and help coordinate all the moving parts.
5. They allow for scalability. You can replicate solid best practices—with modifications—as your events program grows or changes over time. This scalability ensures more efficient growth.
6. They promote stakeholder confidence. Sponsors, vendors, staff, and leadership can have greater confidence that your event will meet its objectives when following industry best practices.

Top Event Management Best Practices

Whether you’re planning a large-scale conference or a smaller event like a seminar, incentive trip, or sales kickoff, it pays off to follow tried-and-tested processes. The event management best practices below will help set you up for success from the beginning of your event planning process right through to event day. 

1. Set Clear Event Goals and Objectives

Before planning an event, it’s important to set clear goals and objectives that align with your organization’s overall business goals. Well-defined goals provide direction for your event planning process and help you measure success after the event concludes.

For example, common event goals include generating leads, increasing brand awareness, educating customers about a new product or service, or building relationships with stakeholders.  

Start brainstorming your event’s goals by asking yourself key questions:

• Why are you holding this event? 
• What do you hope to achieve?
• Who is the target audience?
• How does this event align with your business objectives?

Once you’ve determined your general event goals, clarify them using the SMART goal framework, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Setting focused, quantitative goals with clear metrics to track will allow you to better evaluate the impact of your events.

2. Create a Detailed Event Budget

Having a budget in place early on in the event planning process helps your event team work efficiently within the prescribed resources, easily track expenses, and make adjustments as needed. 

When creating your event budget, be sure to account for all potential costs including:

To help you do more with your resources and optimize your budget, we recommend getting estimates from different providers to compare your options. Consider working with local vendors to help lower costs associated with shipping (and contact them well in advance!) so you can plan the perfect event while staying within your organization’s financial resources. 

3. Strategize About Your Event Date 

Choosing the right date for your event is crucial for success. You want to give yourself enough lead time to properly plan and promote the event while also avoiding dates that conflict with holidays, school breaks, or other major events that may prevent your audience from attending. 

When picking an event date, keep these tips in mind:

• Give yourself at least 4-6 months of planning time if possible. Major conferences and trade shows often require a year or more of advanced planning. Even smaller events need several months of preparation.

• Check for conflicting holidays, observances, or cultural events on your potential date that may prevent participation. Look up statutory holidays as well as religious or cultural celebrations that are important to your target audience.
  
• Avoid major school holiday periods when potential attendees may have travel plans. These include summer vacation, spring break, and winter holidays in December. If your event depends on students, plan around their academic calendar.

• Research other events happening locally, regionally, or nationally that may compete for the same audience. Check industry calendars for conferences, trade shows, or public events you’ll be competing with for attendance. 

• Confirm date availability with all key participants like speakers, VIPs, honorees, or organizational leaders before cementing the date to accommodate their schedules.
  
• Be flexible on potential event dates in the planning phase. This gives you some leeway in booking the venue you want or aligning with participants’ availability.

Choosing an event date may seem simple, but it requires thoughtfulness and planning. Avoid last-minute choices or picking a date for convenience. Take the time upfront to maximize attendance by selecting an event date that works for your goals, audience, and other stakeholders.

4. Assemble an Event Planning Team

A successful event requires an organized team to ensure you handle every detail properly. Assemble your event planning team by assigning clear roles and responsibilities to each member. Some key roles to fill include:

• Event Manager: This person oversees the entire event planning process from start to finish. They are the main point of contact and coordinate with all vendors, staff, and stakeholders. The event manager creates the master event plan and detailed schedules and timelines. 

• Event Marketer: The event marketer oversees all event promotion including email campaigns, social media, paid ads, public relations activities, and more. They are responsible for spreading awareness and driving event registrations.

• Volunteer Coordinator: This person recruits and organizes event volunteers. Key duties include determining volunteer needs, creating duty schedules, conducting training, and managing volunteers during the event.

• Program Manager: The program manager creates the overall event agenda, schedules speakers and presenters, plans entertainment and activities, and manages program content.

• Accountant: The accountant manages the event budget, tracks expenses, processes payments to vendors, and handles all financial matters. 

• Registration Manager: This person oversees the event registration process including website forms, payment collection, name badges and credentials, and attendance tracking.

Clearly define each team member’s responsibilities, and hold regular meetings to keep the team aligned on event progress as the big day approaches.

5. Book Your Event Venue Strategically

Your venue sets the stage for every other element of your event. Consider the following when selecting a venue:

• Size: Make sure the venue has enough space to comfortably accommodate your expected number of attendees. Evaluate the main event space as well as the potential for breakout rooms, lobby space, or specific networking sections.  

• Amenities: What features does the venue offer? Look at basics like tables, chairs, and A/V equipment. Also consider extras like catering capabilities, free parking, and WiFi.

• Insurance & Permits: Check if any special insurance or permits are required to host your event at the venue, and factor these costs into your budget. 

• Accessibility: Ensure the venue is accessible to all potential attendees. Look for wheelchair ramps, elevators, gender-neutral restrooms, and accommodations for service animals.

Selecting the right venue sets the foundation for a successful event. Take time to thoroughly evaluate all options before signing any contracts.

6. Create a Master Event Plan

A master event plan is essential for pulling together all aspects of your event and ensuring everything stays on track. Your master plan should cover the following details:

• Event Timeline: Map out your entire event planning timeline, including when contracts, permits, and insurance need to be submitted, when registration closes, and a detailed schedule for the day of. Build in buffer time for potential delays.

• Vendor Contacts: Compile a list of all your vendors for the event with their associated contact information, services provided, and contract details. Having all of this information in one place makes it easy to communicate with vendors leading up to the event.

• Marketing Plan: Outline your strategies for promoting the event through email, social media, event listings, advertisements, and other channels. Include key dates and details for each initiative.

• Event Agenda: Develop a detailed schedule for your event programming and activities. Include session topics and times, speaker names, and room assignments.

• Volunteer Needs: Determine how many volunteers you’ll need, what their responsibilities will be, and who will manage them. You should also include recruitment and training timelines.

Having a comprehensive master event plan is crucial for assigning accountability, coordinating across teams, and ultimately executing a smooth, successful event. Treat it as your North Star guiding you through each stage of planning.

7. Implement Event Management Software

Event management software automates tedious tasks and streamlines your workflows. The right event platform can facilitate everything from registration, ticketing, badge design, and check-in, to Mobile Event Apps for your attendees and post-event reporting, freeing up your time to focus on other critical areas. 

When evaluating event management platforms, look for these key features:

• Event website builder to create a custom website for your event with all key details.
• Registration management features, like easy-to-build custom registration forms, payment processing, and automated confirmation emails.
• Email marketing tools to create and send targeted email campaigns to promote your event
• Badge printing and check-in so you can pre-print your badges or offer onsite printing at guest arrivals and check your attendees into the event.
• Mobile Event Apps that allow attendees to access schedules, maps, exhibitor information, networking features, appointment booking, and session content on their own mobile devices.
• Ongoing communication. The Event App should allow you to send emails, push notifications, and alerts directly to attendees so you can engage your audience before, during, and after your event.
• Reporting and analytics tools to gain insights on engagement and performance at every stage of your event.

The best event management software centralizes all your tools and data into one unified platform. This eliminates having to juggle multiple systems and enables seamless collaboration across your team. Be sure to evaluate integration capabilities as well in case you need to connect with external tools like email providers, payment gateways, or your constituent relationship management platform (CRM).  

EventMob’s comprehensive event management platform offers all of the features listed above–and then some! Investing in a robust event management platform allows you to streamline your workflows and ensure your events run smoothly and efficiently. To see what’s possible with the right platform in place, check out EventMobi’s self-guided Product Tour.

Want to see event management software in action? Watch the EventMobi Product Tour to learn how to create, promote, monetize, and deliver incredible event experiences!

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8. Focus on the Attendee Experience

Creating an exceptional experience for your event attendees should be a top priority. There are several ways to delight your attendees and make your event engaging and memorable.

• Personalize the experience. Get to know your attendees before the event by having them fill out surveys during registration. Ask about their interests, organizational roles, and goals for attending. Use this data to customize parts of the event for each attendee. For example, you can provide personalized session recommendations based on someone’s role and interests. 

• Offer a Mobile Event App. A mobile app allows for a more seamless and personalized attendee experience. Attendees can access schedules, maps, speakers, and networking features from any mobile device. You can also send push notifications about changes and upcoming sessions. A well-set-up app will foster a stronger connection between attendees and your event.

• Encourage engagement. Incorporate interactive elements into your event to get attendees involved. Live polls, Q&As, games, challenges, and group activities are great ways to engage different types of attendees. Also, prompt experience sharing on social media with your event hashtag and in your Mobile Event App by encouraging attendees to post photos and thoughts in Group Discussions or Activity Feeds. 

• Facilitate networking. Don’t underestimate the importance of networking and social moments. Build in plenty of dedicated time for open networking sessions, group meals, mixers, and interactive activities. Attendees will appreciate the ability to connect, share ideas, and form new relationships.

Remember that the attendee experience goes beyond the event itself. You can continue to build relationships with your audience in between events by thanking them for coming, sending out post-event surveys to collect feedback, and continuing to offer educational resources and engagement opportunities.

9. Measure Your Event’s Return on Investment (ROI)

Determining the ROI for your event requires assessing the event’s outcomes against its original goals and objectives. This practice provides tangible metrics to measure success.

When calculating event ROI, remember to:

• Track event data and metrics. Look at numbers like event registrations and attendance, social media reach and engagement, surveys completed, leads generated, and revenue gained. Compare this data to the goals you originally set. 

• Gather feedback. Send post-event surveys to attendees, staff, speakers, sponsors, and other stakeholders. Ask questions to find out what resonated with them, what could be improved for next time, overall satisfaction levels, and their willingness to return or recommend your organization’s events to others.
  
• Review speaker and session ratings and comments. See which sessions had the highest attendance and received positive feedback. This data provides insight into what content and topics appealed most to your audience.

• Assess sponsorship ROI. Look at metrics provided on visibility and engagement with sponsor booths, materials, social media, signage, and sessions. Evaluate which sponsorships delivered the most value.
  
• Analyze marketing and promotion efforts. Determine which initiatives drove the most registrations and engagement such as social campaigns, email blasts, print ads, and referral programs.

By gathering data, feedback, and insights across all event elements, you’ll gain a holistic picture of what was successful, what missed the mark, and what you can adjust to improve future events. This assessment process is key to continually enhancing the attendee experience and exceeding stakeholder expectations.

Keep These Event Management Best Practices in Mind

Ready to unlock the full potential of your events program? Follow the best practices outlined above and you’ll be well on your way to running impactful events that deliver value to attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders alike!

Follow event management best practices with the top event management software. EventMobi has all the features you need to make your event a success!

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That’s why asking the right questions upfront is essential to finding a provider that aligns with the goals and objectives of your events program.

Looking for guidance in choosing your association’s event technology provider? This guide will equip you with 16 key questions to ask potential vendors, ensuring you find the perfect partner and the best event platform for your association.

The Importance of the Right Event Tech

Delivering an exceptional attendee experience is vital. Events play a key role in engaging your members, generating revenue, and achieving organizational goals. But attendees have become more intentional with how they spend their time, requiring associations to craft even more memorable experiences that motivate participation. 

The good news is that the right event technology can empower you to deliver better event experiences, increase member engagement, and achieve your overall objectives.

16 Key Questions to Ask Event Tech Vendors

In the planning phase, it is important to take a close look at your event’s objectives and understand what different stakeholders hope to gain from their involvement. 

Event technology has become indispensable to make a professional impression on your members and deliver value to your sponsors and exhibitors. By asking event tech vendors the right questions, you can confidently navigate the process and make an informed decision.

Want more tips on how to evaluate event tech providers? Download the Event Technology Buyer’s Guide for Associations now.

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1. Can your event platform help me achieve [specific goal]?

Start by identifying the specific goals you want to achieve, such as increasing member engagement, driving more revenue from events, or helping members earn CE credits. The types of events you run will determine which features and capabilities you need from an event tech vendor. Ask the provider how their solution can directly address your needs.

2. Is this product designed for association events like mine?

Not all event technology solutions are created equal. Some may be designed for specific industries or event formats. Ensure the provider’s product is flexible enough to support your meeting and event requirements.

3. Can you share case studies of similar organizations using this product?

Case studies provide valuable insights into how the solution has been implemented at similar events and the results that were achieved. They can also help you convince other stakeholders of the technology’s value and help get your budget approved. Ask the vendor to share relevant case studies or customer stories so you can better understand the product’s capabilities and potential impact.

4. Will the platform integrate with my existing tools?

Your association likely uses an association management software (AMS) or a CRM tool.
Choosing event management software that seamlessly integrates with your existing tech stack makes it easier to manage your event data and create a consistent experience for attendees. Ask about the provider’s off-the-shelf integrations and their ability to facilitate custom integrations and any associated costs.

5. How can the platform help me promote my events and register attendees?

The first step to running successful association events is getting your members (and potential members!) excited to register and attend. That means you need an eye-catching event website that encourages members to register, entices non-members to sign up, and makes it easy for them to do so via the right registration solution.

Customizable registration forms are crucial for capturing relevant attendee data and accommodating different participant types–especially for large events with a variety of attendees (e.g., members, non-members, sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers). Learn about the provider’s registration capabilities, including payment options and potential processing fees.

6. How do attendees access the platform?

Ensure the event platform is readily accessible for all of your members and attendees. Ask about supported devices, apps, and web browsers, as well as any limitations on the number of admins or users.

Be sure you understand how attendees can access the platform and which devices are supported (i.e., iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop).

7. What sponsorship opportunities does the platform facilitate?

Events offer a valuable opportunity to drive non-dues revenue for your association. Ask about the platform’s capabilities to promote your sponsors and partners. For instance, does it support banner ads? Can your sponsor companies create robust profiles?

Explore how the platform can facilitate sponsorships, such as through additional brand exposure opportunities or extended content availability, and how easily it can help you prove sponsor ROI.

Or, does this platform offer additional tools you can resell to your exhibitors and sponsors? Many associations offer Exhibitor Lead Capture to earn non-dues revenue and offset the cost of running their events.

8. What engagement and networking features do you offer?

Interactive features like live chat, anonymous Q&A, polls, and activity feeds can significantly enhance attendee engagement and increase networking opportunities. Evaluate the provider’s engagement features and ensure they can support event goals.

9. How user-friendly is the platform?

A user-friendly platform is essential for ensuring high adoption rates among your attendees. Ask about the platform’s intuitiveness and evaluate its UI yourself to decide how steep the learning curve will be for different groups of attendees.

10. Does your platform support ongoing member engagement?

One of your event goals is likely to increase member retention. You should ask potential event tech providers if their platform can be used to drive member engagement in the downtime between large events. Find out how you can use their platform year-round to continue to provide value to members, keep them engaged, and promote your annual conference so you don’t have to start your marketing back from zero each year. 

For example, can the platform help you drive member engagement by offering a persistent home for networking and learning? Can you use it to host videos, interactive livestream sessions, and smaller networking or training events?

11. Is your platform compliant with data security standards?

Data security and privacy should be a top priority when handling attendee information. Ask the provider about their security measures and compliance with industry standards such as SOC 2.

12. How can I protect my content?

If you plan to share valuable content or resources through the event platform, it’s essential to understand the provider’s content protection measures, such as access controls, passwords, or login requirements.

13. How does your pricing work?

Event technology pricing models vary from provider to provider, and may be based on the number of users, or the number of events., Some vendors may offer subscription pricing, or charge extra for additional features. Be sure to uncover any add-ons so you can be confident the vendor’s pricing aligns with your budget and requirements.

14. Do you offer any additional services?

Many providers offer additional services to their event platform, such as live attendee support, graphic design, data management, or event production. Ask about these services and their associated costs, as they can help alleviate the workload for your team.

15. What kind of support do you offer, and when is it available?

Reliable customer support is crucial, especially during your event. Ask about the provider’s support channels (chat, email, phone), availability hours, and any additional training or resources offered.

“I would say the biggest benefit of using EventMobi is the support. [Our EventMobi Event Specialist] was really knowledgeable and quick. A lot of things are time-sensitive if something goes wrong, and she was there every time. She was also a great resource for creative ideas on how to best use the app to achieve our event goals.”

— Rachel Lyon, Manager, Conference & Events, CSAE

16. What’s on your product development roadmap?

Technology evolves rapidly, and you’ll want to ensure the provider is committed to continuous improvement and innovation. Ask about their product development roadmap and any upcoming features or enhancements that could benefit your event.

Choosing an Event Technology Provider Shouldn’t Be Overwhelming

Your event technology can significantly impact the outcome of your event. Partnering with the right event technology vendor will allow you to create the right attendee experience, from the moment they register to how they participate in sessions or engage with content post-event. By asking the essential questions listed above, you’ll gain valuable insights into each provider’s capabilities, features, and overall fit for your event goals and objectives

If you’re in the market for an event technology provider that can support your organization’s goals for your events program, get in touch to learn more about whether EventMobi is the right event platform for you!

Interested in learning more about EventMobi? Book your personalized demo of EventMobi’s event management platform today!

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Administrative workers deserve recognition and appreciation for the important role they play in organizations all around the world. They often have stressful jobs, serving in critical roles that span a variety of responsibilities–including acting as impromptu event planners!

Not only are administrative professionals busy keeping organizations running efficiently and acting as the right hands of busy executives; but they’re also often tasked with organizing, planning, and executing events of all sizes and types. 

As anyone who’s ever worked in an admin role can tell you, it’s not as easy as it might appear to some outsiders. Being a great admin professional requires a lot of quick thinking, endless patience and flexibility, and superb organizational skills.

In honor of these mighty jack-and-jane-of-all-trades, we’re highlighting the important contributions of administrative professionals in the events industry and offering up suggestions for how to celebrate them on Administrative Professionals Day–and show your appreciation for them all year round!

When is Administrative Professionals Day?

Administrative Professionals Day is held on the last Wednesday of April, which means the exact date moves around each year. Here are the upcoming dates for Admin Professionals Day for the next few years so you can mark your calendar:

• In 2024, Administrative Professionals Day is April 24
• In 2025, Administrative Professionals Day will be April 23
• In 2026, Administrative Professionals Day will land on April 22
• In 2027, Administrative Professionals Day takes place on April 21

Why We Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day in the Events Industry

Plenty of admins fulfill event planning duties, even if it’s not their official job title. According to MPI, an estimated 80% of corporate meetings are planned by team members who don’t have “planner” in their title.

In many ways, administrative professionals are the backbone of the events industry. They play a vital role in ensuring the smooth execution of events by scheduling appointments, managing communications, coordinating logistics, and supporting event planners and organizers with ad-hoc tasks. 

Admins are often required to juggle multiple projects simultaneously, navigate last-minute changes, and act quickly to ensure events and meetings go off without a hitch. Suffice it to say that many of the amazing events we plan, support, and attend simply wouldn’t be possible without their meticulous attention to detail and organizational superpowers.

How to Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day

There are plenty of different ways event organizers, executives, and other team members can show appreciation for administrative professionals. Here are some of our favorite ideas for celebrating admins during Administrative Professionals Day and throughout the year.

Ideas for Administrative Professionals Day

Recognizing administrative professionals on their special day goes beyond mere acknowledgment—it’s about showing appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

Recognize their efforts publicly

Your admin staff work hard–you know it, they know it. But so much of their job takes place behind the scenes that it’s possible the rest of your organization, your partners, and your customers might not realize just how much your admin really does!

So, why not take the opportunity to brag about their achievements? Give a quick toast if you’re in a small office, send an emoji-filled Slack post or email if you’re remote, or even share the love in a social media update from your organization’s account.

Host a team lunch onsite (or take them out!)

Catering lunch or taking your admin staff out for a meal is a simple yet impactful way to connect with your team and show your appreciation. Plus, a free lunch provides a mid-week boost for everyone.

Of course, one meal isn’t going to make undervalued team members suddenly feel good about their job; but a team lunch can be an enjoyable perk in addition to recognizing their hard work in other ways. 

Order from their favorite local restaurant or give out vouchers for a meal delivery service so everyone can get exactly what they want. Alternatively, take them out to lunch so you can get to know them better and spend some quality time together.

Show your appreciation with a gift

Personalized gifts and gestures of appreciation can go a long way in showing admin professionals that you value their contributions. The gift doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive, especially if it’s personalized or thoughtfully supports their interests.

Support a cause they care about

Another great way to honor your administrative professionals is by donating to a social cause that’s close to their heart. 

Find out which organizations they care about and look for ways to get involved. For example, you could make a donation in your admin’s name, organize a paid volunteer day, or host a fundraiser. If you can give your admin team a full or half day to spend volunteering, they’re sure to appreciate it. 

How to Appreciate Administrative Professionals All Year Round

Beyond Administrative Professionals Day, there are plenty of opportunities for ongoing recognition and appreciation of your favorite admins. Here are a few ideas for celebrating admin professionals all year round:

Equip them with the tools they need to excel

Make sure your administrative professionals have access to any tools or subscriptions they need to do their job well. This includes hardware, like a comfortable chair and an ergonomic desk set-up, as well as any software that streamlines their workflows. If you’re not sure what your admin team needs to excel, check in with them to see what could make their jobs easier.

Recommended Resource: Are you looking for cost-effective, easier ways to build and manage your events? Watch 8 short videos to learn how to deliver events in any format that engage attendees and offer sponsors more value—no matter your team size or budget!

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Support their career goals

One of the best ways to ensure your admins feel valued and fulfilled in their roles? Support their career and skills development. What this looks like in practice depends on the individual goals of your admin professionals and what skills they’re interested in improving. 

Ask about the types of professional development they’re interested in and consider offering to send them to relevant conferences or enroll them in online courses.

Promote healthy work-life balance

The stress of managing time-sensitive tasks and working long hours during crunch periods can take a toll on your admin team members. It’s important to encourage them to use their vacation or lieu days and take time to recharge after the whirlwind of planning an event or meeting. Make it clear that you do not expect administrative professionals to be available 24/7 or respond to emails on their off days. 

Administrative Professionals Spotlight: Mara Schmidt

Mara is a coordinator at the Santa Catarina’s Federation for Business Associations. She coordinated all the operations for the annual event, which brought together 146 business associations from all over Santa Catarina, Brazil to discuss digital marketing, innovation, and technical solutions.

Mara partnered with EventMobi to create an app for the event. She took on the role of developing the entire app on her own–in addition to keeping track of everything involved in the event planning!

Mara quickly learned how to upload and personalize content with the easy-to-use Event CMS, and worked with her colleagues to test and provide feedback on all features before launching to attendees. She was as thorough and methodical as any professional event planner would have been.

During the event, Mara constantly posted pictures and promoted the Event App’s Activity Feed to increase engagement. By driving app adoption and attendee engagement, she did an amazing job at not only developing the event app but also ensuring her hard work paid off. 

As a master of chaos management, Mara ensured the event ran smoothly and was a hit for everyone–from the Board of Directors to attendees and sponsors. 

The post-event feedback survey received a huge volume of positive comments about how great the event was. Attendees, in particular, loved how the Event App improved and modernized the event experience. From Mara’s perspective, the app made it easy to engage her audience at every stage of the event lifecycle.

Thank You to All of the Outstanding Administrative Professionals Who Keep Events Running

Administrative Professionals Day serves as an important reminder for all of us to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of administrative professionals in the events industry and beyond. 

To learn about the accomplishments of other incredible event professionals, planners, and admin professionals, check out more Event Success Stories here.

Interested in learning more about EventMobi? Book your personalized demo of EventMobi’s Event Management Software platform today!

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However, turning attendees into qualified leads for your organization requires more than just nabbing a prime spot on the show floor and hoping people flock to your booth.

It’s not about having the biggest space or the flashiest booth design (though that certainly doesn’t hurt!).

In order to attract more foot traffic, book more meetings, and capture more leads, you need to find creative ways to stand out from the crowd–before, during, and after an event. Not only do you need to leverage pre-event promotion to get on attendees’ radar and design a booth that grabs attention and creates a positive impression onsite, but you also need to give them a reason to connect with you and learn about your brand.

In other words, you need to make the most of your company’s presence at every event–which is something planner Alistair Fernandes has quite the knack for, honed over 16 years at events including IMEX America, BCTECHSummit, and DiscoveryX Conference and Trade Show. 

Below, we’re sharing 10 tried and true exhibitor booth ideas that Alistair has used at recent events to create buzz, drive qualified traffic, and help salespeople start conversations with new leads and customers. Plus, get a sneak peek at one completely fresh idea he’s excited to try next!

10 Exhibitor Booth Ideas That Will Help You Stand Out from the Crowd

The goal for any B2B event booth design and activation should be to create an experience that engages attendees onsite and motivates them to follow up with your team post-event. 

Today, we’ll look at the most effective and creative ways Alistair has elevated his booth experiences to achieve organizational event goals. 

Craft an Immersive Pop-Up Experience

Your booth is an opportunity to create your own branded world. Drawing inspiration from successful B2C pop-up shops such as SKIMS and Glossier, look for opportunities to turn your booth into a cohesive branded experience. 

For example, at CSAE Tête-à-Tête, EventMobi’s sponsorship of a lounge area offered a unique opportunity to create an engaging, branded experience for guests looking to rest, refuel, or network over refreshments in between sessions. Alistair leveraged a monochromatic color scheme using EventMobi’s signature orange for his tablecloths, backdrops, and swag. 

He designed packaging for drinks and snacks in the same shade for a unified look and feel and guests were free to help themselves to branded swag, like orange notebooks and pens. And when attendees left the lounge with an EventMobi-branded treat in hand, they helped drive additional brand awareness as they walked around the show.

When it comes to pulling off a pop-up-like experience at your booth, Alistair emphasizes that consistency is key. Not only is color-coordinating your booth and giveaways a great way to grab attendees’ attention, but it also contributes to the overall impression that attendees have stepped into a cleverly branded world—just like a memorable pop-up shop experience.

“From snack packets and tablecloths to swag and banners, branding every element of your booth with your color scheme and logo helps you stand out from other exhibitors on the trade show floor,” says Alistair.

Engaging attendees with your activation is just the first step: Once they’re at your booth and chatting with your team, you’ll want a Lead Capture App to simplify follow-up and make it easy for your sales team to continue the conversation after the event.

Think Local, Act Local

Is there anything that draws attendees to a booth quite like a giveaway (especially if the prize is on display at your booth)? You already know the pull of an eye-catching gift basket—people will swing for their chance to win. But how many of them will think twice about your brand once they’ve entered and moved on to the next booth?

One simple yet brilliant way to make your giveaway memorable is by partnering with local businesses to source prizes. And that’s exactly what Alistair did at IMEX America and NWES.

Partner with Local Suppliers

At IMEX, Alistair partnered with a local supplier in Ottawa for a gift basket giveaway packed full of treats from local vendors. The orange baskets were on-brand and were a huge hit with attendees thanks to the meaningful connection to the local community. 

Similarly, Alistair worked with Seattle-based BiteSociety to create an eye-catching gift basket filled with local products at NWES 2024. Once again, interest in the raffle was driven by his selection of unique, local products. This allowed Alistair to capture a high number of new contacts to nurture post-event when they shared their contact details to enter the prize draw. 

How you can do this: When participating in a region-specific trade show, look for relevant local partners to provide branded prizes and giveaways with locally-produced products. This thoughtful touch will resonate with your audience.

Plus, working with local suppliers and businesses has the added benefit of simplifying pre-event logistics. Since it was easy for Alistair to pick up the baskets from a location close to the venue, there were no shipping costs or logistical challenges that could come from ordering gift baskets with perishable goods.

Integrate Thoughtful, Personalized Services

Getting a professional headshot taken is a necessary evil for even the most camera-shy professionals. Not to mention, booking dedicated studio time with a photographer typically costs hundreds of dollars! 

As Alistair puts it: “Whatever helps people professionally will always be a good activation.” So, at IMEX Frankfurt, Alistair created a professional headshot studio at the EventMobi booth, making it quick and easy for attendees to update their LinkedIn profiles with a shiny new headshot. 

Attendees who booked meetings with the sales team had the opportunity to strike a pose before they moved on to their next appointment and the final, edited image was delivered to them in a post-event email. Not only did this activation offer a high-value service, but it also encouraged attendees to follow up with EventMobi once they were back at work!

“It’s easy to use booth space inefficiently,” says Alistair. “For instance, a big table full of swag isn’t always good for traffic flow. But this activation allowed us to make really good use of our 10×10 space.”

The key to this type of activation is providing services that offer true value to attendees beyond promotional swag. Help them in their professional roles, save time, or make their trade show experience more enjoyable and productive. With thoughtful services personalized to your event audience, you can effectively engage participants while collecting leads for follow-up.

Pro tip: If your event organizer is using a Mobile Event App, find out if you can send messages to attendees pre-event to promote onsite activations. This is an effective way to drive appointment bookings and get people interested in visiting your booth before the show even starts!

Encouraging attendees to book appointments ahead of time has the added benefit of helping you plan and staff your booth efficiently.

“For IMEX, we anticipated that we’d have fewer appointments than we did–and then we were overbooked! This is a good problem to have, but anything that helps gauge that ahead of time is beneficial.” – Alistair

Be the Hero Attendees Need (and Deserve!)

Spare your attendees from the burden of navigating the show floor laden with heavy swag, drained batteries, and weary feet. Provide thoughtful conveniences such as charging stations, branded swag bags for easy carrying, and comfortable seating areas for relaxation or dining.

When you’re coming up with swag or service ideas designed to improve the attendee experience, focus on convenience. “Most people appreciate anything they might need during a long day at an event,” says Alistair. “That’s why at Tete a Tete, we set up tables where people could eat and bean bag chairs for anyone looking for a spot to relax.”

Here are a few of Alistair’s top suggestions for booth ideas that are always a hit among event attendees:

Charging Stations

Charging stations placed in prominent areas of your booth can be a lifesaver for attendees trying to conserve phone battery while navigating the show. Offer a variety of charging cables to accommodate both Android and iPhone users. If possible, provide standing tables near the charging area so attendees can use their devices while charging.

Branded Swag Bags

Branded swag bags are a practical freebie that also provides great advertising as attendees continue using the bags long after the trade show ends. Choose bags made of durable, sustainable materials like eco-friendly cotton canvas or upcycled materials. 

Showcase your filled bags around your booth to drive interest in what you’re giving away. Consider including your booth number, social media handles, and a special show promo code inside each bag.

A Comfy Spot to Sit

Comfortable seating invites attendees to relax and spend more time engaging with your exhibitors. Chairs and sofas should be neatly arranged to allow open flow for booth traffic. High bar table seating also encourages visitors to linger. Having a seating area for meals and snacks is another great draw. Keep decor cohesive with other branding elements for optimal effect.  

By anticipating and providing solutions for common trade show pains like dead phones, armfuls of brochures, and tired feet, you show attendees that you care about their experience. This thoughtful approach makes your brand more memorable.

Embrace the Competitive Spirit

Don’t forget to harness the power of friendly competition! If the tradeshow organizer has created a gamification challenge within the event’s mobile app to help drive traffic around the show floor, ensure anyone who visits your booth is aware of the challenge–and have booth staff give out your code as an easy way to break the ice!

Usually, trade show organizers offer the opportunity to increase your company’s sponsorship to ensure your company appears at the top of the challenge list. This will be money well spent, as getting a top spot on the challenge list will increase visibility and drive attendees to visit your booth first to get the code.

Alistair also recommends prominently showcasing both your gamification challenge code and an enticing prize at your booth. You can also tease your code in pre-event communications to build anticipation and awareness.

Bonus: Commission Local Artists for One-of-a-Kind Swag

Take inspiration from limited-edition fashion drops that create lines that go for miles. Find a local artist and partner with them to design custom, branded swag and gear.

This is a concept Alistair and his team are particularly excited about—though he has yet to fully execute it! He’s already working with a local artist who does cool, funky, graffiti-style designs to create EventMobi t-shirts for booth staff—plus some extra stuff to give away!

Curious to see how this turns out? Swing by EventMobi’s booth at IMEX Frankfurt 2024 May 14-16 to see the results in person and for the chance to get your hands on this limited-edition design.

Turn Your Booth Into a Powerful Touchpoint for Your Brand

A successful event doesn’t just create brand awareness, it sparks new connections, conversations, and client relationships.

Trade shows present a valuable opportunity to grow your database and connect with potential clients. The more attendees on the show floor, the more opportunities you have to make a great impression and quickly turn cold leads into qualified contacts for your sales team to follow up with.

We hope these creative exhibitor booth ideas inspire you to try something new at your upcoming events! If you have any questions or fresh ideas of your own that you’re trying out, we’d love to hear about it.

Want to learn more about how event technology can help you keep the conversation going after an event? Book your personalized demo of EvenMobi today!

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The post Tips from the Trenches: 10 (Mostly) Tried and True Exhibitor Booth Ideas  appeared first on EventMobi.

Regardless of the ‘why’, it’s never been harder to move your audience from awareness to consideration to actually purchasing a ticket for your event.

There are a lot of moving parts to keep on track: everything from your event marketing strategies to your ticketing and payment system to how you collect attendee data. Ensuring you have the right event registration process in place is crucial to driving excitement and sign-ups. 

Looking for event registration ideas that create anticipation and encourage sign-ups? Keep reading to find out how to:

• Provide a personalized, intuitive registration experience
• Streamline the registration process and minimize friction
• Increase event registrations with event marketing and promotions
• Accommodate last-minute sign-ups with minimal fuss
• Use EventMobi’s Event Registration Platform to achieve your registration goals

We’ve also got a bonus tip that will save you time and money—learn how to leverage your registration platform for speaker management!

EventMobi’s Director of Sales Anton von Verschuer explains how to create a seamless, personalized event registration experience.

6 Event Registration Ideas that Reduce Friction & Increase Signups

Creating engaging event experiences for your attendees starts the moment your potential attendees first hear about your event. You want to move them from awareness to thinking about registering, to purchasing their ticket as quickly as possible. 

So, carefully consider how your pre-event engagement strategy, event technology, and event registration ideas all work together to drive more signups.

1. Personalize the Registration Experience

Your attendees don’t want to fill out long registration forms with fields that aren’t relevant. Any process that requires too much time and effort for your attendees will ultimately lead to a higher drop-off rate. Equally, event planners often struggle with restrictive form builders that prevent them from gathering the data they need.  

You want to ensure different types of registrants only see the fields that are relevant to them.  EventMobi’s Event Registration platform includes a user-friendly form builder that makes it easy to collect the right data from the right stakeholders. 

You can customize what data you need to collect from your speakers, press, VIPs, and other attendee groups. Personalize the registration process with unlimited fields, drop-down menus, and multiple-choice questions. 

Regardless of whether you are planning an in-person event, virtual event, or hybrid event, this is particularly handy if your event has several ticket types or if you want to use the early bird pricing model suggested below. 

Bonus: The EventMobi Registration platform automatically syncs your data to your Event App, so attendees’ information can be automatically added to their in-app profiles. 

Recommended Resource: Are you looking for easier, more cost-effective ways to build and manage your events? Watch 8 short videos to learn how to make the most of your resources and create a seamless experience for your attendees.

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2. Empower Attendees to Purchase Tickets and Book Hotels in the Registration Flow

Typically, free registration platforms do not allow attendees to pay for their event tickets and book hotels within a single registration flow. This adds friction to the process, which can discourage attendees from completing their registration. 

EventMobi has a number of payment gateways for managing ticket sales that are set up for you to use. For example, you can accept credit card payments with Stripe, and bank transfers in Europe. Alternatively, if you prefer to invoice, you can leverage the automatic invoicing feature.

You can also use your registration form to manage room blocks. Pre-select a list of recommended hotels and add them to your registration form. This allows attendees to complete all the necessary event logistics in one place, creating a seamless registration process.

3. Boost Event Registrations with a Persuasive Website & Pre-Event Marketing

On the top of every event planner’s mind is the question, “How do I get my target audience to register for my event?” The most important thing to consider is how to create compelling, informative event websites that you can use to promote your event via social media and email marketing.

Remember, your event website is more than just a tool to manage ticket sales—it should drive excitement! This is an opportunity to showcase your event’s unique branding, offer your audience all the reasons why they should attend, and make it easy for them to register immediately. 

Many registration platforms are restrictive, with limited branding capabilities. This can negatively impact ticket sales as it is difficult to showcase what your event is about. It also makes it difficult to implement effective event registration strategies. It’s important to choose a registration platform that allows you to create a branded event website that closely reflects the look and feel of your event and/or organization, and guides potential attendees through the sign-up process. 

EventMobi’s Event Registration Platform makes it easy to design fully branded, mobile-ready event registration pages that accurately represent your event. Best of all, if you’re already using EventMobi’s event management software, your registration website can automatically sync all of your speaker, session, and attendee data into the event management platform.

4. Incentivize Pre-Registration with Early Bird Promos

If you’re noticing a trend where a larger percentage of your audience is waiting until the last minute to commit to your event, it’s not just you. Attendees have firmer boundaries and have become more protective of their schedules in recent years. 

With the rise in last-minute or onsite registrations come various logistical challenges for event planners. Although this trend is likely to stick around for the foreseeable future, organizers can motivate attendees to start booking earlier with some creative event registration ideas.

One of the simplest solutions is to offer a discounted rate for early bird registration. If someone books X weeks or months before the event, they get a notable discount. As the event day draws closer, you could increase the price to motivate more pre-registrations. Just remember to announce your rate increase schedule in advance to ensure your audience takes action before it’s too late.

As part of your pre-event marketing strategy, use EventMobi Registration to manage your email marketing, and consider how to use social media to reach a wider audience outside of your database. 

5. Streamline Last-Minute Registrations with Live Badge Printing Onsite

While you can encourage pre-registration with some of the promotional ideas discussed above, there’s still a growing number of attendees who want the option to register last minute–or even wait until they’re at your venue to officially register. 

For attendees who don’t want to commit ahead of time, you can still provide a smooth registration process with onsite badge printing (or digital badges, if you prefer). To help you do just that, EventMobi offers a series of badge printing solutions designed to fit any budget, event size, and to accommodate both early and late registration. 

For example, EventMobi’s Live Badge Printing is a full-managed, white-glove service that includes onsite badge printing–and a fantastic first impression for attendees whether they’re an unexpected walk-in or bought their ticket months ago!

Bonus: Manage Speakers with Your Registration Platform

EventMobi’s VP of Product Marketing Thorben Grosser demonstrates how you can use your registration platform for Speaker Management—no additional tools required!

You may not have the budget or resources for a speaker management system. But, did you know you can leverage your registration platform to take care of this process—without any additional tools?

Speakers are essentially attendees, but they have a few special requirements. They don’t need to pay for tickets, but you need to know details about how they will present and any technical or hardware requirements they might have. 

With EventMobi’s Event Registration platform, you can set up different ticket types for all your attendee groups. For your speakers, you can give them a password to enter during registration that will grant them access to the speaker-only registration flow. This allows you to keep track of everything you need to know about your speakers, all in one place.

Try These Event Registration Ideas to Drive More Sign-Ups

Ensuring you have the right event registration strategies in place will ultimately mean more sign-ups. Offer an immersive, personalized registration experience with easy payment and hotel booking processes, and you’ll be sure to see a bump in registration numbers. 

However, to succeed with these tactics, you need the right tools in your toolkit. EventMobi’s Event Registration platform is perfect for event planners who want to create a personalized, intuitive registration process while collecting all the necessary attendee data.

From the easy-to-use form builder that simplifies attendee and speaker data collection, to the effortless management of ticketing and payments, EventMobi’s Event Registration platform has everything you need to make your event a success. And these days, who doesn’t want to do more with less?

Ready to level up your next event’s registration experience ? Book your personalized demo of EventMobi today!

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The post Event Registration Ideas to Increase Excitement and Sign-Ups appeared first on EventMobi.

That’s why we’ve curated 23 unique event engagement ideas, including special strategies for:

• Pre-event and post-event engagement
• Annual conferences
• Virtual events

Ready for some audience engagement examples to make your next event better than ever? Let’s jump in!

What Is Event Engagement and Why Does It Matter?

Event engagement refers to the level of attendee interaction, participation, and connection at an event. This might include activities, brand activations, discussions, and more!

So why is engagement important in an event? Attendee engagement is so valuable because it helps you to:

• Produce greater event ROI. Engaged attendees are more likely to become loyal customers, leads, advocates, and repeat attendees. A strong and consistent supporter base saves you money in the long run!
• Collect live feedback. Knowing how your audience feels about your event helps you troubleshoot as necessary, and the sooner you get that feedback the better. Highly-engaged attendees can give you that data on the spot.
• Inspire attendees to register for next year. The more positive your attendee experience is, the easier it is to start securing pre-registrations for your next event! Event engagement helps motivate your attendees to come back again for future events.
• Builds a year-round community. Audience participation activities help your attendees form connections, which in turn grows and strengthens the community that keeps your organization active. Creating opportunities for engagement between attendees as peers and colleagues is a crucial part of event engagement.

Want to create better attendee experiences at all of your upcoming events? Check out this 1-hour Events Masterclass session, Event Apps 101: Your Playbook to Creating Engaging Event Experiences, for tips from industry experts.

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How Do You Measure Event Engagement?

There are a few ways that you can measure event engagement:

• Social media engagement metrics. These include how many new followers, likes, and shares you get. Plus, you can also track how many people use your event hashtag.
• Event attendance tracking. This ensures you can take note of how many of your RSVPs actually attend the day of.
• Satisfaction surveys. Don’t just gather useful information in the comments section—you can also set a goal for what you’d like your “scores” to be on each quantitative question!
• Lead generation. Whether lead capture is a goal of your organization, sponsors, or vendors, this data shows you how many attendees found something valuable to engage with post-event.

Did you know that all of these event metrics can be measured through event apps? Tracking conference activities doesn’t have to be a chore. By using an Event App like EventMobi, you can automatically gather the data you need while providing more opportunities for attendee engagement through your event.

9 Event Engagement Ideas

So how do you engage at events? Well, here are 9 options that are great for events of all sorts! For those wondering how to make virtual events more engaging, many of these ideas can easily be adapted to the virtual space.

Make a few “tracks” for different segments

Not all of your attendees will have the same wants and goals! Consider your top segments, and offer a variety of programming tracks so everyone can customize their ideal event experience. Give them plenty of conference interactive activities to participate in and they’ll have a reason to stick around throughout the day.

For example, the Programming› 2024 conference includes tracks for:

When you’re creating your event run of show, think about what tracks you’ll include!

Use a mobile app

We can’t overstate the value of a fantastic mobile event app! Whether as a form of virtual event engagement or to facilitate your in person event engagement ideas, an app makes everything easy.

This essential tool can boost attendee engagement with:

Gone are the days of easy-to-lose folders with printed event schedules. With a mobile app, attendees are encouraged to engage with all aspects of your event in one easy spot.

Gamify

A spirit of competition goes a long way for event engagement!

Encourage attendees to connect (and compete!) with gamification tools like:

Sometimes a good prize is all it takes to nudge your introverted attendees out of their shells.

Recommended Resource: Ready to engage attendees at your next event through gamification, but not sure where to start? Check out the ultimate guide to gamification!

Prioritize accessibility

Attendees with disabilities are often unintentionally excluded from events they’re interested in due to a lack of consideration for access needs.

To make your event welcoming to all attendees, we encourage you to implement accessibility tools and features including:

Creating a more accessible event is one of the best ways to ensure all of your attendees can fully engage with your activities and sessions. After all, there are plenty of attendees with accessibility needs who would love to engage with your event—all you need to do is give them the opportunity!

Networking tools

Networking is one of the top reasons that professionals attend conferences. However, breaking the ice can feel a little intimidating for new attendees.

Help attendees form connections with networking tools like:

Social wall

Setting up a social wall brings virtual engagement into in person events, and gives attendees an idea of how far the reach of your event goes. Plus, it’ll make people smile to see their excited posts pop up for everyone to see!

Wellness room

An often-overlooked part of member experience is how at ease members feel with an organization. Events are exciting, but can also get very overwhelming, especially when they span throughout a whole day or weekend.

Setting up a room for meditation, led yoga, or just a space for quiet will give attendees the decompression time they need to re-energize for another big conference day.

Brand activation

Dedicating attention to your event branding is how you introduce attendees to your organization’s identity. A brand activation, especially a physical one like inviting attendees to write associated words about the event on a large board, can get your attendees to actively connect.

You can also have your sponsors hold brand activations at your event. Not only will it boost audience engagement, but it’ll also add value to your event sponsorship package.

End of day raffle

Want to keep people around through to the end of an event? The secret’s in the raffle tickets! This can combine with your event registration desk ideas to foster excitement from the moment attendees check in. With a few high-value prizes at the ready, attendees will stick around as long as they can to see if they’ve won.

4 Ideas for Pre-Event Engagement

But how do you drive engagement at an event if you don’t have the attendee numbers? Well, your event engagement strategy should begin long before doors open. Here are 4 ways to boost attendee engagement before your event kicks off!

Countdown to event

It’s a simple thing, but a countdown on your website—and one actively promoted on social media!—keeps your event at the front of attendees’ minds. If your organization has a brick-and-mortar location, you can also set up a physical countdown.

Robust FAQ page

Any part of your event site can be important to your audience engagement strategy. The right FAQ information, such as noting that the event is available by public transit, is often enough to turn a “maybe” into a “yes”!

In your FAQ, include information such as:

Dedicated hashtag

Choose the hashtag you want for your event, and shout it far and wide! This will help you track social media engagement and prevent the confusion of multiple attendee-made hashtags.

Speaker & moderator resources

Preparing your speakers and moderators makes all the difference in the quality of your event—and, as a result, your attendee engagement!

No less than a week before the event, provide them with:

Don’t forget to thank your speakers afterward!

3 Ideas for Post-Event Engagement

When the event is over, keep your attendees engaged with:

Special resources

Did your guest speakers suggest reading material? Do you want to provide some networking resources from partner associations? Relevant and valuable bonus content gives you new ways to connect with attendees after the event is done!

Follow-up mini events

You don’t need to add on three more conferences to keep people engaged. Hosting virtual workshops or small pop-up events is a great way to remind attendees that you’re still here in between the big events, and prevents event fatigue.

Post-event survey

Your post-event survey is where you get the definitive answer to “How did we do?” Not only will you gather valuable feedback, but you also open up an opportunity for event engagement once your attendees have had time to go home and rest.

3 Annual Conference Engagement Ideas

Planning a conference is no small feat! Here are 3 special ideas to include in your event engagement strategy.

Pre-event survey

With an event as large as a conference, it pays to ask attendees questions nice and early.

Send out a pre-event survey with questions about:

This information can help you customize your programming tracks and be sure that you’re providing as much value as possible for your event.

Badges

Event badges serve as a useful icebreaker for attendees and can help your volunteers keep an eye on peoples’ needs. For example, if someone is looking lost with a “first-time attendee” badge, it’s a quick fix to give them directions.

Other useful badges include:

EOD discounted registration for next year

Effective conference engagement ideas can reach beyond the present. Take advantage of the post-conference high by offering discounted registration at the desk for next year’s event! This can help you fill slots fast and build up some ticket revenue early in the planning process.

4 Virtual Event Engagement Ideas

Virtual event engagement makes some event planners nervous, but there are actually some great tools and strategies you can use to make the experience positive!

Live chats

Where in-person events require people to be quiet during panels, virtual events have the benefit of live chats. Encourage participants to share their thoughts in the chat—but be sure to have a separate Q&A function for the speakers or moderators to keep an eye on!

Live polls

Have you ever found yourself wondering “Is this going well?” in the middle of a conversation? Live polling is the perfect place to get that answer during virtual events!

Having a poll ready for a simple question like “How many of you have heard of [x]?” helps your speakers engage the audience from afar when reading the room isn’t so straightforward.

Regular breaks

Just because people attend virtual events from home doesn’t mean they don’t need breaks. According to a survey from Market.us, only 7% of participants are interested in staying for lengthy virtual events, and that it’s “imperative to schedule breaks every 25 minutes.”

It might feel odd to take a break, but in reality, those 25 minutes can keep participants from dropping off altogether.

Virtual breakout rooms

One key to virtual event engagement is making space for breakout sessions! Small-group conversations add a degree of intimacy to the virtual conference experience and can prevent potential feelings of disconnect or isolation.

Amplifying Attendee Engagement with Event Management Software

Looking for the tools to take your event engagement strategy to the next level? At EventMobi, we have all of the features you need to make any of the 23 event ideas above a reality!

Our toolkit includes:

Connect with us today to see how we can take your event engagement to the next level.

Engage Your Attendees with Enthusiasm

No matter what kind of event you’re hosting, from the most intimate workshop to the grandest conference, event engagement can make or break your day. Take these event engagement ideas as a starting point for your own imagination to make your next event memorable and compelling! With the right toolkit and some creativity, you’ll be sure to see your attendees return year after year. 

Wondering how you can increase attendee engagement with a mobile Event App? Watch these 8 quick videos to see EventMobi in action.

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The post 23 Fresh Event Engagement Ideas that Will Strengthen Your Community & Boost ROI appeared first on EventMobi.

In this post, we’ll discuss the power of gamification for different event types and provide you with 19 gamification strategies and ideas to bring some fun to your next event! We’ll also look at examples of organizations that successfully used gamification as part of their event strategy.

What is Gamification in Events?

Gamification means using game-like strategies to make activities, tasks, and experiences more interactive and engaging for participants.

In the context of events, gamification is the practice of integrating game-like elements and principles to enhance attendee engagement, promote interaction, and achieve desired outcomes. “Gamifying” parts of your event lets you can tap into your attendees’ sense of adventure and competitive spirit.

Event planners can use gamification to transform familiar activities into fun, immersive, and interactive experiences that encourage participation, networking, and learning! Through challenges, rewards, leaderboards, and more, the best gamification examples foster a sense of community and add a dynamic layer to the traditional event format.

Why Should I Gamify My Event?

It takes a major effort to host an event! So when you do, you want to deliver an amazing experience for attendees and achieve all your event goals. Your attendees expect more than just information—they’re seeking engagement, interaction, and memorable experiences. 

This is where gamification shines! So what is gamification in event management, and why is it a staple in successful events worldwide? Let’s take a look.

Boost engagement 

Let’s face it—your attendees aren’t at their most engaged when they’re passively watching presentations. By using gamification to integrate game-like elements into your event, you can reignite that spark of interest. Attendees are more likely to be actively involved, interact with content, and engage in sessions, rather than passively consuming information.

Promote networking 

Many people find networking intimidating, especially at large events. Gamification breaks down these barriers. Challenges or activities that require attendee collaboration or interaction can facilitate introductions, drive conversations, and foster meaningful connections.

Enhance sponsor value 

Sponsors are always on the lookout for ways to boost their exposure and engagement with attendees! Through gamified elements like sponsored challenges or branded activities, sponsors can organically weave their messaging and branding into the event.

Offer better learning opportunities 

Games and challenges can reinforce key takeaways from sessions or presentations. They tap into various learning styles, making complex information more digestible and retention more likely. Instead of just listening, attendees can apply and practice what they’ve learned in a fun, relaxed environment.

Improve ROI 

By enhancing attendee engagement and participation, you’re more likely to achieve your event’s objectives, whether it’s lead generation, sales, or building brand loyalty. With a well-executed gamification strategy, the chances of attendees returning for your next event skyrocket, thus boosting your event’s return on investment.

Build a stronger brand relationship 

Gamified experiences can be tailored to reflect a brand’s identity and values. As attendees engage with these elements, they strengthen their relationship with your brand. It’s about creating positive interactions that resonate long after the event concludes.

How Do You Gamify Events?

Stepping into the world of event gamification can seem daunting. But gamification apps for events can make things easier. From choosing the right app to devising the perfect set of rules, there’s a lot to consider. But fear not! Whether you’re a seasoned event planner or new to the game, this guide will help you navigate the ins and outs of event gamification to create an unforgettable experience.

Set an event goal

Before coming up with event gamification ideas, it’s crucial to pinpoint what you’re aiming to achieve. Is your goal to boost attendee enjoyment? Or perhaps you’re looking to enhance sponsor engagement or drive more traffic to exhibitors? Identifying your primary objective will guide your gamification strategy in the right direction.

Choose a gamification app

Selecting the right tool can make all the difference. EventMobi, for instance, offers comprehensive gamification features tailored for events. It’s user-friendly, customizable, and packed with features designed to boost engagement and maximize your event’s success.

Set up the rules of the game

While it’s tempting to craft a complex game with intricate rules, simplicity often prevails. Attendees should quickly grasp the game’s mechanics to fully participate and enjoy your event. A clear, straightforward setup ensures broader participation and fewer hiccups along the way.

Promote your game to attendees

It’s not just about having a gamification strategy, but making sure everyone knows about it! Promote it before your event via emails and push notifications. During the event, have speakers mention it in sessions and showcase leaderboards to spur competition.

Celebrate your winners & offer great rewards

Recognizing and rewarding winners is a fun way to generate buzz about your event, even after it’s over! Sharing their achievements on social platforms magnifies the impact, especially for associations. Celebrate your winners, share statistics, and highlight the game’s success. Oh, and don’t forget to show off the grand prize to motivate participants to play and engage even more at your next event!

Communicate the wins to your stakeholders

The outcome of your game isn’t just interesting to your attendees. Share success stories with your sponsors, board members, and other stakeholders. Communicate the tangible benefits of gamification to help cement its importance for future events.

Get feedback in your post-event survey

To refine your gamification strategy, gather attendee feedback. Ask specific questions about the gaming elements in your post-event survey. Find out what worked (and what didn’t) so you can craft more effective strategies for your next event.

Apply lessons to your next event!

Attendee expectations for events are always evolving, so your gamification approach should be too. Armed with feedback, insights, and the experience of the previous event, tweak and adjust to keep your gamification fresh, relevant, and exciting for attendees.

15 Event Gamification Ideas

Your attendees crave engagement, challenges, and friendly competition! Event gamification taps into the universal desire for fun and connection. Try these gamification ideas for events and watch the fun begin. 

1. Puzzles

Whether digital or physical, puzzles challenge the mind and can inspire collaboration among participants. They can be themed around your event topic or general fun teasers to break up sessions.

2. Photo contests

A picture is worth a thousand words, and at your events, potentially a thousand interactions. Encourage attendees to capture and share moments with a branded event hashtag. Gamify the contest by offering a reward to the most creative or liked photo!

3. Challenges

Set specific challenges for your attendees. It could be anything from visiting all exhibitor booths for trade show gamification to attending a set number of sessions. The sense of accomplishment drives engagement.

4. Bingo

Hand out themed bingo cards to encourage attendees to break out of their routine. Replace traditional numbers with event-related activities. The first person who gets a line or a full house wins a prize!

5. Shout outs

Recognize attendees for special achievements, whether it’s for being the most active participant or for contributing unique insights during sessions.

6. Icebreakers

Start sessions with light icebreaker activities. This helps attendees get to know each other and sets a positive tone for the event.

7. Social media contests & wall

Encourage participants to share their experiences on social media. Displaying a live feed of these posts on a wall at your event can boost engagement and give attendees their moment of fame.

8. Leaderboards

Track and display attendee participation in real-time. Those attending the most sessions or completing other challenges can climb the ranks. It’s a fun way to foster healthy competition!

9. Badges

Reward attendees with digital badges for accomplishing certain tasks or reaching milestones during the event. These are a visual representation of their achievements and can be a great conversation starter.

10. Live polls & quizzes

Integrate live polls and quizzes during sessions. It not only makes content delivery interactive but also keeps attendees on their toes.

11. Networking challenges

Set up structured networking challenges that encourage attendees to meet a certain number of peers or connect with speakers. Help facilitate that next new connection!

12. Scavenger hunts

Whether virtual or in-person, scavenger hunts drive excitement. Provide clues in your event gamification app and let attendees hunt for answers or specific locations.

13. Trivia

Test attendees’ knowledge of the event theme or related fun facts. Trivia is not just educational, but also a great filler between sessions.

14. Sponsor engagement

Design gamified activities that highlight your sponsors. For example, you could create quizzes with questions about sponsors or challenges that require attendees to visit their booths.

15. Early check-in

Reward attendees who check in early with points or special offers. This encourages punctuality and eases the check-in process.

4 Gamification Ideas for Virtual Events

Gamification for virtual events requires a unique blend of creativity and technology. Luckily, Event App gamification makes this easy! If you’re thinking of adding a fun twist to your virtual events, consider the following easy gamification ideas tailored for the online space.

1. Virtual booth challenges

Why let physical booths have all the fun? At virtual events, encourage attendees to visit sponsor pages to gather unique codes. Not only doest this drive traffic to sponsors but it also motivates attendees to explore your entire event space.

2. Session scavenger hunts

Marry the thrill of a scavenger hunt with your online sessions. As attendees absorb knowledge from your presenters, ask them to keep an eye out for special codes sprinkled throughout presentations. It’s a fun, simple way to encourage attentive participation.

3. 1:1 networking challenges

Networking at virtual events doesn’t have to be confined to webinars or chat rooms. Encourage attendees to connect one-on-one over messages. As they bond and exchange insights, they can also share unique gamification passcodes, adding a gaming twist to professional interactions.

4. Add codes to on-demand content

Your document and video library is a treasure trove of information. To increase views and ensure attendees dig deep into this content, add special gamification cues to on-demand resources. It’s a nifty way to gamify learning and ensure valuable information doesn’t get overlooked.

Event Gamification Examples

If you’ve been wondering how different organizations elevate their events with gamification, you’re in for a treat! Here are some of the best gamification examples that not only amped up attendee engagement but also improved the attendee experience.

1. GO WEST 23

This GO WEST event amped up sponsor engagement by giving attendees event codes only after participating in specific activities. This is an easy way to keep attendees actively involved and ensure your sponsors get the attention they deserve.

2. TD Bank’s Diversity & Inclusion Event

TD Bank used EventMobi to power of networking game that encouraged attendees to strike up more convesations at a Diversity & Inclusion event. Their conference gamification ideas ranged widely, from embracing live polls to gauge audience sentiment to using a leaderboard to track participation and engagement levels. The positive feedback was evident, with attendees frequently inquiring about EventMobi’s gamification app due to their memorable experiences.

3. CMEE

The Canadian Meetings + Events Expo (CMEE) used gamification strategies to boost attendee-exhibitor interaction. Their “play to win” feature was a hit, offering an interactive and enjoyable experience for participants. The Event App’s gamification features made it easy for attendees to navigate the event, with tools like the event map heightening the overall experience.

4. CSAE Annual National Conference

The Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) designed a gamification challenge that revolved around trivia questions submitted by sponsors, exhibitors, and CSAE staff. The game was simple: to win points, attendees needed to interact with sponsors and exhibitor representatives to obtain the answers. The motivation? A total of 25 prizes donated by sponsors and showcase exhibitors! To earn points, many tasks required networking with sponsors and exhibitors, which prompted booth visits and enhanced sponsor value.

Harness the Power of Gamification (and Get Up to 90% Engagement!)

Making your event stand out isn’t just about hosting speakers or scheduling sessions. A successful event keeps attendees engaged and offers an interactive experience. Whether you’re running a virtual or in-person event, there’s a gamification strategy out there waiting to transform your attendees’ experience!

With EventMobi, it’s gamification is built right into your Event App. This makes it easy for you to:

Boost attendee engagement

Attendee priorities are shifting. One of the keys to increasing engagement lies in gamification. CSAE’s use of Event App gamification saw them achieve a remarkable 90% attendee engagement. Their attendees found an easy and convenient way to stay updated, network, and participate in the CSAE Challenge. Introduce a spirited, friendly competition that keeps attendees hooked from start to finish.

Increase value for sponsors and exhibitors

By incorporating event gamification, you’re not only elevating the attendee experience but also maximizing the value for sponsors, exhibitors, and everyone involved. Branded challenges reward sponsors and exhibitors with heightened visibility and interaction.

Drive meaningful results (that you can track!) with less effort

Whether your event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid, drive desired actions and behavior seamlessly. Plus, building your games into your Event App allows you to say goodbye to manual raffles and tedious post-event point tallying.

As we wrap up, remember this: in an era where attention is a prized commodity, gamification provides the edge–and spark–that can set your event apart. So, whether you’re planning a large conference or a smaller meetup, there are plenty of reasons to embrace gamification.

Keep innovating, keep engaging, and most importantly, keep playing!

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