In-Person Events: Comfort in the Familiar - Excitement in the New
March of 2022 kicked off DE’s full-fledged return to in-person events. Of course, we were still managing a large volume of digital events, but our team was excitedly back to racking up airline miles and making last minute changes to furniture and floorplans onsite! While we felt right at home in our element, we couldn’t help but notice a shift in the in-person experience. A newness that challenged our clients to re-evaluate their visions and goals; and challenged event planners to cast our metaphorical handbooks to the side for new and fresh solutions.
Our time spent on show floors, in crew offices, and walking the hallways with attendees this year has helped us take away 4 key learnings that can impact the success of an in-person event in our ever-changing landscape:
FIRST RAZZLE, THEN DAZZLE
Your attendees have an expectation of the experience and value they want from your event. These expectations drive their registration, fuels the excited buzz among them and their peers, and motivates them to fully engage. This is especially true if you have a legacy event that is returning to in-person after a detour into fully digital events. No doubt the fluidity of today’s event space is a catalyst for new ideas, risk taking, and pilot programs - it’s important to understand the precedence you’ve set and even more critical to understand the existing expectations of your audience. There is comfort in familiarity, nostalgia in tradition, and meeting these expectations adds intangible value to your attendee experience. It’s not something you can gauge through a metric but something you feel in the strength of your community. We’ve seen the most success in events that first meet their attendees’ expectations and then add to that experience with new programming that has attendees registering for next year’s event just to see what else you come up with!
LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE, NOT THE HYPE
Broad stroke commentary on platforms will tell you attendees no longer want to sit in a dark room listening to a speaker. They will tell you that attendees want heavy face-to-face networking and community building programming. This is true- for some audiences. As a planning team it is important to understand your unique audience, their behaviors, their priorities, and what they value most- then finding a balanced programming structure that is intentional and inclusive. Is your audience made up of active learners, active listeners, or active community builders? Is your content focused on tactical skill building or soft skill improvement? Taking these aspects into consideration will allow you create learning and networking opportunities that your attendees will feel was well worth the cost and time invested into your event. We’ve seen the most success in events that provide active learning opportunities in-person coupled with structured networking time. Structured networking is not simply putting your attendees in the same room and expecting them to organically build community. Instead, it’s providing welcoming space and intentional avenues to bring like-minded people together fostering their connections.
BEYOND THE WOW FACTOR
Nothing beats the feeling of standing by as doors open and seeing attendees hold their cameras up as they take in the initial impact of your event. Whether it’s a larger-than-life stage for your keynote, thoughtful branding and signage, or the friendliest registration welcoming party- the wow factor sets your event apart but it’s also fleeting. As soon as day 2 of your event, the true impact is not in what your attendees see, but in what your attendees feel. An investment in production coupled with an investment in logistics creates a sustained wow factor for your event. Equally as important as the flashing lights and content is the attendee flow, security, accessibility and accommodations, food and beverage, surprise and delights. We’ve learned that attendees notice far more than we often give them credit for and it’s the attention to the finer details of what and how they feel that create lasting moments of impact that keep them coming back year after year.
TECHNOLOGY, NOT THE STAR OF YOUR SHOW
There is yet to be a standardized definition for what truly makes a hybrid event as each client and audience has the exciting privilege to define it for themselves! Technology can be a key player in bringing your community together, and also be an isolating roadblock that takes away from your in-person connections. We’ve seen the most success in events that leverage technology as an accompaniment to their in-person experience instead of allowing it to be the main avenue of connection. Yes- use it to communicate broadly with your audience, create personalized attendee schedules, and engage with content when appropriate but be mindful that your event does not become an in-person experience where everyone is simply alone…together. Intentional and supplemental use of technology at your event can encourage your attendees to be present in the moment. Content can always be watched on a screen on demand after the show, LinkedIn messages can be sent on the plane ride home- handshakes and conversations shared over lunch cannot!
THE TAKEAWAY
What is our biggest learning? While the do’s and don’ts of event planning seem louder than ever, what should always speak the loudest is your audience and your attendees. They should be the majority stakeholders in your event design, content curation, and programming. Every community is beautifully different in what they value- as planners we encourage you to shut out the noise, think beyond the hype, and listen!