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One of the age-old challenges of hosting an event is finding new and creative ways to keep your audience engaged. And it’s only getting harder. According to a study by Microsoft in 2018, the average human attention span is 8 seconds. What’s worse is that it’s also been reported that our attention spans are decreasing by a whopping 88% every year!
While shocking to see the statistics laid out like that, it’s hardly surprising. In our current society, we have the world at our fingertips. We can effortlessly switch between tasks with the swipe of our fingertips. With so much to interact with, it makes sense that we would be quick to dismiss things that don’t grab our attention.
If you’re looking to host an event, you’re most likely looking to dream up wonderful ways to keep your audience engaged. Well, look no further! In this article, we’re serving up 4 tried and tested ideas to engage audiences at your next event. So, read on!
While it might be tempting to pull attendees away from their mobile devices, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. Instead, embrace them! There are a number of ways you can enhance your event with the help of technology.
You could, for example, develop an app that can be used for registration. The app could also be home to a whole world of information. It could be a virtual wallet for tickets, a news feed for up-to-the-minute information regarding the event, offer extra behind the scenes content and help with networking amongst delegates.
When you choose to embrace technology, rather than fight against it, the possibilities for audience engagement are endless.
Incorporating interactive elements into your event can be a really fun way of engaging audiences. What’s more, there are dozens of ways of doing this which can all be adapted for lots of different types of events.
Rather than think of your audience as a passive entity simply receiving information, think of them as participants. What will capture their attention and imaginations? Interactive elements you could use in your events include:
Lots of event organisers sometimes shy away from using interactivity for one reason or another. This, however, will never solve the problem of lacklustre audience engagement. Instead, try a few things and measure uptake and feedback to find what does work for your audience, then you can apply your findings to the next event!
Most people are using at least one social media platform every day, be that Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, ClubHouse etc. Throughout your event, there is no doubt that attendees will also tap into social media, so why not harness that?
A great way to kickstart engagement with your event on social media is to formulate a hashtag. Not only can you use this hashtag to create a buzz around your events by sharing things on social media, but you can also encourage your audience to do so as well.
Social media also offers a great insight into what people are saying about your event, and all feedback is good feedback.
When organising an event, it’s important to keep in mind what you are trying to achieve. For example, if you are arranging a product launch, the overarching goal of the event will be to raise awareness of the product and boost pre-orders.
Every aspect of your event should be geared towards these goals. What is it your audience is looking for? What do they enjoy engaging with? How can you include that in your event?
These are all things to keep in mind when planning talks, activities, exhibitions, and even team-building events.
Here at KDM Events, we know a thing or two about what makes audiences tick. As an award-winning events management company, we have experience arranging all kinds of events from conferences to corporate away days and much more.
If you’re drawing a blank on how to engage audiences at your next event, talk to us. Our Event Managers are bursting with fresh, innovative, and creative ideas to help you keep audiences engaged and make your event a success. What’s more, we have all the resources you need to make it a reality from start to finish!
