Lisa leads corporate marketing at Kaltura. She enjoys finding the right balance between the art and science of marketing.
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Whether it’s a birthday party or a week-long global conference, planning an event always comes with uncertainty—there’s no way to know what kind of attendance there will be until the kickoff time rolls around and people start to show up. Before the pandemic, when in-person events were still the rule, registration held real weight. Now, in the age of virtual events—where signing up only takes a few clicks—registration numbers are harder to trust.
This is not to say these figures are meaningless. They are still a factor in any event’s success. But how can organizers make registration mean more?
It comes down to engagement: more specifically, reimagining engagement not just as what happens when the event kicks off but also as a part of the event through all its stages, from pre-event marketing through the registration period and even after it has ended.
Although keeping participants engaged throughout the life cycle of an event is no easy task, garnering brand loyalty means staying connected with audiences long before the actual event starts and maintaining consistent communication after it ends.
Get Those Numbers Up
Registration and ensuring attendance pose challenges for both virtual and in-person events. So how can marketers mitigate fears that they won’t meet their registration goals or that registration numbers won’t accurately reflect attendance?
A strong registration opening will help marketers set the tone for engagement leading up to the event. For instance, video teasers with messages from keynote speakers or a celebrity host are a great way to pique interest and ensure continued excitement up to the time of the event. Sharing bios for the most nameworthy speakers is another way to both grab and hold people’s attention.
Move From Interest To Intent
Registration is just the beginning.
Yes, virtual events are easier to register for, but they’re also easier to skip out on if they’re inconvenient … or to forget about altogether. Accordingly, event marketers should keep up the momentum, drum up excitement and maintain engagement so that the event remains top of mind.
Engagement is more intangible and can be trickier to track than attendance or registration. It can also be a challenge for virtual events in particular, so it follows that engagement tools are a key factor for marketers to consider when they’re choosing an event platform.
One way to capture the attention of audiences is to advertise an event not only as a way to engage with speakers and learn new information but also as a community-building tool with networking potential that will far outlast the event itself.
Community building and personalized networking opportunities are extremely important aspects of both virtual and in-person events. Accordingly, make sure your event has ample Q&A sessions, live chats, breakout discussions for niche interests, image- and video-sharing opportunities that will draw audiences to the event, testimonials from participants, and other activities that encourage engagement on a community level. Offering various avenues for interactivity is a surefire way to increase engagement and ensure that participants enjoy a unique and personalized experience.
Consider The ‘Brand Loyalty’ Factor
The best events aren’t just a single moment in time. They have the potential to be a high point every year for loyal attendees.
Event promoters should strive to create an event site that can be a knowledge hub for visitors to enjoy and learn from even after the event has ended. This way, attendees can return as needed to take advantage of (and hopefully share) the resources that will help define the event. These could include an extended video-on-demand (VOD) library, keynote presentation decks and other relevant content.
Turning video clips of the best-attended virtual sessions into written blog posts or white papers can also help ensure that content stays relevant and up to date, ideally until the next event rolls around.
Don’t Stop The Party
No two events should ever be the same. Each provides an opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of the previous one. Accordingly, it’s important to always follow up for general feedback and find out what your audience liked and disliked about the event, whether you do so through end-of-event questionnaires or surveys you send out afterward.
Engagement with audiences should never really end. The content from any given event will generate interest—but a strong community can keep the flame alive, both virtually and in person.
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