It’s no secret that event professionals are looking for new ways to increase audience engagement. The days of “Let’s have a show of hands for…” are in the rearview mirror for today’s speakers. With the arrival of virtual and hybrid events, old methods are now obsolete. Integrating technology that allows for audience participation is the new frontier.
How to Engage Present Day Audiences
Engagement is trickier than ever with remote and hybrid events. Zoom fatigue is a real problem for such events, as well as a feeling of disconnection participants can feel. Here’s how to overcome it:
- Integrate live polling. Live polling is not only an easy way to let the audience’s opinions be heard, but it also provides you with insight into what topics are relevant to focus on. In the past, live polling has been achieved with “clickers” or other dedicated polling devices. Today these have been replaced by software, allowing participants to vote on their phones through an app or browser for virtual, hybrid, or in-person events. But with live polls becoming more common, they are losing novelty.
- Gamify your event. Incorporating games into your event and creating friendly competition grabs and retains the focus of your audience. Your goals for the event should dictate the right game for you. To increase foot traffic at a conference, create a Scavenger Hunt and have attendees search around your venue for clues or codes. To increase time spent at your trade show booth, have visitors spin a Spin Wheel for prizes or discounts.
- Reduce barriers to participation. To encourage active engagement, it needs to be as easy and seamless as possible for attendees to join in. Don’t walk around with a microphone asking people to speak up. Don’t ask people to register for an account and then verify their email just to play. You want as little friction here as possible. Apps are ok but even asking attendees to download something to their phone is a barrier. Ideally you want people to join by simply scanning a QR code or typing in a URL.
- Involve your audience at the conclusion. The end of your event is a great opportunity to gather some feedback. The classic strategy here is a Q&A. This still has merit and has been successfully digitized into many event platforms. A more novel approach is to end with Live Trivia. For this you can combine questions about the topic at hand with some fun questions to make sure people are having fun and staying entertained at your virtual, hybrid, or in-person event. This not only leaves everyone on a good note, but reinforces your message by quizzing them on your subject matter.
I believe games are a powerful tool to bring people together, boost energy in the room, and deliver your message. That’s why I founded Duelbox, a leading event gamification platform.
About the author:
Robert Sarosi is a seasoned event professional and founder of Duelbox.
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