Activities to Engage Your Audience Between Events

Last month, I was honored to be a featured speaker in NorthStar Meetings Group’s webinar on attendee engagement. Talking with Elise Schoening and Cindy Y. Lo, I was so inspired by the ideas that we shared—and also the pain points. Below are some tips to engage attendees in person or digitally in between events. For the full conversation, click on the button below to be directed to the NorthStar Meetings Group’s website.

Suggestions for Activities to Engage Your Audience Between Events:

Create a Collaborative Playlist:

Since I have been in the industry for a few decades, I have worked long-term with Clients whose budget has shifted significantly year over year. Sometimes, we have to get very creative with the tools that our attendees already use and create a collaborative opportunity. Enter: The collaborative playlist! I created a vacation-inspired Spotify playlist during the pandemic, and it was interesting to see people's picks for best "Wanderlust" songs. Cindy and I thought it would be fun to create a playlist that, this time, is specifically for event professionals. The theme is about your "Get Ish Done" inspiration. What song just makes you feel like anything is possible (and you can achieve it?) From Journey to Bad Bunny and Andrew WK, you wouldn’t believe the vibe we’re curating. Spotify users: Click this link to add your song, or follow along on the playlist!

Plan Micro Meetups:

Create spaces for your community to interact, even if you’re not necessarily hosting the event. For example, host a micro-meetup or watch party in conjunction with a global industry event. Maybe you buy a virtual ticket, watch a few sessions, and have a tactical discussion afterward. Maybe you bring in a few speakers and have a thoughtful discussion about the topic that’s being covered in the conference. Overall, create ways for people to feel involved and connected.

Curate a Social Media Group:

From Bespoke apps to Facebook to LinkedIn and Slack, there’s a platform for that. The focus is multichannel communication, and bonus points if you are able to facilitate discussions or create prompts within the group. There must be actual, not just perceived, value for people to stay.

What’s your favorite way to create opportunities for connection in between events, or in the digital realm?