As a New York event planner, you likely recognize the movement to adopt virtual events and hybrid events. The digital event audience is just as important as the in-person audience, too. So, how can you make these online engagements just as memorable and exciting as your in-person experiences? Check out these insights for significantly boosting your virtual event and hybrid event attendee engagement!
1. Encourage Virtual Event Guests to Invite Others
As you build online excitement leading up to the date of your virtual event, consider asking your confirmed attendees to invite others. By deputizing your loyal subscribers, you can capitalize on their ability to be an ambassador for your virtual or hybrid event. And virtual guests will be more apt to join your event if they’re signing in with other people they know well.
2. Bring in Virtual Event and Hybrid Event Sponsors
Just as you would secure sponsors for your in-person New York events and conferences, consider creating an aggressive strategy for targeting virtual event sponsors. Find companies and brands that routinely market to your event audience. Create tiers of sponsorship opportunities that include mentions, banner ads, event promotional advantages, and attendee perks.
3. Get Creative with Virtual Event Activities and Entertainment
Just because your virtual event guests are sitting alone at their computers doesn’t mean they don’t expect to be educated, entertained, and enlightened by your online experience. So, get creative with bringing in digital entertainment options. These might include:
- Guest or Keynote Speakers
- Online Games and Challenges
- Virtual Escape Room Fun
- Musical Guests
- Product or Service Demos
- Influencer Engagements
- Magicians, Mentalists, or Comedians
4. Use Online Polls and Surveys
Keep your virtual event audiences engaged and tuned into your presentations and experiences using real-time live polling and surveys. Leverage virtual event and meeting software that creates quick and easy polling questions to get in-the-moment feedback from guests. Answer questions live and use these guest insights to maintain event momentum and overall engagement.
5. Create Easy-to-Use Chat Features
Encourage online event guests to interact with you, the speakers, and each other using brilliant chat and group chat features within your meeting platform. Prompt engagements by asking questions, and be sure to show your digital audience how to use these cool features. Remind them to connect and network with each other, exchanging contact information and inspiring chat conversations.
6. Embrace Digital Diversity Features
Make your hybrid event or virtual engagement user-friendly and welcoming for a global audience. Consider using virtual event platforms that have easy-to-use features for language translations, for example. Walk guests through all the features they can use to make their online experience more conducive to their preferences, including color shading for those who are color deficient, closed-captioning, screen-sharing options, and sound variations.
New York event planners are quickly becoming masters at hosting brilliant hybrid events and virtual events. Keep these attendee engagement suggestions in mind as you curate your virtual events. And learn even more about improving your event planning skills when you get tickets to The Event Planner Expo 2023 this October!
