One of the toughest jobs faced by Event Professionals is captivating their attendees. Between juggling venue hire, sponsor prospecting and stakeholder management, there’s a lot that goes into organising an event. A common pitfall can be neglecting or not maintaining attendee engagement leading up to an event. With a little planning and the right event app, driving engagement at your next event can be as effortless and rewarding for you as it is for your attendees.
1. Push Notifications
Keep your attendees in the loop by sending push notifications in the lead up to your event. Advertise speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, key event app elements or new content to keep your attendees checking back and engaged. Bonus points for making use of notification links to direct attendees to relevant pages. Plan ahead of time, set up a document of all planned push notifications and times for stakeholder approval. You’ll then be able to pre-schedule your push notifications using your event app, leaving you to focus on running the event.
2. Gamification
Level up your event by introducing gamification! An event app leaderboard is a great way to drive app adoption rates and engagement. Attendees are rewarded with points and achievements for completing challenges, driving them to explore the event app and engage with their fellow peers. By providing a platform for friendly competition, you’ll be opening up a whole new means of social engagement, helping to break the ice before the event has even begun. There are also a number of opportunities to further encourage your delegates by offering up prizes for those highest scoring individuals.
3. Activity Feed
Build a digital community within your event app by providing a platform for attendees to share experiences and post photos. Lead the way by prompting discussions and posting images of event preparation to build excitement. By establishing a welcoming social environment in your event app, you’ll create a means for your delegates to network and socialise, ensuring their continued activity.
4. Interactive Sessions
Collaborate with your speakers to organise exciting and engaging sessions. Gather each speaker’s desired questions or event app live polls pre-event. Advertise these sessions through event app push notifications to help build interest and attendance. Couple this with the session bookmark feature to allow your attendees to customise their personal schedule.
5. Promotion
Build buzz around your event app by taking advantage of already established social media channels. Work closely with your sponsors, exhibitors and invited speakers to generate engaging content leading up to the event and share it on social media and within your event app. Consider creating a hashtag to further promote the event app and event. Lastly, get creative! A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth even more – here’s an example to get those creative juices flowing.
