The Bar For Event Engagement Has Been Raised Through The Roof

We’ve seen a dramatic shift in how events are hosted and attended in the past year and as an event team, it’s tempting to think that these venues are the solution to all your problems. With the rise of virtual platforms like Hopin, Zoom, Hubilo — learning how to engage your audience has become paramount in how we do events. Here are a few things you’ll need to cope with as an events team post-pandemic:

• “Virtual platforms are just another event venue”
  Yush Sztalkoper, Conferences & Events Director at Foundation for California Community Colleges

It’s true, virtual event platforms were always an ersatz solution to an in-person event venue. However, they’ve helped reveal the gaping blindspots of operational efficiency & missed engagement opportunities that you’d be remiss not to assess for in post-pandemic program planning. Supporting both in-person & virtual events will be critical for holistic event engagement.

In-person and virtual events are necessary for maximizing outreach and inclusivity, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses. In-person events are great for building community and getting people excited about your cause, while virtual events can reach a wider audience at a fraction of the cost. When used together, in-person and virtual events can create an energized, passionate community that is actively engaged.

• You can’t replace in-person events

In-person events will always be the gold standard, there is no replacing them. The pandemic has forced event teams to get creative and try to replicate the in-person experience online, but it’s just not the same. We can’t lose sight of what makes events special — the human connection. There is something about being in a room with people that can’t be replicated over a Zoom call or webinar. In a world that is increasingly digital, there is still no substitute for meeting someone in person and sharing an experience together.

• The bar for event engagement has been raised through the roof

“If you’re in events, then you know that the standard for engagement has been raised through the roof in recent years,” says Melani Luedtke-Taylor, Event Strategy Consultant. In order to engage today’s audiences, you need more than just a pretty setting and good food. No longer is it enough to simply put on an event; now, you have to create a truly unique and engaging experience and be a steward for your audience.

It’s now 2022 and event engagement has grown way bigger than a single person’s job and way bigger than a single department’s scope — it has evolved into something much larger than what we have ever known.

It truly is a cross-functional effort that requires the entire organization. The effort to engage your audience through meaningful interaction & experiences has already exceeded far beyond our previous standards — some might even say the ceiling was previously “the roof” pre-pandemic 🥲

As we get closer to post-pandemic times, it’s evident the effort involved to create an engaged community has changed for good and will only continue to increase over time. However, if done right, the impact & rewards are immeasurable.

Want to know how easy it is? Get in touch with our team and we’ll make sure that MeeteR is the perfect platform to help you achieve event engagement success.