5 Ways To Boost Event Engagement

When it comes to hosting an event for your business, there can be a lot of pressure associated with the process. You not only have to worry about making sure guests have a fantastic time, but you want to make sure you see a return on the investment of putting it on in the first place.

Events are about engaging with your audience and making connections that will last longer than the event itself. You want customers to think about your event, interact with your business, and choose your products long after the event.

But how can you make that happen? Please stick with us; we’ll walk you through helpful ideas for boosting engagement at your next event.

What Is Engagement?

Before we get into how to boost engagement, let’s go over what qualifies as engagement. When your consumer engages with your brand, it is more than buying an item.

Engagement is just one step on a brand’s journey, and it includes the following:

1. Awareness: Getting the customer to recognize your brand
2. Trust: Getting the customer to be open to your brand as an option
3. Engagement: Getting the customer to engage with the market of your brand
4. Loyalty: Giving the customer a positive interaction to promote retention
5. Insistence: Getting the customer to use your company for that product exclusively
6. Advocation: Getting the customer to tell others about your brand and vouch for it

Engagement is how your customer interacts with your brand. The more you can progress that customer through their engagement journey, the more you will likely acquire other customers.

Five Ways To Boost Event Engagement

Whether you're gearing up for a soft launch, hard launch, or simply throwing another fantastic event for your business, keep reading for our tips to boost event engagement.

1. Entice

People love perks. This means that when you send out an event invite, you need to give people a reason to show up.

Entice them. Make them feel like you’re putting on a can’t-miss event.

While you want your guests to enjoy their time, other than a great experience, what can you offer them? Here are some suggestions:

• Discounts
• Memberships
• Prizes
• Exclusives (access, first looks, member-only events)
• Free product

It’s the little things that will set you apart from the rest. Show your audience appreciation by offering them something in return for their time.

Anything you can do to stand out from the crowd is what you should do to boost your brand.

2. Value Proposition

As we just mentioned, you’ve got to find a way to set your business apart from the rest.

Value proposition means showing your consumer that your brand offers something others can’t. It’s the edge you have over your competition.

The best way to impress value is to show your customer:

• Specific ways they will benefit from your company
• How your product can improve their life or remedy a problem
• Why it’s exclusive to your company

It does not matter if your event is virtual or in-person. You must ask yourself how you can show your brand’s value proposition to your consumer at the event. When you are planning your event, keep this front of mind and make it happen.

3. Authenticity

One of the essential elements when it comes to branding is authenticity. As a brand, you must know the following:

• Who you are
• What you want to be known for
• What audience you want to serve
• Why you want to help that community
• How you can make an impact on your consumer

So, when it comes to your event, you must ensure it is authentic to your brand. Your event should line up with what customers expect from you.

This does not mean that you can’t do anything new or exciting, but it does mean that your event should be celebrating something that makes sense for your brand.

For example, if you run a company that supplies vacuum cleaners, your event should not be to test out something that has nothing to do with your product or something that can enhance it.

If the event is a hard launch of your new company, it should clearly show your audience what you’re all about and what they can expect from you in the future.

If your business has been around for a while, your event should employ the same tone, aesthetic, and personality your consumer knows and loves.

4. The Main Attraction

It would be best if you planned something at your event to surprise and delight your guests. There are many ways to go in this area, from performers to fireworks. But our suggestion? Make it interactive. Employ the metaverse.

As a company in the metaverse space, that might sound a little biased, but it’s true. The metaverse is heating up. There are many ways to incorporate the metaverse into your event, and it can serve as the main attraction.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is the act of taking digital elements and combining them with the real world. It’s taking something already there and using technology to enhance it.

Let’s say you run a clothing company, and you want to incorporate a fitting room into your event. Instead of having guests try on clothes, you could use Illumix’s Virtual Try-On.

This experience will allow customers to participate in a virtual experience on their smartphone and see what each product will look like on their body without having to try on clothes at a party.

Customers will love that you went the extra mile with an excellent AR experience that also encourages them to interact with your product.

Creating an augmented reality space for your guests would be the main attraction.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is an immersive experience that transports users into an alternate universe. VR usually requires an external device, like a headset, to deliver users to the virtual world.

Much like AR, VR opens up endless opportunities. It is so much more than just video games. With VR, you can take your guests to new worlds or experiences they might not otherwise have.

Depending on your company's products, find something that makes sense for your brand and integrate VR into your event.

Think outside of the box — consider experiences like:

• Rock climbing, rowing, or any sport
• Concerts, movies, significant events
• Climb Everest
• Play chess
• Travel the world
• Meditate
• Visit a museum

With VR, possibilities are limitless. Again, your guests will love that you went the extra mile to create such a unique experience. That makes this option a surefire showstopper for your event.

5. Keep the Connection

After you’ve tackled the massive task of putting on a successful event, the work doesn’t end there. You’ve entertained your guests, shown them a great time, and boosted your brand's visibility.

Now you need to keep that relationship alive. It would be best if you ensured the engagement goes beyond the event, creates a lasting impact, and builds a relationship.

There are many ways to do this, including:

• Sending thank you notes or emails
• Email and text marking with discount codes
• Surveys
• Invites to other events

The small gestures you make and the marketing strategy you take afterward to keep the engagement journey rolling.

What Else?

We’ve given you our most significant suggestions to boost event engagement, but are there other little things you can do? Of course.

See below for our ten mini tips to secure a smooth event:

1. Organize and create an agenda
2. Ensure accessibility
3. Create social media buzz
4. Secure a host
5. Create a community feel
6. Encourage communication
7. Create a backup plan and expect to troubleshoot
8. Deliver what you promise
9. Overdeliver, when possible
10. Thank your guests

An event that runs smoothly is essential to give guests a positive experience. When your guests tell their friends about your event, you want them to engage and lift your company. What you put into your event is what you will get out of your event.

The Takeaway

When it comes to boosting event engagement, here are the most significant things to consider:

• It would be best if you found a way to attract your customer to your event.
• Your event should be an extension of who your brand is and why they serve your audience.
• You must create the best experience for your guests once they get there, so you stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression.
• Engagement is a journey you must nurture before, during, and after your event.

Web 3.0 technologies, such as the metaverse and augmented reality, can be a great way to boost event engagement and guarantee an excellent experience for your audience.

Here at Illumix, we specialize in building dynamic AR experiences that can enhance your brand. We’ve done the heavy lifting already. Contact us to learn how we can help.

Sources:

Brand Engagement Guide for Your Business | Maryville Online

Value Proposition: What It Is + 8 Winning Examples (2022) ⎸ Shopify

How And Why To Build Brand Authenticity ⎸ Forbes