How to shake things up when planning a business event
July 31, 2019 | Apex Events, Pharma Events, event planning
One of the most important tasks when planning a business event is making sure you have an engaging and relevant agenda. In fact, not looking after this step could severely impact on the success of the occasion. And not in a good way!
Despite this, time after time, organisations think they can get away with using the same old event format. But take it from us, if you don’t inspire, inform or challenge your attendees, any money spent on creating an event is going to end up wasted. People value their time, and they don’t react well if you squander it. So, how can you shake up your next event and ensure you deliver those all-important messages in ways that inform, impress, entertain, and motivate?
Try a different event format when planning a business event
Attendees don’t want passive event experiences. Let’s face it; nobody enjoys death by PowerPoint. To create events that people want to attend, why not try something new? For example, rather than the traditional plenary + breakout sessions format, event structures that might serve your audience better include:
- Intimate sessions such as simulations, training and workshops
- Teambuilding initiatives
- Collaborative peer-to-peer sessions.
Keep it short and snappy
Research shows that the average British attention span is now just 14 minutes. So, rather than 60-minute speaking slots, consider shorter, livelier presentations that won’t have people tuning out halfway through.
Put your audience in control
Some conference organisers are forgoing the presentation and are just running Q&A sessions that allow the audience to set the agenda. The ultimate aim is to ensure audience engagement and buy-in. Ultimately, it’s about making attendees a part of your event, rather than just passive spectators.
Provide added-value content during your event
As part of your event content strategy, you should create additional, added-value content to amplify your message and keep people engaged. This content could be provided via a dedicated event app, or shared at key locations throughout the day.
This could include things like:
- Videos
- Games
- Vox pops
- Behind the scenes exposés
- Phot stations
- Survey results
- Emails
- Live social media posts
- Interviews from attendees and speakers
- VR/AR content
- Experiential guerrilla communications.
Use a high-profile speaker
There is a broad range of professional hosts and speakers for your corporate events. With someone suitable to talk about virtually any topic you can think of. From TV personalities and entertainers to motivational experts and experts in a chosen field, the right speaker for you will depend on your event and what you are trying to achieve.
Create immersive events
Today’s event planners must be able to construct compelling, multi-sensory experiences that evoke genuine emotions from attendees. And, one way they are doing this is by using the power of VR and AR.
For example, at Apex, we use immersive Lumentium technology to bring a truly unique gastronomic event experience to customers based in the UK, and across the globe. Find out more about Lumentium in partnership with Apex.co.uk
Get help from an event planning expert
Modern event planners must be able to come up with solutions that go beyond traditional thinking. Instead, to create events that deliver, the should be able to generate new ideas and think about things differently.
But help is at hand, and with over 30 years’ experience creating exceptional corporate events, at Apex, we bring all our expertise and knowledge to the table.
Crucially, we never make any assumptions about what format your event should take. Instead, we start by looking at your event (and its history), your target audience, your business objectives, and your communications culture. Armed with this information, we then work with you to re-engineer your conference agenda and format to achieve:
- Better uptake of invitations
- Better delegate interaction
- More effective communication of key messages
- Better overall feedback and delegate satisfaction.
Understanding the immense effort that goes into preparing for events, we work with you to help reach your goals and achieve a truly positive experience. If you’d like to find out more about how we can make your events a success, contact us to find out more. Or give us a call today on + 44 (0)1625 429370 to discuss your requirements in more depth.
This content was provided by Apex.co.uk Events and Exhibition Stands
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