How can you communicate with stakeholders who are unable to attend your event?

Tell your story I'm always amazed at the amount of content that gets left on the "cutting room floor" after an event. If you have the budget, why not create a highlights video? If you don't, what about some photos during the event and then a LinkedIn article. You can take them with your phone. It's also a great way of tagging people who contributed, like speakers. Personally I'm less likely to read a long piece of text on email. Finally, the most important thing is the call to action. What are you asking them to do once they've watched your video? Sign up? Become a member? Join a webinar? PS I also love the idea of inviting people to your campus or office if they're in town, which someone else mentioned.

The key is to understand the goals and desires of your stakeholders early on. This helps you understand where to focus your efforts in not only the production, but documentation. I always try to get to each groups "why". Why is this event happening? Why do you want to speak at the event? Why do you want to attend? By defining these points, you can also see if there are groups you might be forgetting. You might even realize there is a misalignment on the expectations of the event. Take time to then look at how those goals can be achieved and proven. If a sponsor says they want to 10 new clients or a speaker wants 500 new followers on instagram, find ways to track and attribute that success to the event.

Providing relevant and timely information is key to successful stakeholder communication. It's all about striking that balance between meeting their needs and not overwhelming them. Irrelevant or outdated information can be a turn-off, so focusing on clarity, accuracy, and value is crucial. Consistency and a well-thought-out communication plan are equally essential for building trust.

While communication is a great tool, I like to invite stakeholders to our update meetings so they can ask questions in real-time. I give them access to our team communication tools and group meeting minutes as well. When possible, we set up a live stream for them to tune in to the parts of the event they are most interested in.

I am in Higher Education -- relationship with stakeholders often mean an exchange of industry partnership with research/student engagement so following up should always include an invitation to visit campus where we can have a more personalize exchange.

Assign the communication to someone on your team. The planner is responsible for way too many decisions during the event to be stopping to provide updates or staying up all night crafting communications. Work alongside a competent volunteer who understands the needs, communicate to your stakeholders that this person will be providing their updates during the event, and schedule a follow up meeting after the event to regroup personally with them to ensure they received the necessary information.