Live events are a powerful way to connect with your audience, showcase your brand personality, and create memorable experiences. But how can you plan and execute a live event that aligns with your brand identity, values, and goals? Here are some tips to help you create a successful live event that reflects your brand and resonates with your attendees.
Before you start planning your live event, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What are your objectives, key messages, and desired outcomes? How do you want your audience to feel, think, and act after attending your event? How will you measure your success? Having a clear purpose will help you define your event concept, format, content, and promotion strategy.
Begin with another question (your guests will sure to be asking if the tide turns), "Could we accomplish our goals in any other more effective way?" If that's a no, then build on the conviction and lean into the live aspect by including networking opportunities, options for spontaneity, and less "see me on a stage" with more "what can participants walk away knowing/feeling that they didn't sit down with."
First off, drop memorable from the equation. Events don’t need to be memorable, they need to be effective. If you want “memorable,” start small. The #Oscars started in a hotel ballroom. The #SuperBowl started in Green Bay. Every event should be treated like a plant. It should start as a seed. Nurtured into a plant, and supported as a tree. Events are easy, longevity is the challenge. Get out there and kick ass.
We speak to clients daily who don't have an answer to 'why do you want to have this event?' I think often, the people we speak to are the researchers and not the stakeholders. Which means the stakeholders aren't giving a strong enough brief to their research team. This in turn means ideas gathered aren't going to be as strong or relevant as they could be. We all understand Simon Sinek when he says, 'Start with Why', but so often people then don't! The more effort you give to knowing why you want something (in our case a team building or team development experience) and how you know the intervention has been successful, the more value you are going to get from your investment. Every time.
Depending on your purpose, budget, and audience, you can choose from different types of live events, such as webinars, workshops, seminars, conferences, product launches, networking events, or entertainment events. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to consider what suits your brand best. For example, if you want to educate your audience, a webinar or a workshop might be a good option. If you want to create buzz and excitement, a product launch or an entertainment event might be more appropriate.
The format sets the tone for the engagement you get back. If it's up close and personal the conversation can shift between business and casual without coming across as forced. If its virtual on a call the format is a little different. It should cover the topic at hand and sprinkle in some side topics but always comes back on track. The audience can still connect and take away some little insights from the speaker(s) and you want that to be whats on their mind for the following days, the moments that they took from your event.
At VaynerSpeakers, we remind ourselves daily that no two events are the same. With that in mind, format does not need to be static. The best events can meld different formats and event models together to create a memorable experience. Panels, workshops, Q&As, speeches, debates, meet & greets, etc. There are a multitude of ways to align different event formats to appeal to the maximum amount of people and keep your event differentiated from your competition and for your audience.
Bring the streaming gears to the events, will build the events from offline to online, get the connection wider and stronger for both parties. The gears such as RGBlink mini-mx and vue PTZ had taken care so many events and known as a portable and affordable events production tools.
If possible, choose a format where you are all together in person. This is the best/fastest/most effective way to grow as a team. Of course this isn't always possible because of the wider geographic spread of teams in this day and age. Remember to consider the real investment of any intervention you have and how this relates to the salaries of individuals in the team (it's often a relatively small figure compared to the cost of recruiting and engaging individuals at work) and the level of success you are aiming to achieve. People are the driving force for any business and the closer they are, the more free flowing the communication between them, which is essential for business growth. Would you spend a little more to gain a lot more?
Your content is the core of your live event, so you need to make sure it is relevant, engaging, and valuable for your audience. Your content should reflect your brand voice, tone, and style, as well as your key messages and objectives. You should also consider how to deliver your content in a way that captures your audience's attention and interest. For example, you can use storytelling, visuals, interactive elements, polls, quizzes, Q&A sessions, or gamification to make your content more dynamic and interactive.
Choose a theme that reflects your brand identity and resonates with your target audience. Ensure that all event elements, such as décor, visuals, and activities, align with the theme and reinforce your brand message.
To attract and retain your audience, you need to promote your live event effectively. You need to identify your target audience, choose the right channels and platforms, and create a compelling event landing page and marketing materials. You should also use your brand elements, such as your logo, colors, fonts, images, and slogans, to create a consistent and recognizable event identity. Additionally, you should leverage your existing networks, such as your email list, social media followers, partners, or influencers, to spread the word and generate interest.
During your live event, you need to keep your audience engaged and involved. You can do this by using various techniques, such as asking questions, encouraging feedback, acknowledging comments, creating a sense of community, or offering incentives or rewards. You should also monitor your audience's behavior and reactions, and adjust your content and delivery accordingly. For example, if you notice that your audience is losing interest, you can try to inject some humor, energy, or surprise into your presentation.
There are 2 major elements to engaging your audience during the live event process that many people overlook – removing distractions & tailoring the virtual experience to a "T". You can do both simultaneously by ?? Embedding your virtual events directly on your website. This includes registrations, the live event itself, and the webinar/event recording. Hosting webinars on your website allows you to: ?? Add relevant resources to the webpage ?? Create a completely branded experience ?? Put your audience in front of relevant CTAs ?? Collect audience data in the tools you currently use ?? Not loose your audience by sending them to other platforms (ie. Zoom)
After your live event, you need to follow up with your audience to thank them for attending, collect feedback, provide additional resources, or encourage further action. You should also analyze your event data and metrics, such as attendance, engagement, satisfaction, leads, conversions, or ROI, to evaluate your performance and identify areas of improvement. By following up with your audience, you can strengthen your relationship with them, increase your brand loyalty, and generate more opportunities for future events.