How do you involve your speakers, sponsors, and partners in your event storytelling strategy?

We learned in 3rd grade that stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but what are the real components of great storytelling at events? - Stories are about people. Customer spotlights, employee features, team connection, executive chats, all demonstrate the human element of your brand.?????? - Heroes journey. What significant challenge did the heroine overcome that invited the audience to empathize and emotionally connect with the protagonist. ????♀? - Nothing connects with an audience quite like laughter. We love the heart wrenching sob stories, but never underestimate the need for comedy in storytelling, even if the story is a drama. ?? Leverage storytelling with characters, challenges, and comedy to engage the audience.

From my experience, involving speakers, sponsors, and partners in your event storytelling creates a richer, more engaging narrative. Start by aligning their stories with your event’s theme-let speakers share personal insights and experiences that resonate with your audience. For sponsors, highlight their impact or values that tie into the event’s purpose. Make them part of the story by showcasing how their support helps bring the event to life. Engage partners by allowing them to share behind-the-scenes content or participate in pre-event promotions. When everyone’s story is woven into the event, it feels more authentic and collaborative, making the event experience more meaningful for attendees.

Craft your event story from the get-go, even before contracting vendors. Know your audience, both internal and external. Understand their behaviors from arrival to departure. Remember, your story begins before anyone arrives and continues long after they leave.

A strategic or creative brief serves as a crucial guiding light. It aligns all contributors, ensuring everyone is working towards the same goal. Without it, there's a risk of misalignment, with different contributors potentially working at cross purposes. The Event Canvas is a powerful tool that can assist teams in articulating a comprehensive and effective strategic brief. It allows the team to ask powerful questions and develop an effective event story that leads to useful answers. By using the Event Canvas methodology to articulate your Event Narrative and develop a strategic brief, you can ensure that your team has a clear understanding of the event's objectives and can work together to transform vision into reality.

Involving speakers, sponsors, and partners effectively in your event storytelling requires a well-defined narrative. Start by identifying the core theme or message of your event. Ask yourself: What unique story are we trying to tell? What do we want to achieve, and how does this resonate with our audience's interests and needs? Once you have this storyline, communicate it clearly to your speakers, sponsors, and partners. Encourage them to weave this narrative into their presentations, branding, and promotional activities. This unified approach ensures that every aspect of your event contributes to a cohesive and compelling story, deeply engaging your audience and leaving a lasting impact.

Not to be overlooked is the role of the professional emcee and the value they bring to an event. Choosing the right emcee can have a significant impact on the success of your event as they seamlessly tie all the content and themes together. A skilled Content Weaver Emcee will create events people remember long after and stay focussed on creating the right audience experience.

Speakers could be those who have been invited because they have gone above & beyond for our company, won some type of award & will be presented with it at this event

Consider having speakers record a short video overview of their presentation to use as marketing for the event. This serves multiple purposes: 1. It allows speakers an opportunity to share what they will be talking about to encourage attendance at their session. 2. As the organizer, you'll have the chance to ensure the speaker's presentation is aligned with your story before they hit the stage! 3. Attendees get to see and hear directly from the speakers which creates a connection before the event.

Involving speakers in your event's story, think beyond just sharing guidelines. Have a real conversation about what your event stands for and how their expertise can amplify this story. Encourage them to share personal anecdotes or case studies that align with your theme, making their talks more relatable and engaging. Instead of just dictating the format and duration, collaborate with them to shape sessions that feel authentic and dynamic. And remember, feedback is a two-way street – their insights can also refine your event narrative, making it more resonant for your audience. This approach fosters a more organic, mutually beneficial relationship with your speakers, enriching the overall event experience.

When I work on presentation coordination or speaker message development for an event, I like to first help develop the messaging with the most important stakeholder. Then I coordinate with the other presenters to pull through the major themes and sometimes examples that are in that major stakeholder’s presentation while avoiding overlap and underlap between all the presenters. A great story doesn’t say the same thing the same way over and over. Even better is when I also get to be emcee or keynote speaker because then I can create a complete pull through. The most important question to ask throughout though is “where is the need?” Every speaker should address the same overarching need that motivates that particular event to begin with.

Sponsors & partners offering incentives to attendees (customers/clients) in the form of their products is a double reward for them. See next comment for synergy of this idea

To diversify sponsor and partner involvement, move beyond standard content. Encourage them to co-create engaging, theme-aligned experiences that showcase their brand uniquely. This approach transforms them from mere sponsors to active storytellers, enhancing the event experience and forging a deeper audience connection.

Incorporating sponsors and partners into the event’s storytelling strategy is more crucial than ever. It's not just about logos; it's about creating a seamless narrative that enhances the overall experience. To achieve this, understanding the goals and expectations of both parties is essential. By aligning these objectives, we can create mutually beneficial opportunities that resonate with the audience and amplify the event’s impact. Whether it’s through engaging content, interactive experiences, or strategic placements, the integration of sponsors and partners should feel natural and add value to the event. This approach not only strengthens partnerships but also elevates the entire event experience.

Rewards for involvement, feedback & other types of input from the customer/client side of things.. because not only do I get to show my appreciation for this valuable feedback (by a reward) but I can acknowledge these people at the live event which helps to keep the audience engaged without adding anything new to the live event agenda

Pre-event research and surveys are a must! Many hosts get it wrong because they assume they know what their audience wants instead of asking?? Having your attendees help contribute to the speaker selection, activations, down to scheduling programming can help you anticipate and execute your event in a more seamless and effective way. e.g. ask attendees to guess who the keynote is or take a poll on the type of on-site activities you may have or what’s on the menu etc But don’t stop there! Get more feedback by finding ways to ask how things are going during and post-event too. Share what you’re bringing back and how you plan to improve to help with retention and word of mouth. People love to feel seen ??? and heard ????

For a fresh perspective on involving attendees, consider turning them into co-creators of your event story. Instead of traditional surveys, engage them in real-time interactive polls or brainstorming sessions during the event. Utilize social media for live reactions and discussions, making the storytelling a dynamic, crowd-sourced experience. This approach not only gathers instant feedback but also deepens attendee engagement, making them integral to shaping the event narrative.

Benefit from programmatic techniques to improve attendees experience. Using demographic and behavioral data, it is possible to target advertising, personalize experience, offer recommendations based on individual interests, promote real-time interactivity and collect feedback for future improvements, creating more engaging and relevant experiences, thus increasing the event perceived value.

When it comes to event storytelling, your attendees are the true protagonists. Incorporating them into your event storytelling strategy is essential for a successful and memorable event. Understanding their needs, preferences, and satisfaction is key. Engage with your participants before, during, and after the event through surveys and feedback sessions. This helps tailor the experience to their expectations and ensures continuous improvement. Moreover, create interactive and participatory sessions that allow attendees to connect, share their views, and collaborate with others. These engagements not only enhance the event experience but also foster a sense of community and belonging.