How do you involve your speakers, sponsors, and partners in your event storytelling strategy?
Sarah Thompson
PR & Communications Specialist Journalist - NUJ/IFJ Collaborating with a diverse range of private, public & charity sector organisations through retained agreements, short-term contracts & bespoke tailored projects
Event storytelling is a powerful way to create memorable and engaging experiences for your attendees, speakers, sponsors, and partners. It can help you showcase your brand values, connect with your audience, and generate buzz and loyalty.
But how do you involve your stakeholders in your event storytelling strategy?
Define your event story
Before you start planning your event, you need to have a clear idea of what your event story is.
What is the main theme or message of your event?
What are the goals and objectives of your event?
Who are your target audience and what are their needs and interests?
How do you want them to feel and act after your event?
Your event story should answer these questions and guide your decisions throughout the event planning process.
Involve your speakers
Your speakers are the key storytellers of your event, offering expertise, insights, and stories that resonate with your audience and support your event theme. To ensure their involvement in your event storytelling strategy, effective communication is key.
Share your event story and objectives with them and ask them to align their presentations accordingly.
Provide a clear brief that outlines your expectations for their sessions, such as the format, duration, style, and tone. Encourage them to use stories, examples, and data to illustrate their points and engage the audience.
Request that they include a call to action or a takeaway message at the end of their sessions that relates to your event story. Lastly, give them feedback and suggestions on how to improve their delivery and content.
Involve your sponsors and partners
Involving sponsors and partners in your event storytelling strategy is essential. To do this, you need to comprehend their goals and expectations and create mutually beneficial opportunities.
You can match their target audience and objectives with yours, offer customized sponsorship and partnership packages that align with your event story, invite them to participate in your event content, such as panels or demos, showcase their stories, testimonials, and case studies that highlight their expertise, impact, and relevance to your event theme, and thank them for their support.
Involve your attendees
Your attendees are the primary figures of your event story and involving them in your event storytelling strategy is essential. You should survey your attendees to understand their needs, preferences, and satisfaction before, during, and after the event.
Additionally, use social media, email, and other channels to communicate with your attendees and share your event story. Furthermore, you should create interactive and participatory sessions that allow attendees to ask questions, share their views, and collaborate with others.
Encourage them to share their stories, experiences, and learning from your event on social media, blogs, or podcasts.
Finally, collect and showcase their feedback, testimonials, and stories that demonstrate the value and impact of your event.