Re-Imagining the Audience Experience Online and In Person
As we progress towards the end of this year, we are looking at a very different world than when the year started, both personally and professionally. Our industry is still greatly impacted by situations that are seemingly out of our control, and as we all rush to find our “let’s fix-it” solutions (it’s what we event creators do every day after all), we may miss the opportunities a disruption of this magnitude can provide. As challenging as this has been and will continue to be – there are ways to emerge stronger than before with a more discerning lens as we gather in person once again to craft live experiences.
Where do we start?
What if we, for this blog, skipped the “usual suspects” of an event we are all familiar with – general session, keynote(s), breakout sessions, expo hall, sponsors, exhibitors, registration, food and beverage, networking, etc., and instead focused only on the attendee behavior? What if we start at the beginning and identify the purpose of why we gather and seek out other like-minded people? What helps us satisfy the basic human desire to connect with one another, and experience the joy of a collective moment? Let’s build from there and imagine what could be.
"Staging great experiences is around intentional design." - Joe Pine “Godfather of the Experience Economy” Interview on XM, 2019
Great brands are constantly evolving and always looking for new ways to find that special moment of connection with their target audience. Now more than ever, brands are adapting their strategies to fit audience desires versus audiences adapting to what the brand desires. If content is king, then emotional alignment is the queen – since we are all so much more digitally empowered today than ever before, we have more choices and are in constant search of an experience (brand or otherwise) that aligns with our own personal values.
As we marketers design event strategies and experiences, we need to begin with the attendee and audience in mind versus what we know “works.” If change is the only constant in everyone’s lives, then marketers and planners who are successful at reaching their audiences are the ones most responsive to change.
When we consider re-imagining what an event could be, here are a few things to keep in mind as we move into the next “new normal”:
› Start conversations ahead of time via social media and let them be part of the program building process.
› Follow-up post event informed by what audiences interacted with digitally, and were most interested in.
› Develop communication channels to break up the usual flow like combining live-streaming pre-recorded content, entertainment, networking, polls, etc.
› Strive to break the "fourth wall" between the audience and presenter.
› Strive to break the “fifth wall” between the in person and online attendees.
› Create bite-sized content with succinct and to-the-point messaging to keep the viewers interest. Attention spans are shorter, and attendees are used to short-form videos, align content accordingly so they don't prematurely leave the session or overall event.
› Smaller, more localized events with tailored audiences in a specific region or demographic vs. giant global events.
› Virtualizing event elements, like registration and sponsorship opportunities, in a new, exciting way with shareable content.
As with any great design, this is where our conversation only begins. I am excited to see where this brave new world takes us and challenge you to share your thoughts and ideas of how you believe our event experiences can improve.