In 1851, one of the first worldwide corporate events of the world was held within the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in the Great Exhibition. Since then, for over 170 years, event companies have refined their craft and have a way of engaging their customers through events as an integral part of their marketing and communication strategies.
Despite technological advancements in the past, the format for the events has remained the same. Unchanged, that is, until the pandemic resulted in a dramatic change in the way people engage with each other that saw the world being forced to engage in virtual interactions. As lockdowns ease, the corporate events held in person have a lower attendance rate to meet the new priorities for delegate delegations and the crucial goals for sustainability and carbon emissions. As an example, there is a proposal by the Bank of England that is considering cutting down on air travel for staff.
It is now the right moment for businesses to revitalize their strategies for engagement and drive long-term growth by investing in hybrid and virtual events. There are four steps businesses must take to create and host practical post-pandemic activities that boost growth for a long time and increase customer engagement.
#1 – Enhance your events that are held in person.
The pandemic has profoundly changed the market for events through the introduction of virtual engagement. In November 2020, the total number of people who attended virtual events through the Eventbrite platform was 34 times the amount in January. Therefore, the legitimacy of hosting an event in person is being questioned.
Instead, we have the hybrid model of events. These events permit more attendees to connect more efficiently and interact with the material they enjoy the most. By incorporating this element virtually, typically through platforms like the Live Group hub, attendees can schedule attendance according to their schedules, which means more excellent attendance. Plus, more attendees mean a larger audience for marketing.
When we think about the future, businesses must avoid returning to the old way of thinking that relies too heavily on events held in person to provide instead and focus on accessibility and quality of content for their guests above all else.
#2 – Make the sustainability of the event first
Climate and sustainability initiatives worldwide have influenced consumers to be more aware of environmental concerns, and companies should be transparent about their progress in fulfilling ESG goals. Events are an excellent starting point. In-person events can waste 15% to 15% of the food it creates[1A report from 2019 discovered that the UK events industry produces 1.2bn tons of CO2 generated by diesel generators each year. Virtual events could help cut down on carbon emissions and waste. Making this sustainable groundwork more effective now will ensure that companies are kept from the dust shortly.
With the industry of pre-pandemic events valued at PS70bn in direct spending and representing more than 50% of the spending in the UK tourist economy, businesses need to implement new ways of thinking in their events, bringing entirely new energy into the industry and helping to ensure a sustainable future.
#3 – Collect bespoke event information
Business growth is based on customer feedback Analytics tools of today help companies understand the advantages and disadvantages of the methods they use to interact with their customers. Virtual events have increased the accuracy of these data, providing an unbiased view of what content is getting customers’ attention.
Companies are now dependent on an almost continuous stream of information from online events. Now is the time to think about how to keep this flow going. If you don’t pay attention, it could create a “black hole” in data strategies that event organizers need to be aware of. Hybrid events, backed by the best technology to record data across all formats, can provide an effective solution for this issue.
Although virtual events do give more information, however, 82 per cent of event organizers believe that having the use of good data practices is crucial to running a successful hybrid event. Most planners think that running virtual events makes the management of data more complex. Therefore, companies should learn from past virtual events to ensure that the data collection process is specifically tailored to the needs of their business to avoid being over-saturated and make the most of consumer feedback.
#4 – Respond to a new type of engagement
As more and more people are moving toward hybrid experiences, a different type of engagement is emerging based on flexible and easily accessible digital content. Businesses should consider revising their procedures and practices to meet these changing requirements. This update to operations could include establishing a new job on their staff roster, The Chief Engagement Officer. This person will ensure that the company makes the most use of the data and insights from audiences and becomes an authority on strategies for external engagement and optimizing marcomms accordingly.
In particular, the capability to better measure engagement allows businesses to develop more precise KPIs and make sure that events are extended and interactions to a greater extent than the scope of a single keynote or fireside chat, for instance. Engagement is a process that takes time, so prolonged interactions with participants before and after an event or when activity is at its peak, such as this, increase the chances of creating positive behaviour change.
