Many events are focused on building a brand or delivering a corporate message. These types of events have specific goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help organizers prove their effectiveness. However, if your objective is to use your event to create a movement, rather than just a moment, you need to shift your focus.
Impactful events are designed to unify attendees and empower them to spread the word and support your mission. If you want to motivate your event attendees to mobilize in a meaningful way, you need to incorporate this into your overall event plan. The following eight tips will help you do just that.
1. Create Real Connections
Connecting people who are passionate about a cause is an incredible way to build momentum. Make sure you facilitate personal connections and encourage engagement before, during, and after your event by offering networking opportunities and small group discussions that foster idea-sharing and problem-solving. While creating true connections can be more challenging during virtual and hybrid events, it’s critical to make sure you do so.
To make a true impact, you’ll want to look for ways to build networks that will last far beyond the scope of the event. Remember that events have a unique ability to create a strong sense of community and foster feelings of unity and pride. Promoting your message in the right way can help create a unified vision among attendees that might not have existed before.
2. Promote Your Message
Your event is the ideal platform to promote, advertise, and encourage support for your mission. This makes it critical to spend some time before the event begins really sharpening your message and making sure it’s both clear and actionable. Once you’ve pinned down your message and your theme, find creative ways to integrate them into nearly every aspect of your event.
Keep in mind that impactful events don’t have to be expensive or flashy, but they must share the right message in a way that truly inspires attendees.
3. Make the Event Inclusive
Inclusivity is always important when planning events, but even more so when you’re trying to create a movement. To ensure the impact goes well beyond the time your attendees spend at your event, make sure you accommodate as many participants as you can. This may include offering on-demand viewing for those unable to view in person, or offering scholarships or mentors for people who are unable to afford the event or can’t participate for other reasons.
4. Motivate Your Attendees
When designing your event, it’s important to let attendees know they can be a key part of the solution, not just the conversation. Make sure the content provided during your event shows attendees exactly what they can do to further the cause in both the short-term and the long term. To keep motivation high, you’ll also need to demonstrate the real impact their involvement can make.
5. Invite Memorable Speakers
The keynote speakers you choose can make or break your event. When selecting your speakers, make sure they’ll be able to engage your attendees and motivate them to take action. Try to ensure your speaker is someone attendees will look forward to seeing and who will truly connect with them.
You’ll also want to break up your programming with fun and interactive sessions that will allow you to hold your attendees’ attention. In addition, it’s critical to keep the energy high throughout the event. Incorporating plenty of upbeat music, exciting light shows, and other unexpected surprises can help keep everyone engaged.
6. Create a Spectacle
To raise awareness on a large scale, think about inviting the Guinness Book of World Records to your event. Breaking a world record is a great way to gain attention, create a spectacle, and ensure your guests have a ton of fun.
If you decide to incorporate this into your event, don’t forget to submit press releases both before and after the event and invite both local and national media to cover it live. The more media coverage you can get, the greater impact it will have.
7. Provide the Necessary Tools
If you’re asking your event attendees to take action (and you should be!), make sure you’re giving them the tools they need to be successful. This may be a website with an online toolkit, a private group on social media, a public social media page, or a combination of resources.
Whatever option you choose, make sure it offers a way to keep supporters informed and connected after the event is done. This is also a great way to make virtual attendees and those who were unable to attend the event feel like they’re still an important part of the movement.
8. Don’t Forget Your Call-to-Action
No matter how impactful your event is, if you don’t let attendees know what you want them to do next, you wouldn’t get the results you’re looking for. Make sure you give them a task to do after the event, even if it’s small. This could include things like sharing your message on social media, making a donation that a sponsor will match, or organizing smaller events in their hometowns.
There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing the next step. No matter what you choose, make sure your request is specific and that you can demonstrate the impact it will make.
Impactful Events Make a Real Difference
The demand for impact (DFI) is growing in the event space. The most successful event planners will stay at the front of the curve with innovative planning and solutions. Whether you’re hosting live, hybrid, or virtual events, eShow is here to help you make your mark. We offer a large suite of tools designed to help you create impactful events and our team is happy to custom-design the right solution for your needs. Contact us today to learn more and request a personalized demo.
