As an event planner, you know virtual and in-person events require a completely different setup. But before you get too entrenched in booking speakers or drawing up venue contracts, it’s best to think about how you’ll get results from an in-person event.
How can you track attendee metrics? Or engagement? And how can you get more mileage out of this in-person event? It’s not cheap, after all.
Thanks in large part to COVID-19, many in-person events include a digital component, typically in the form of an event platform. You might think you don’t need a digital platform for an in-person event, but it’s not a bad idea. Event planners are opting for event platforms for in-person events for these 13 reasons.
Hey, life happens. Many unforeseen catastrophes can interrupt in-person events, whether inclement weather or a COVID-19 outbreak. It’s a good idea to have an event platform for in-person events just in case you need to take your event online at the last minute.
Without a digital platform backing up your in-person event, it’s hard to see who’s registered, who attended, and what they thought about your event. But if you add a platform into the mix, you can easily see QR code check-ins, session attendance, comments, Q&As, and a lot more — yes, even for in-person events.
In-person attendees might tell you they loved an event when you ask them in person, but they might not be 100% truthful. With a digital platform, you can look beyond the white lies and see your engagement metrics in black and white. You’ll get an honest opinion about the overall success of your event, what people enjoyed, and what you should avoid for your next event.
Data is the best way to improve your future events, so when in doubt, rely on event platforms for in-person meetings, conferences, and events to see what you can improve for next time.
If you host an in-person event, you’re limited to local attendees and attendees who are willing to pay for a hotel and airfare. That limits your attendance.
Event platforms for in-person events make it possible to invite attendees worldwide. You only need a decent camera, audio, and an event platform to take your in-person event into the online realm.
There’s virtually no limit to how many remote attendees can join in, which means you’ll also see a serious boost in ticket sales. Of course, you need to be fair. Offer significant discounts for online-only tickets to encourage more signups.
Many people tend to be bolder online than in-person. Some attendees might not want to leave comments or engage in Q&A in person. Fortunately, event platforms for in-person events allow people to engage, so you get more engagement from your content.
Lead generation is a headache without some kind of digital platform. Event platforms for in-person events give you the power to collect attendee emails, contest entries, data, and more. These metrics would typically be a nightmare to track on paper, but digital platforms make it a cinch to follow up with leads after your event. You can even segment your leads or use lead scoring to determine what sales outreach would work best.
You might not think you need event platforms for in-person events, but they allow you to collect richer data on the attendee experience. You don’t have to worry about collecting business cards or messing around with paper registration forms at the event. Event platforms collect demographics, contact information, and engagement metrics in one intuitive dashboard. From there, it’s as easy as plugging the data into your sales or marketing system to start the lead nurturing process.
Paper tickets are so 1999. Event platforms for in-person events will track all of your registrations and tickets in one platform. There’s no need to use a separate ticketing solution because everything is already in your event platform. Plus, it provides attendees with a scannable QR code or app for the in-person event, making it a breeze to check folks in at the door.
Whether it’s your customer relationship management (CRM) platform or your email service provider (ESP), the last thing you want to do is manually enter customer data into your other systems. Event platforms for in-person events can easily integrate with your marketing, accounting, and sales tools, so pushing this data wherever you need it is simple. This process typically takes a team ages to perform without an event platform, so go digital to speed up your post-event outreach.
Do you have a lot of sessions or workshops going on at once? Don’t hand attendees a clunky paper schedule; plug everything into your event platform instead. Event platforms for in-person conferences allow attendees to customize their schedules. You can add downloadable goodies to each session in the event app, like the presenter’s slides or PDF freebies.
We’ll let you in on a little secret: you can get a lot more mileage from an annual event if you transform it into an online community. Instead of squeezing as much juice as you can out of a once-a-year conference, you can use your event platform to build a community around your event and brand. This puts eyeballs on your brand all year round and gives you more opportunities to generate revenue from a single event.
Event sponsors want to see as much return on their investment as possible. It’s up to you to boost your event’s value, and a feature in your event platform can certainly sweeten the pot for sponsors. Offer sponsorship levels that allow brands to advertise in your event app with banners, freebies, deals, promotional emails, and more.
Nobody has the time to fumble in their bag for a business card. Use an event platform for in-person networking and simplify the whole affair. Attendees can exchange information by finding each other in the app and saving their contact information. Everything happens digitally (and quickly), so your attendees can focus on face-to-face connections instead of exchanging information.
If you’re trying to be more eco-friendly, you can reduce your carbon footprint by taking advantage of your digital event platform. Platforms expand the number of attendees you can fit at an event without booking a larger space. That means you’ll generate less trash and less carbon, which is a win for planning an eco-friendly event.
Event platforms allow brands to collect more data, improve the attendee experience, and generate more leads from a single event. If you’ve already invested in an event platform, it’s an easy add-on that will boost the value of your next event.
But if your events team doesn’t have time on their side, Endless is here to help. We help brands bridge the gap between digital and in-person events to create a truly unforgettable experience. See how Endless can make your next event one for the history books.
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