How audience engagement (or a lack of it) can make or break your event
Although audience engagement is a popular buzzword in the events industry, it’s also one of the more commonly overlooked aspects of events management. Have you been asking yourself this question before, during and after every event?
“How can I increase audience engagement?”
“Were audiences actively participating in the event? Or were they passive spectators?”
“How am I measuring audience engagement levels?”
The reality is, many event planners know about audience engagement. but don’t measure it. Here’s why you need to take your audience engagement levels at your events seriously – they could make or break your event.
What’s the Purpose of the Event?
While the straightforward answer could be anything from “to launch our new products” “to entertain or educate audiences”, the truth is – if audiences weren’t engaged, then the event served no purpose.
Engaged audiences multiply excitement levels during product launches, while participants who turned up to hear world-class speakers will only derive value if the presentations engaged them. Ultimately, the only way your event can be considered as “successful” is if your audiences were thoroughly engaged from start to finish.
And if you’re expecting them to return for future events – know that they’ll only do so, if the event was an engaging one.
Measuring Audience Engagement Levels
Now that you’re aware of the importance of engaging your audiences, you’ll need to know how audience engagement levels can be measured. The most effective way (especially with large numbers of audiences involves) is with technology:
Feedback from surveys: The simplest way to find out how engaged audiences felt during an event is to simply ask them via a post-event survey (which can be done near the end of an event). An electronic solution such as Angage Voting System can speed up data collection and automate data analysis - you’ll receive a detailed post-event feedback survey report that you can easily and effectively analyse.
Measure engagement levels during the event: Gamify your event with the Angage Event App and every time a participant uses the app to engage with a speaker, answer a poll question, take part in a quiz, interact with another audience member, or do anything else, their actions will be recorded. After the event, a comprehensive report will highlight actions taken throughout the event – so you’ll be able to tell exactly which activities were a hit, and which weren’t quite as hot.
Planning a highly engaging event isn’t difficult once you have the analytics in front of you – telling you specifically what audiences are engaged in (and what they aren’t). Simply adjust your programme to suit both your event’s objectives and your audience’s liking, and you’ll soon have engaged audiences that can’t wait for your next event to roll by!
