Attendee Engagement is EVERYTHING
A strong statement, but when there are many moving parts during an event, engagement can be overlooked by organisers and can be overwhelming for attendees.
Typically, B2B events have been ‘sit still and listen’ - we can consequently find them intense and information heavy.
Attendee engagement is more crucial than ever, therefore businesses have to work harder and more innovatively to hold attendees’ attention. So how do you keep your attendees in the room and engaged?
Drive Attendee Engagement with Breakout Sessions
With many attendees choosing a conference based on networking opportunities, breakout sessions are ideal to keep delegates switched on. They’re more intimate and provide the opportunity for attendees to interact in a more relaxed and informal environment.
How to End Boring Breakout Sessions - Where to Start?
Creating inspiring breakout spaces is a great way to keep attendees engaged. Somewhere they can go in-between sessions to unwind, be inspired and have the opportunity to network.
A creative approach to your breakout sessions can go a long way to making your event memorable and shareable. Additionally, they can create a loyal audience who will return year after year.
6 Event Breakout Session Ideas
Mini-Breakouts
A great way to split larger groups into smaller, more personal groups. These sessions are particularly great for focussing on a specific topic.
Recently, Sneaky Experience worked with a large team of 50, which we split into three smaller groups of 15-18 people.
Each group attended three separate focus groups on rotation throughout the day.
Splitting individuals into smaller groups will encourage a personal interaction with the presenter and with one-another.
Board Room or Round Table
An obvious way is to provide large tables in an open space. This will encourage interaction and networking opportunities or allow delegates the opportunity to catch up with work emails.
This classic layout is still a great way for attendees to work as a team. This session style is great for either a formal or informal session, enabling attendees to share knowledge, discuss and debate.
Wellness Breakouts
A welcome relief for busy teams.
This style of breakout is one of the more memorable. It undeniably slows everyone down and is a great opportunity for reflection or better still, to switch off.
Sneaky Experience recently introduced wellness sessions at @sqlbits, a 5-day tech conference.
A mix of fun-runs, meditation, yoga and massage were all well received by delegates who praised the organisers for their consideration and care.
Learn Over Lunch
This one is for the busy bees who don’t have a spare moment in their conference agenda. A change of scenery and an informal setting for a workshop can be the way forward for many.
Tip: Make sure you provide food and drink if you’re going down this route. Hungry delegates are not happy delegates.
Interactive Fun
When we introduce fun, laid back activities into an intense day it breaks the ice and encourages healthy camaraderie.
Recently Sneaky Experience delivered a fun team-building event, introducing a ‘Walk the Plank’ VR experience.
It was a real crowd-pleaser, a cost-effective solution for a small team particularly, creating great energy, putting everyone in a positive frame of mind ready for a day of learning.
A Q&A Session
Perfect for delegates wanting to find out more about a speaker or a particular topic. Or perhaps an opportunity for delegates to share experiences on specific challenges.
This is an informal, yet productive session which really can provide insights into your audience.
Sneaky Experience recently introduced a ‘live scribe’ during breakout sessions.
We tasked Lim with the job of creating a mega wall of back-to-back visuals over 3 days. We captured insights from Community Corner breakout sessions and the atmosphere and key moments of the conference - all on 12metres of paper.
Subsequently, it created fantastic interaction giving delegates a voice. It’s also been a great opportunity for the organisers to gather information from their attendees - invaluable.
Engagement is a Win For Everyone
Providing attendees with an inspiring environment and time to discuss content can help you capture key information. What's more, it can also encourage further engagement which will increase the average time a delegate spends at your event. This means even more opportunity to access attendee data, such as ….
- Who attended your sessions and for how long?
- Who attended which exhibitor booths
- Were real connections made during networking events?
- What do your attendees care about?
- What information did they require, what questions did they ask?
Here’s A Few Suggestions To Help Keep You Focussed…
- Invite your Attendees: It sounds obvious, but so many businesses put all their time and effort into making the event the very best it can be, they forget to actually inform their audience.
- Provide information such as venue, date, time, and agenda if you have it, in plenty of time. Ideally, make it clear what they will achieve by attending.
- Don’t forget to be clear on the timings. Take commuter time into consideration, and don’t forget your attendees have a life outside of work.
- Decide on the delivery style.
- Informal lunch, a classroom session or perhaps an informal round-table session.
- Speaker - An obvious one but make it relevant. Draw people into the conference by booking someone who is an expert on the topic and known in their field.
- Tech Check: Test Test and Test again. You won’t regret it.
This information can help you target attendees more efficiently in the future; furthermore, it helps you personalise their journey and provides you and your sponsors with ROI.
Finding the Right Engagement Solution
Engagement is key if you are to stand out in todays busy B2B events industry. And the opportunities are endless.
Whether you choose to implement one or all of these ideas, with 15 years of engaging audiences, Sneaky Experience can help you wow your attendees and increase audience participation.