Was it all a dream?
Right now, we’re all revelling in the live event. It’s the simple things; seeing crowds of people in a room, impromptu conversations and presenter jokes that are so bad, they’re good
But what’s next for live events? How can event organisers create meaningful experiences for guests, clients and stakeholders as we all reconnect face-to-face? We’re seeing a number of trends emerge amongst our clients and within the industry.
Reconnect & re-engage
Whether it’s with your staff, your clients or your colleagues; live events are going to be all about reconnecting in person and rebuilding relationships.
The theme of a recent client’s event was based on this idea. Groups of staff presented on their projects while business leaders openly discussed the future of the organisation. The floor opened up to a Q&A to address staff questions and concerns and the day ended with a team-building workshop on decision making, tasking staff to work together to solve problems quickly.
Use this time and capitalise on the essence of live events to invigorate your audience. But don’t forget, some people are not ready to reconnect with large crowds just yet, so our next point is important…
Hybrid and virtual are here to stay
We’ve experienced the power of hybrid and virtual and the industry has woken up to the benefits. More than just an alternative to the traditional live event, hybrid and virtual events have solidified their place in the event ecosystem, opening up a range of benefits to attendees, organisers and sponsors alike.
Guests now expect to have the choice to attend an in-person event or watch it online. As event organisers, it’s our duty to meet these demands or risk falling behind. Organisers can reap the benefits, opening up new revenue streams via a virtual ticket; creating sponsorship opportunities and contingency planning for unexpected barriers to attendance.
We’ve seen this play out in our clients’ events in the wake of COVID outbreaks and the recent floods in New South Wales. With some guests unable to travel to the live event, the online option meant they didn’t miss out on a vital opportunity to engage.
High expectations for high resolution
Consumer devices on the market are sophisticated. Take 4K TV screens; you can get a near-cinema experience from the comfort of your living room. Computer screens offer similar specs, for example Apple’s 4k retina display.
What does this mean for the live event? Audience expectations are high and projector screens are limited in their ability to provide a dynamic display. LED screens are the future for the live event experience and we predict they will replace projection and become standard. They’re high-resolution, super-bright, lightweight and modular. Using LED screens will ensure your content is beautiful, powerful and impactful.
Check out our low-down on LED screens for a more detailed look at the technology.
Event technology has evolved
Two years is lightyears in the technology landscape and the push into virtual and hybrid has seen technology providers create new and innovative solutions to engage at-home audiences like never before.
Now is the time to take all of those incredible technology solutions and translate them into the live experience. Events apps; gamification; QR code scanning; lead capture; push notifications; live polling… there are so many opportunities to increase engagement.
If you need help finding the right solution for you, hit up our friends at Sprintr.
Side note: Show your speakers some extra love
After spending two years behind a screen, corporate executives are used to the comfort of presenting from their home offices and may be a little off their game when speaking to a live audience. Do what you can to prepare them for getting back on-stage in front of a live audience. Build some extra rehearsal time into your event; offer a foldback monitor (a screen that faces the stage) showing their notes, timing and slides; or give them an extra detailed brief so there are no surprises on the day.
What do you think is next for live events? We’d love to hear what you think. Send your predictions to us on Instagram or email us and we’ll feature them.
