Selling out your next event lies not just in attracting a huge number of people but in fostering attendee engagement by creating custom experiences.
Imagine walking into an event that feels as if it was designed specifically for you, with sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities that align perfectly with your interests and goals.
This level of detail not only enhances the attendee experience but also significantly boosts engagement and satisfaction.
This article will explore how you can leverage AI in events to create personalised experiences that resonate with each attendee’s interests and goals.
Key Takeaways:
- Engagement is Not About Numbers: The common metrics to measure an event’s success such as total registrations, attendance rate, or attendee duration are important. True attendee engagement is measured by the quality of interactions and the depth of the connections formed.
- Personalisation is a Must: The future of attendee engagement lies in the ability to personalise experiences at every touchpoint. AI offers the tools to understand and cater to the unique interests and preferences of each attendee, transforming the event experience from generic to genuinely impactful.
- From Attendees to Ambassadors: Upto11 harnesses the power of attendee networks on social media, turning participants into promoters. This peer-to-peer marketing strategy not only broadens your event’s reach but does so in a way that attracts a more engaged and relevant audience.
Attendee Engagement: What Is It?
Attendee engagement, or audience engagement, refers to the entirety of an attendee’s experience at an event.
It’s a measure of how involved and interested they are, not just in the presented content but in the overall event atmosphere.
Audience Engagement Elements
When determining the success of an event, there are some elements to consider in order to get a comprehensive view of attendee engagement.
| Interaction | Time Spent | Feedback | Community Building |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The way the audience participates via social media through comments, likes, shares, tags, and messages. |
Time spent when consuming content - indicating the levels of attention and interest. |
Insights and expectations of the attendees gathered through opinions, suggestions, reviews, and thoughts. |
How the audience feels towards the event based on the connections and value they experienced. |
How Can I Tell If an Event Is Engaging?
Engagement metrics, such as the number of meetings booked and attended, chat participation, and even the adoption rate of an event app, provide insights into how actively participants are involved.
Here are some metrics that can be helpful for you to track the performance of your attendee engagement strategies:
Event Engagement Metrics
- Number of attendees
- Sessions attended
- Duration of session attendance
- Attendance rate
- Session rating
Meetings booked - Meetings attended
- Poll participation
- Net promoter score (NPS)
- Chat reactions (emojis)
- Connections made
- Social shares
- Chat participation
- Event app adoption
- Satisfaction surveys
- Leads generated
- Ticket sales
While it is important to track those metrics to get a quantitative insight into attendee engagement
The essence of true engagement lies in how attendees feel long after the event concludes
To cover this broader perspective on engagement, consider the following refined metrics that are gaining relevance when it comes to AI-driven events:
- Personalisation Impact / Personalisation Index: The extent to which attendees felt the event content and interactions were tailored to their interests and goals.
- Community Engagement: Measures of how effectively the event facilitated community formation or fostered a sense of belonging among attendees.
- Emotional Connection: Qualitative feedback on attendees’ emotional resonance with the event, including moments of inspiration, motivation, and profound connection.
- Behavioural Change: The influence of the event on attendees’ professional practices, networking, and ongoing learning behaviours.
These metrics, while more challenging to quantify — as they require a mix of the common quantitative metrics — offer a richer, and clearer understanding of an event’s success.
The Role of AI for Events in Personalising Attendee Experiences
Personalisation transforms a standard event into an unforgettable experience that past attendees will be looking forward to attending the next time.
AI can analyse data from various sources to understand attendee behaviour and preferences, enabling event organisers to provide tailored experiences.
This is why events that leverage AI for personalised experiences often see increased attendee satisfaction, higher engagement rates, and a boost in return attendance.
From AI chatbots that provide personalised customer service to predictive analytics that forecast attendee preferences, AI has the power to transform the complexity of personalisation into an achievable goal.
Moreover, the data gathered through AI-driven personalisation provides invaluable insights for future event planning.
Attendee Engagement Strategies to Sell Out Your Event
Pre-event Engagement Ideas
The journey to a sold-out event begins long before the doors open.
It starts with capturing the imagination and interest of your potential audience through strategic, engaging, and personalised pre-event activities.
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Predictive Analytics for Attendee Insights – Based on the data from past events on attendee preferences and behaviour you can customise the experience by fostering specific workshops, breakout sessions, or conferences that align with attendees’ needs.
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AI-Driven Personalised Invitations – Leverage AI to analyse potential attendees’ past event behaviours and preferences to craft personalised invitation messages. This could range from highlighting sessions of interest to spotlighting networking opportunities that align with their professional goals.
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Reward Your Attendees to Promote Your Event: You can utilise gated content tools like Upto11 to encourage potential attendees to share organic, pre-approved posts such as “I’m attending” or information about the event speakers, topics, workshops, sponsors… In exchange for gated incentives such as discounts, exclusive access, or special content.
Attendee Engagement Ideas During the Event
Throughout the event, AI tools can adjust the attendee’s experience in real time, guiding them to sessions, exhibitors, and networking opportunities that match their interests.
Real-time feedback loops, facilitated by AI, allow organisers to adapt the event flow and content to better meet attendees’ needs.
Post-event Engagement Ideas
The relationship with your attendees doesn’t end when the event does. Post-event attendee engagement is key to building the value of the experience and laying the groundwork for future events.
After the event, AI can analyse attendee behaviour to provide:
- Personalised follow-ups
- Content recaps
- Suggestions for future events
This not only enhances the attendee experience but also provides valuable insights for improving future events.
By implementing these event engagement strategies, you not only maximise the chances of selling out your event but also set the stage for a memorable event that attendees will want to return to year after year.
Best AI Tools to Tailor Attendee Experience
When aiming to create the most unique experiences for your attendees, the tools you use can make all the difference.
This is why, we’ve curated an exclusive resource for you:
Whether you’re looking to automate attendee registration, offer dynamic content recommendations, facilitate targeted networking opportunities, or measure real-time attendee engagement and satisfaction, this resource has you covered.
It is crafted not just to introduce you to the tools themselves but to inspire innovative applications that can elevate your event from good to unforgettable.
From Attendees to Ambassadors: Make Your Audience to Promote Your Next Event with Upto11
The most impactful promotion doesn’t come from social media ads or billboards; it comes from your attendees.
Consider the power of a single attendee sharing their excitement about your event on LinkedIn. Now, multiply that by hundreds or thousands.
Each share, each post, becomes a personal endorsement, reaching an audience that traditional marketing might never touch. This peer-to-peer influence is invaluable, creating a sense of trust and anticipation that paid ads simply cannot replicate.
When promoting your event, you would usually do something like this:
- Create a lead magnet
- Promote your lead magnet
- Capture emails
- Create an offer to drive registrations
- Create a targeted campaign to promote your event
- Launch your campaign
- Pray it reaches your niche
With Upto11 you simplify the process to target your niche, you just:
- Create your campaign
- Add the link to the event-related content you want attendees to share
- Add the link to the reward they will unlock after sharing
The reward could be a lead magnet, an entry ticket discount, networking passes, entrance to the VIP area… you get the idea.
The cool thing is that the content is posted on LinkedIn as if they wrote it.
Since they are sharing it within a like-minded network, this not only expands your event’s visibility but does so in a way that attracts a more qualified and interested audience.
By transforming attendees into ambassadors, Upto11 not only amplifies your event’s reach but also elevates the quality of attendee engagement, setting a new benchmark for success in the event industry.
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What is event engagement?
Event engagement refers to the level of interaction and interest attendees have with the content, activities, and networking opportunities at an event.
How can I measure event engagement?
Event engagement can be measured through metrics such as session attendance rates, participant feedback, social media interaction, and the use of event apps.
What AI tools for event engagement should I use?
Consider using AI-driven CRM systems, chatbots for real-time assistance, and analytics tools for engagement measurement. For an extensive list, download our lead magnet "25+ AI Tools to Enhance Attendees' Experience in Trade Shows."
How does AI personalise event experiences for attendees?
AI analyses attendee data to offer customised content, recommendations, and networking opportunities, enhancing the personal relevance of the event experience.
What are the main challenges in implementing AI in events?
The main challenges include integrating AI with existing systems, ensuring data privacy, and aligning AI capabilities with event goals.
How do AI chatbots improve attendee engagement?
AI chatbots provide instant support, answer queries, and facilitate interactions, making the event experience smoother and more interactive for attendees.
What are the key considerations when implementing AI for attendee engagement?
Key considerations for attendee engagement include understanding attendee needs, choosing AI tools that integrate seamlessly with your event platform, and clearly defining success metrics.
How can I leverage Upto11 to reach my target audience effectively?
Utilise Upto11 to encourage attendees to share pre-approved posts on LinkedIn, unlocking rewards, and thus, reaching and engaging a like-minded, targeted audience.
Lineth Jimenez
Lineth Jimenez is an SEO product manager with 6 years of experience in marketing, specializing in SaaS industries. She also coaches Instagram content creators, helping them build their community organically.