Highlighting Sponsors Doesn't Have to be a Snooze

 So you want to highlight some of your sponsors at an event--in front of the audience--in a fun way. 

The sponsors, however, are a bit dry, a bit repetitive, and the audience couldn't reasonably be expected to know anything about the particulars of their business. The important thing is having a bit more exposure. 

So what do you do? A game show. 

But how do you create a game show when the audience doesn't know anything about the sponsor?

With the power of info screens and piggyback questions. For instance, we had a client that wanted an energetic end to their event while featuring the sponsors in a game show format. So what we did was turned a fact or facet of the sponsor into an only-tangentially-related, fun trivia question. 

Some examples. 

We showed this info screen about the sponsor--an exterior company.

Since they were started in 1947, we latched onto that and decided to see if they could pick out this actor (who was in the audience's generation). 

Another info screen leading into a question...

With a fun, light-hearted trivia question that the audience had a reasonable chance at guessing or remembering. 

The game proceeded like that for all the sponsors, and in the end the audience had more sponsor name recognition--but also ended the event with energy, excitement, and fun. 

Don't go to extremes to engage your audience: go to Gamification.

We've seen a lot of very unique things at events over the years.

Jugglers.
Ballerinas.
Mountain Climbers.
Bike Building.
Drum Circles.
Astronauts.
Live Monkeys. (And an occasional Monkee.)

You name it. We've seen it. All in the name of providing audience engagement. There is an idea that there has to be a *moment* at an event that stands out--that makes it the "wow".

We love this. But. What about the rest of the event? After the silk scarves settle and the dry ice evaporates...where is your audience at? How do you CONTINUE to engage them past a moment?

If you have the most powerful keynote speaker in the world...and then you go back to PowerPoint after PowerPoint...all you have is that (very impressive, granted) moment.

Interaction.

The key to engaging an audience throughout an event is interaction with the audience. Learning and communication is not a one-way experience; it's a two-way conversation. Audience participation is fundamental to their own engagement.

One way that we engage audiences throughout an event--not just in a moment--is by incorporating gamification. Not only does it provide interaction and engagement, but it enhances the event:
• It's teambuilding that occurs outside a single activity and goes through the event.
• It's reinforcement and review of key content and learning points.
• It's a way to keep energy up during the event--there's not one "fun part" to the whole event...the whole event is fun.

Want to see how you can incorporate gamification at your event? We wrote a guide! Leave a comment or contact us, and for more event tips and tricks check out www.live-spark.com

"We have time for one more question..." might be the death knell for your event.

 

"We have time for one more question..."

...can be every event's worst nightmare.

You're about to leave the event on a high, and then "one more question" turns into a barely-controlled gripe session--sucking the energy out of the room and leaving everyone feeling uneasy.

It's a wah-wah instead of a woo-hoo.

A lot of the times, these last minute questions aren't focused, aren't relevant to the whole audience, or may have nothing to do with the event itself.

You don't have to paper over complaints or issues, but there are ways to handle audience questions in a more focused way that is better for the overall event:

1. Have people available to answer questions/issues throughout the event. One of our clients recently replaced a deadly end-of-event q&a session with a commitment to have their executives visible throughout the event to take questions.

This allowed people to get questions answered that were more personally-relevant to them (and maybe didn't apply to the whole audience) and to direct them to the most appropriate person.

The executives were then able to do a summary statement at the end of the event based on what they'd been hearing--and what was most relevant to the audience.

2. Have a question box. Encourage the audience to write down their questions throughout the event and submit them to a dedicated question box. Commit to answering all questions--even if it's in post-event communication.

This allows you to sort questions for maximum relevance for the whole audience and for the event. You can have short daily q&a sessions based on the questions--or have a final q&a at the beginning of the last day--instead of the event landing with a fizzle at the very end.

3. Start the event with questions. If the idea of allowing for questions is to demonstrate responsiveness and listening, then the event shouldn't wait until the end to catch questions that may have been festering from the start of the event.

If you're willing to be flexible and shape your event around the dynamic needs of the audience as it's happening, this can be a powerful event springboard.

4. Send out pre-event questionnaires. Collecting questions, reservations, feelings, etc., of the audience before the event can, like the last point, help you shape the event to address the needs of the audience. This also gives you control over what you directly address at the event, and what you may choose to address in other communication or programs.


Of course, questions can always come up during an event--hence why the route we typically take is aforementioned question box that allows for an iterative response process. Addressing questions, concerns, and (yes, even) grievances in a thoughtful, PLANNED, way goes a long way to maintaining and focusing the energy & tone of the event, and ensuring its overall success.

For more event expertise, visit www.live-spark.com.