They’re easy to spot. Engaged audiences are curious and ask questions, they are involved participating in live polls, they are knowledgeable and have session details and agendas at their fingertips, they make the most of meaningful networking opportunities and actively complete feedback. They show up, whether online or in person.

But in our work with clients we hear – and see- missed opportunities to engage people with live events whether held in-person or hybrid. Passively sitting through 30-slide decks on business strategy just doesn’t cut it or support effective communication of meaningful content or motivate actions.

Today’s employees want multi-media, dynamic event experiences. Here’s our top tips for delivering energised and engaging internal events:

1. Pre-event, make information accessible as well looking for opportunities for delegates to be involved. One of the most popular features for an events app we created for Nationwide Building Society was the ‘I’m coming too!’ feature which helped colleagues to plan catch ups and networking to get maximum business value from being together
2. Delegates love a visual countdown – a ticking clock for either registration deadline or even meal choice deadline is a great motivator for action. It’s also a great device for publicising your event across multiple channels
3. Create a varied agenda to keep attention. We’ve helped to plan a week-long showcase event across four continents for one global client which included a mix of Ted Talk-style short bites, longer keynote sessions, breakout groups and panel chats to bring changes in presentation rhythm
4. An event app is a great channel for employee experience, adding in elements of gamification. From a bingo-stye keyword search, to trivia questions, to voting on a new preferred brand, making the event interactive and fun makes it stand out
5. Day-long events need ‘me time’. Factor in short breaks or spaces for reflection between sessions. We learn in different ways – some visually, some by listening -and need to decompress between sessions to distil and retain knowledge
6. Use simple, quick ways to find out how the audience is feeling – word clouds, polls, rating speakers, sharing socials all make people feel involved and heard
7. Measure, analyse and change. So often you spend time and energy on a big event – such as an awards ceremony or strategic townhall – and it’s ‘job done’ when the event is over. But we believe that is just the start. Asking people for their feedback and repurposing content or messaging about key themes and actions develops a stronger ROI. Feedback also helps you to shape the next event, to build community and to continue the conversations started at the event.