Conferences have evolved a great deal over the last couple of decades. Long gone are the days of boring, droning, non-engaging corporate speeches. They have been replaced with days packed full of diverse and interactive events, educating and entertaining in equal measure. Engaging delegates has become the main aim of event organisers. Believe it or not, there is a correlation between the growing popularity of music festivals and the industry of conference organising.
If you’ve not heard of festivalisation, it refers to the act of applying the principles of a music festival to a corporate event. Music festivals were once the preserve of those seriously into their music, but nowadays people spend a lot of money on tickets purely for the ‘experience’ and have only a passing interest in the music on show.
In the world of corporate event organising, it means adding in acts like stand-up comedians and live music performances between key note speakers. It also means traditional exhibition stands being replaced with high-tech, interactive experiences. For help with your next event, contact an Events Agency Dublin like davisevents.ie
Here are some ways to ‘festivalise’ your event:
Go Green
Festivalisation is very much part of the millennial culture, as is the increasingly popular trend for events that are sustainable. Recent surveys have revealed that 75% of this age group are happy to pay more for items that are eco-friendly, even in these tough financial times.
Take a leaf from the book of the festival organisers who do things like ban plastic bottles, offer a money-back scheme for recycling and power events with completely renewable energy.
Excite with big announcements
Festivals are known for ramping up anticipation for the big reveal of their line-ups. Now corporate events are getting in on the act and hyping up their event schedule festival-style. So, you might not have the same power to attract the biggest celebrities, but you should still create some buzz and make the line-up reveal a big deal.
Delegate-Created Content
Almost a quarter of those in the industry believe social networks will have an impact on future events more than any other factor. With a quarter of traffic to signing up and ticket pages already coming from social media sites, it’s impossible to disagree with this assertion. Sharing content created by attendees is a whopping 85% more influential than the sharing of branded content.
Organising events in the future, the tough job will be to come up with and maintain experiences that delegates want to share on their social media accounts. Some clever ideas at recent festivals include wristbands that register at various kiosks around the venue, take a photograph and provide the option for the wearer to upload to Facebook.
Some other ideas include:
Photobooths that enable sharing on social media at your event
Encouraging sharing with competitions
Highlighting to your attendees, areas that are ideal for capturing 360-degree content.