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Many people are surprised to learn that I am an introvert. I don’t get my energy from being around lots of people (although I love being around people).
Instead, I get my energy from recharging alone.
Because of this, the spaces we build at The Creative Collective and CultureCon consider not only the extroverts’ experiences, but also the ambivert and introverted experience.
As you build out your next event or conference, it can be tempting to consider a very siloed perspective in your approach.
But in today’s competitive landscape, where individuals have numerous options for how to spend their time, the importance of making attendees feel something cannot be overstated.
Let’s jump into my five tips for making sure your attendees feel inspired, energized, and connected at your next big event.
How to Foster Connection and Engagement At Your Next Event
1. Prioritize personalization.
Imagine going to a dinner party, walking into the dining room, and looking at the place settings.
Your eyes glance down to the plates and notice that every guest has their name written in a beautiful font. You can’t help the urge to find your name written.
The level of satisfaction you feel when you find your name can’t quite be described, but it’s special. There’s no doubt about it, we all love to be seen and considered.
When planning an event for hundreds (or thousands) of people, it might not be possible to individually write everyone’s name down on a place card, but you can still tailor the event experience to individual preferences to enhance engagement.
From customized agendas to personalized networking suggestions, making attendees feel recognized as individuals fosters a deeper connection.
2. Curate comfort.
It’s truly incredible how much music can impact how you feel when you walk into a room. Walk into a room of silence and it’s somewhat awkward — walk into a room of upbeat music, and your shoulders start to move.
One of the reasons I love Delta Airlines is their commitment to comfort. You walk onto the plane and soft music is playing, and you walk past a Delta flight attendant and a smile is on their face.
Even the pilot comes out to smile at passengers and let them know they’re in great hands. Delta knows that when their customers are comfortable, they are happy and they go the extra mile to ensure that comfort is at the forefront of the consumer experience.
Think of Delta as you build out your next experience. How can you infuse comfort at ever touchpoint of your event?
From the playlist to dedicating a corner of the room to allow attendees to decompress and return to social interactions feeling refreshed — there are so many ways to prioritize a comfortable atmosphere.
This consideration not only improves the experience for introverts, but also contributes to a more inclusive atmosphere overall.
3. The details are the headlines.
The success of your event hinges on careful consideration. Every step of the event should take the guest’s journey into account.
Is the walk from check-in to the first touchpoint unrealistically long?
Is there a clear movement journey or does the guestflow set itself up for congestion?
Is one bar enough for the amount of attendees you’re expecting?
To consider these details, I always recommend creating a consumer journey map (but with three key stakeholders in-mind):
One journey map is created for a first-time attendee
one for a veteran attendee
and one for clients and talent.
Every aspect of the event should be meticulously planned, from venue selection to refreshments. Small touches can make a big difference in how attendees perceive their experience.
4. Center thoughtful communication.
Communication is my love language, and attendees love it too!
As you plan your event, clear and consistent communication before, during, and after the event helps manage expectations and keeps attendees informed.
Leveraging event apps for real-time updates can enhance engagement throughout the event, as well.
Here are key elements of an event communication plan:
Pre-event communication with detailed registration confirmations, event logistics (date, time, location) and the shell of the agenda.
Live Event Communication through real-time updates through an event app, live polling and interactive features and updates for session reminders and schedule changes.
Post-Event Follow-Up with Thank you messages, recordings of the sessions, feedback surveys, and Session recordings, and future event previews.
5. Build an immersive experience.
CultureCon has become an industry leader in immersive experiences. We love creating a textured atmosphere where our community can interact and touch our brand because it was built just for them.
Immersive experiences transform traditional engagement by creating multi-sensory connections with your community. These experiences go beyond passive observation and invite participants to create new and complex memories with your brand.
From adding 20-minute Q&A segments to the end of panel sessions to layering in opportunities for guests to meet each other with interactive activities and moments to play – bringing dimension to your event doesn’t have to be an expensive production build.
For instance, at CultureCon we introduced “Office Hours,” which are intimate small group sessions that follow the panel for collaborative problem-solving sessions.
Infusing your event with memorable moments like this will resonate with your guests long after the event ends.
The Event Isn’t Over Until the Thank You Note Comes
A truly memorable event doesn’t end when the last speaker leaves the stage.
Thoughtful follow-up communications can reinforce positive memories, encourage ongoing engagement with your brand, and invite your community to stay connected until the next event comes.
A little hack I use is to draft my ‘Thank You’ note pre-event so that afterward I don’t need to start from scratch and can dive in and adjust accordingly.
Focusing on how you make attendees feel isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ — it is a fundamental aspect of successful event planning.
By focusing on personalization, comfort, attention to detail, thoughtful communication, immersive experiences, and effective post-event follow-up, you can create an environment where attendees truly feel seen.
And when people feel seen, they’ll come back for that feeling — again and again.
