Event content is what your event is really made of—it’s the delicious filling that holds your apple pie together! Details like floor plans, lighting, and seating arrangements are more like the crust: important for providing support, but it’s your content that participants actually show up for.
Good content engages the audience so that they feel their time at the event was worth it. This means that the key elements of your content will vary depending on the type of event you are hosting.In general, good content properties include variety, relevance, and a balance between entertainment and information value.
Event-related content falls into three broad categories:
At the end of this article, we will share our tips for creating engaging event content.
For most events, much of the content will be pre-produced. This can include everything from pre-recorded video and audio to PowerPoint presentations designed just for the event.
Creating small visuals for event ambiance and communications can be a subtle yet powerful way to set the mood and reinforce your brand. This can include things like small animations and clips for segues between event sections, also known as “interstitials”.
High-quality presentation slides are a great way to make long speeches more engaging. Modern humans are extremely visually oriented, and having some visuals to go along with speeches helps capture and retain attention.
Pre-built videos can be used for high-impact messages during the event as well as for event ambiance and brand immersion. They can be edited exactly to your liking, unlike live sections of the event.
Getting a full recording of your event is a great idea because it turns a transient moment into a permanent asset.
Your coverage will generally fall into two categories:
Getting full coverage of presentations and key moments of your event ensures that the core messaging and information are retained. This coverage can then be used for several different purposes, including training videos, online content, webinars, and even as pre-recorded content for future events.
The “B-roll” coverage is there to capture the subtle, emotional feeling of the event, as opposed to the explicit meaning. This sort of video can take on many forms, including:
A final, professionally edited video for the event will include both types of content spliced together into a cohesive whole. Generally speaking, it will feature more of the regular coverage than the B-roll coverage.
Your work isn’t finished, even after the event is over.
Posting a full recording is helpful for absent attendees, so they can catch up with it later. This is also helpful for anyone who wants to recall, verify, or cite any information presented at the event later.
Short recap videos, edited down from the full recording, help with reviewing and reinforcing the key messages of the event. Bite-sized segments addressing core themes will help keep the ideas fresh in participants’ minds.
Branded content can be used as marketing in an ongoing promotion. Here, you will want to select carefully those clips that most clearly and effectively capture your brand and its mission. Such content can be used alongside other forms of content, such as blog articles and podcasts.
Think of post-event content like whipped cream or other pie toppings- something to add on top, stretching the value of the original thing even further!
To make engaging content for your event, we recommend focusing on these key principles:
Use an audience-centric approach in creating content. Before anything else, think of the content from the audience’s point of view. Design your content around your goals. PowerPoint and videos will be very different when presenting detailed technical information versus broader topics like branding or HR.
Focus on visual appeal by using high-quality images and videos. Using stock footage is not necessarily bad, but if they look grainy or out of touch, it will reflect poorly on your organization.
Use variety in content format. We love scrolling through social media because it is an endless hodgepodge of images, sound, videos, text, and more. Take advantage of that preference for variety in your event.
Facilitate interactivity through polls, Q and As, and activities. No one likes sitting down and staring at a screen for hours. Participants will eventually lose focus if they are not adequately involved.
Finally, promote your content before and after the event. This will prime participants’ brains for what they are about to see, and make it easier for them to process that information. And promoting the same content after the event will help keep it fresh in their minds.
Having thoughtful event content is crucial for audience management. People are there to see, hear, and interact with content that is high quality and relevant to their interests.
Above all, take your audience’s perspective when designing content. They will most likely be sitting down for several hours, so it is up to you to keep them engaged and feeling like the event was worth it. If they have to eat a slice of pie, make sure the filling is tasty!
Holding a hybrid event for your organization? We’d love to talk.