Virtual events have changed the way we conduct and attend events. Whether they be webinars, virtual conferences or hybrid events, virtual events have proven to be a convenient and effective way of having such interactions. Therefore, they are here for the long run.

49% of marketers believe that audience interaction is the biggest factor to a successful virtual event, it is crucial to keep audience engagement through the duration of your event. This can be a challenge because of people having short attention spans and distractions. So, here are 5 ways of retaining audience engagement during your virtual event.

Polling before and during the event

Conducting polls before and during an event can help the audience feel more involved in the event. Pre-event polling can give you insights on what your audience expects from the event and help you curate content that is more relevant to them. Polling during an event can help retain audience interest. Polling has been used by 71% of marketers as a way to make sure they don’t lose their audience’s attention, followed by audio-visuals.

Gamification

Gamification in your event can bring out the competitive side of your audience. By creating a point system and/or by awarding prizes to the winners, you can increase audience engagement and focus on the event. Creating interesting games as mission heist and murder mystery during the event can help keep them on their toes. Prizes awarded can be anything from e-certificates, coupons, or event merchandise.

Use of social media

Social media can be used for engagement by creating online contests for your audience to take part in. Using special event hashtags can also help bring in a larger audience with greater exposure. A majority of planners use social media platforms for event registration. 89% of organizers use social media for pre-event engagement. It can be used for audience feedback as well; a method used by 38% of event organizers.

Q&A sessions

Question and Answer sessions after every segment allows the audience to interact with the speaker creating a more engaging environment for both parties involved. Some questions can be taken prior to the event via social media platforms as well as impromptu questions that the audience members may have through the duration of the event.

Creating the ability to interact:

Allowing members of the audience to interact during the event creates a livelier setting, giving room for meaningful discussions and networking amongst event attendees. This can be done by providing chat options for people attending a session, or with interactive activities for audience members to get to know each other. Networking is the largest reason why people join virtual events, second only to educational and upskilling purposes.

You can get as creative as you would like with these tips for your own virtual event. Adapt and change things to best suit the kind of event you want to conduct. Remember to take advantage of all the tools you can to make a more interactive and engaging event!