Engaging At-Home Attendees at Your Livestream Event
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge disruption in the events industry; so much so, that even though there are more in-person events than there were a couple of years ago, the landscape has fundamentally changed. The growth of interactive media and decline in in-person events also come from a growing trend toward digital and streaming services.
While scheduling in-person events can be a risky endeavor in 2022, now’s not the time to cancel your event. You can have an engaging event using live streaming—because at-home attendees deserve an event at least as good (or better!) than in-person.
What creates a good in-person event? Personalization, connection, and an all-around thoughtful attendee experience. The same goes for a virtual event. Using the existing technology you’d already use to live stream to at-home attendees, you can take the professionalism (and fun) up a notch.
Personalization opportunities for engagement include:
Zoom chat on-screen
Say hello! Leverage the existing technology you’re already using for engagement-boosting activities and games. For example, if you’re using Zoom, you could put the chat up on the screen and say hello. Have attendees put where they’re viewing from (city or home-specific, like “the living room”) and share what drink they’ve brought with them while viewing. Or play games in the chat, like “What’s your elf name?” Choosing the first letter of your first and last name to correspond with a list of pre-chosen words that match the theme of your event.
Personalized items sent ahead of time
Send out personalized items, like custom hats or at-home cocktail kits, depending on your event. Then, have attendees send in pictures and show on-screen!
Contests from home & hybrid
Have a contest between in-person attendees for a hybrid event and the virtual attendees. Who can come up with the best answers or results?
Connection between home & hybrid
Of course, instead of pitting the groups against each other in the name of good fun, you can also put an audience camera on your in-person attendees for hybrid events, so the virtual audience can get a larger picture of what’s going on. For example, if you have attendees stand in honor of someone, your at-home attendees will remain engaged and have a meaningful experience just like the in-person group. Cut to Zoom attendees at their home and let everyone in the room say hi.
Our Live Oak AV Livestream Studio was created for the best attendee experience:
QLaw engaged attendees for a record-breaking fundraiser
The QLaw Foundation of Washington hosted a record-breaking fundraising event at the Live Oak AV Livestream Studio. Between their engaging hosts and streaming entertainment in between segments, at-home attendees felt invested in the experience. Even after the live event had ended, the recording posted to YouTube drew additional funds to QLaw’s fundraiser.
School raffles provide fun with virtual games
Live Oak AV has hosted several school events that have used prize wheels with virtual spins. Names pop up on screen and they’re able to respond in the Zoom chat to much enthusiasm! Garfield High School, specifically, raffled off packages at different points in their event so people stayed engaged, didn’t have to bid, and their enthusiastic hosts pretended to spin a wheel in-person even as the real event was shown virtually.
Learn more about the kinds of events you can host through the Live Oak AV Livestream Studio.
If you’d like a tour of our studio, contact us. We’d love to pioneer new ways of engaging at-home attendees with you.