Engagement from event attendees is absolutely essential for event professionals wanting a successful event. However, most event professionals don't realize that attendee engagement isn't just something that happens on -site. Attendee engagement begins before your event, and should continue even after your event - and in this free eBook, MeetingPlay shares 10 important and valuable techniques to do exactly such!

1. MeetingPlay
www.meetingplay.com
10 WAYS TO ENGAGE YOUR CONFERENCE
EVENT ATTENDEES:
Before, During, & After your Event!
AVOID THE
DISCONNECT!
For questions or to learn more,
please contact: hello@meetingplay.com

2. Avoid the Disconnect2
About Us
MeetingPlay is the result of an entrepreneurship passion colliding with a love for
technology – far before technology was “technology” as we know it. From years of
experience, knowledge and expertise of both the digital tech world, and the
hospitality industry – MeetingPlay was born.
***
Today, MeetingPlay consists of over 25 minds coming together, to bring the
ultimate goal and focus of everything MeetingPlay does – an amazing customer
experience.
Together we commit to being industry leaders – always on the forefront of
technology and customer delight – and a promise to never leave our customers
behind as we surge forward in everything we do.
Whether MeetingPlay is working with one our many Fortune500 clients or we’re
helping a small business down the road – the drive, imitative and promise is
always the same – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
MeetingPlay provides mobile apps for events and conferences that are focused
around attendee engagement, and analytics. Through various industry unique
features – MeetingPlay continuously is helping event professionals surpass their
goals and needs for events through our completely custom and personalized
mobile app platform.
***
From gamification, social interaction, one on one communication, networking
opportunities, sponsor and vendor pages, real time notifications, photo galleries,
live polling (audience response system), rich media profiles, analytics and
reporting, registration, and breaking edge technology with iBeacon and RFID, and
so much more. MeetingPlay provides a custom branded mobile event app that
event professionals love, and a personalized and unique experience that keeps
attendees engaged and active.

3. 3Avoid the Disconnect
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1
projects that conventions and
events are supposed to increase by up to 44 percent from 2010 and 2020.
Yet, every event professional knows the struggle – how to keep their
event’s audience engaged. The search for the magic potion that attracts
your attendees to engage – not just during your event, but:
before, during, and after.
“Even as everyone predicted the rise of digital would do
away with face to face, precisely the opposite is happening,
as the value of in-person meetings and conventions rises.
And the need’s only getting bigger….”
— Rafat Ali

4. 4Avoid the Disconnect
Just as important as keeping your attendees engaged during your
event, is getting your attendees engaged prior to your event. By
allowing and encouraging attendees to engage prior to your event,
they can start to networking and build a sense of community – that
will then continue with them at the event, and even after the event.
1.) Create an Event Hashtag
Inbound, Hubspot’s
2
annual marketing conference, does a great
job with this. #Inbound15, the official hashtag from their 2015
conference, generated close to half a million impressions, across
social channels. Encourage your attendee’s to engage with your
hashtag before, during, and after your event.
How to Engage Your Conference Attendees
Before Your Event.

5. 5Avoid the Disconnect
2.) Create a Community
Create a LinkedIn group just for your event – invite those who you
know are coming to your event to join in the group through your
LinkedIn page, newsletter, email blast, etc.
Optimize your Facebook and twitter accounts to show your next
event (And don’t forget to use your event hashtag!) – Spread the
news and share the event.
Create a Facebook event on your business or company Facebook
page – invite those you know who may be attended or interested in
attending your event.
Bonus tip – once you’ve created your event page, don’t
just leave it be – continue to post updates, new information,
speaker bios, agenda changes, and more to your event to keep the
conversation and group active!

6. 6Avoid the Disconnect6
3.) Get them Talking!
Encourage your attendees to interact with each other - talking and
networking (group excitement!)
Ask questions with & include your event hashtag on twitter.
Create polls and surveys and post them on your Twitter & Facebook
pages.
Allow opportunity for feedback and conversation as a group, don’t
just give statements.
Generate chatter – get them talking and involved!

7. 7Avoid the Disconnect
Engaging your attendees prior to your event is just the beginning of
event engagement. The moment your attendees set foot on your
event’s doorstep, you need to continue to leverage and build upon
that pre-event engagement. By successfully continuing to build and
drive the engagement during your event, you will better prepare your
audience for post-event engagement as well.
1.) Schedule Networking!
Encourage people to network.
Instead of making it a before or after a long day of meetings, give
them 10-15 minute breaks to grab a drink and network.
How to Engage Your Conference Attendees at
Your Event.

8. 8Avoid the Disconnect
2.) Be Aware
Even the best of meetings, conferences or events can leave
attendees tired, overwhelmed with information, and even bored
after a long day (or days). Be aware and alert of this!
And then! SHOCK THEM!
Prepare your speakers for potential 60-90 second interjections to
get your attendees back on track – whether it’s merely having
them do 10 jumping jacks, perform a basic yoga stretch, or even to
have a marching band shockingly enter the room performing when
attendees least expect it.
Suzanne Evan’s ‘Be the Change Event’ absolutely rocks at this,
every year, and she offers up great suggestions here for your next
event here
3
.

9. 9Avoid the Disconnect
3.) “OH MY GOSH” Factors
Odds are this isn’t the only event your attendees will attend this
year – and even so, it’s probably not the first event they’ve
attended.
Plan to “WOW” your attendees!
Create an ‘Oh My Gosh’ factor. Show why your event or conference
is unique and amazing!
Incorporate interactive floor projections, social walls, have a killer
opening moment! There’s many ways to make sure your event
stands apart – and also drives engagement.
(Bonus tip: MeetingPlay can help you do all this and more!)

10. 10Avoid the Disconnect
4.) Refuse to Be Boring!
Continuing to WOW your attendees – don’t stop (or start) with mid-
talk breaks – create engagement and excitement they moment
they walk into your next event!
For example, what does every conference attendee expect to come
sit down to at an event? The same old boring table – shift it up!
Don’t be afraid to stand out from the rest by promoting
engagement and interaction during the event.
SocialTables helps you optimize your event seating to help
maximize engagement, check them out, here
4
!

11. 11Avoid the Disconnect
You’ve engaged your attendees prior to your event. Leveraging that
pre-event engagement, you then built upon it during your amazing
event! But the most important (and perhaps arguably the hardest
part of event engagement), is keeping that attendee engagement
going after your event.
1.) Get Feedback
What did your attendees love? Hate? Wish they saw more of? Will
they be back next time? It’s important that you gather feedback for
your own review, but as well as to let attendees continue the
engagement.
How to Continue Attendee Engagement After
Your Event

12. 12Avoid the Disconnect
2.) Don’t Let it Die!
You invested a lot of hard time, money, and work into your event’s
attendee engagement – don’t let that go to waste!
Share photos, videos, content, talks from the event, after the
event.
Get your attendees excited about the next event, and give those
who didn’t get a chance to get attend this one, reason and drive to
attend your next conference or event!
TopRankBlog share’s a great example of post-event content
sharing from their Authority Rainmaker 2015 takeaways page
here
5
.

13. 13Avoid the Disconnect
3.) Shock them Again!
All those attendees you had attend your conference or event?
Delightfully remind them with a surprise – six months from now!
Give them a reason to remember the event.
Create a contest in your next newsletter blast, or on one of your
community channels.
Offer a discount, a free ticket, do something that reminds of the
past event, and creates excitement for the next one!
Whatever you do – make sure it’s a reminder that they are being
thought of, and offer something to them. Event professionals think
this is a time to request and ask – but that comes later; instead
focus on reminding your attendees of why your event was
delightful.

14. 14Avoid the Disconnect
The Most Engaging Mobile Event App And Conference App
The goal of event engagement is to appeal to your
attendees early on, during the event, and after the event. It
creates excitement, nurtures opportunity for success
during the event, and reminds attendees why your event
truly kicked ass, even after the event!
MeetingPlay’s all in one mobile event app can help you
drive engagement – before, during, and after your event.
With opportunities for one on one messaging, social walls,
live polling (audience response system) that can integrate
into your speakers live PowerPoint presentations, surveys
and reporting after your event, rich media profiles, sponsor
and vendor pages, agenda and downloads, and so much
more.
Learn more by visiting our website:
www.MeetingPlay.com
or by contacting us today!
hello@meetingplay.com
301.563.9703