Maximising the Value of Events: Key Takeaways

This month, we hosted our first Audience-ology event titled “Maximising the Value of Events”. We were joined by a number of brands to discuss the ways in which they reach their different audiences and how they maximise their event ROI.

We’ve compiled insights from our panel discussion, keynote speech, and fireside chat to discuss the true value of events, what to consider when planning your strategy, and what they believe is the 'wow' moment of an event.

Take a read of our key takeaways from our discussions with Deloitte, scarlettabbott, COAT Paints, Charlotte Tilbury, and Societe Generale…

Social identity is key

When thinking about your event, it’s essential to consider how your audience perceives themselves. Are they part of a specific group? Do they consider themselves as fans of something or experts? Are they geographically linked? Or linked to the same industry? Your audience will have a shared social identity that draws them to the event, so start by tapping into what that social identity could be. Doing so will change the way you market the event and how you attract your specific audience.

Behavioural Scientist, Lindsay Kohler, from scarlettabbott, suggests that the best way to capture the attention of a specific audience is by utilising novelty, mystery, and prestige. Novelty will entice your audience by presenting them with something original, unexpected, or surprising. Mystery will hold their interest and create intrigue about how your event will play out. Prestige will make your audience feel special and part of a collective that shares a social identity.

Lindsay suggests ending the event with the question: “were you satisfied?” If you capture event satisfaction, you’ll in turn increase your brand loyalty, and be able to entice more people to attend future events. The more loyalty you acquire, the more people will want to become part of your brand’s social identity.

In-person is irreplaceable, but that doesn’t mean virtual is futile

Once you have an event that has a long legacy, how do you maintain that community? Especially if the event has been running for 27 years? Bev Millar, Delivery Lead for Deloitte’s Shared Services Conference, and Stephen McIntosh, Client & Strategy Director for Audience, provided their insights into delivering and developing the annual conference.

During lockdown in 2020, Deloitte and Audience had to pivot the conference to a virtual-only event due to restrictions, moving to a limited in-person event in 2021, and finally, a hybrid offering moving forward. Bev Millar states that “in-person is the key to the event, that’s what was missed.” The conference creates a space where C-suite executives can meet sponsors for peer-to-peer networking, as well as learn from thought leadership during plenary and breakout sessions. Bev mentioned how a sponsor had been trying to get in front of a client for ages, and that the conference had finally provided the opportunity for an in-person conversation. “That’s the magic moment of the conference” as Bev puts it.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the online offering is worthless. Despite the number of in-person attendees growing, the conference’s online platform is essential to reaching its viewers around the world. A live broadcast of the sessions via the on-site studio, as well as Q&A inclusion, has meant that people watching online can be part of the conversation. Virtual, during the pandemic, allowed Deloitte to reach people at home. Now, it creates a wealth of content that can be used across a range of different media channels throughout the year.

Take a look at our delivery of Deloitte’s Shared Services Conference.

Maximising the “WOW” moment

This ‘magic’ or ‘wow’ moment is something that our panel contemplated further. Speaking to three different brands, all trying to target three different audiences (B2B, B2C, B2E), there was a recurring theme of harnessing the wow moment to push brand experiences further.

For Rob Green, Co-Founder of COAT Paints, the wow moment comes from the engagement of their visual stands, allowing COAT to showcase their aesthetic as a B2B value proposition. Creating spaces that showcase their paint range is integral to reaching designers where digital channels wouldn’t have the same effect. Rob states “The wow factor is a physical ‘WOW’ from a designer coming into the space and saying ‘I’ve seen your brand, this is cool, how can I get involved?’”

Take a look at our London Design Festival space with COAT Paints

For Freddie Rand, Events Manager at Societe Generale, the wow moment is creating a space where people feel special. As a global bank, Societe Generale hosts a range of internal and external events, such as employee engagement events, investor meetings, and exhibition stands. Making their presence visible is key, but for Freddie, the wow moment is when people feel they have continued support from Societe Generale through insightful conversations and having a good time at the experience.

Sabina Ellahi, Global Head of PR for Charlotte Tilbury, says her wow moment doesn’t necessarily need to be a massive moment. Harking back to Lindsay’s idea of social identity, Sabina talks about the small touches that have a big impact on Charlotte Tilbury customers who are excited about the experience. “Something we always do at our events is engrave our magic creams with the guest’s name. It’s become something that people love, even if they’ve got it several times, the wow factor is still there as it shows the effort that the brand has gone through to emphasise the importance of the relationship.” It’s attention and connection with each individual person that makes events special.

A huge thank you to Lindsay Kohler, Bev Millar, Freddie Rand, Sabina Ellahi, and Rob Green for speaking with us and providing their insights.

For more insights, take a read of our latest whitepaper, which provides tips on harnessing the power of human connection, providing measures for event success, and ways to unlock bigger budgets in 2024.

We hope to see you at the next Audience-ology event in the new year!