Secrets to Keeping Meeting Participants Engaged, All Day Long
Once upon a time, we lived in a world with no smartphones. This meant no distractions at events and meetings, where organisers had captive audiences.
Then, smartphones became a prevalent part of our culture, and event/meeting planners began banning them - concerned that eyeballs were being hijacked during meetings, and attention was being taken away from the stage at events. But the smartphone is here to stay, and top meeting organisers have embraced technology to empower their meetings - making these handheld devices an integral element in the day's activities.
This has resulted in improved meetings, better engagement, happier participants, and a fantastic return on investment (ROI) for the brands that run these meetings. Here are our top 3 secrets to keeping your participants engaged, all day long.
Secret 1: Your participants have a smartphone, use it!
We've already mentioned it earlier in the article, but we'll say it again - use your participants' smartphones to your advantage. By having each of them install an easy-to-use mobile app to manage their meeting, you now have a secret tool that you can utilise to transform an average meeting, into a deeply engaging and richly rewarding one!
Secret 2: Engage with live Q&As
One of the biggest issues at meetings (or speaking segments at events) is that audience members tend to "tune out" after a few hours of listening to speakers give presentations. The solution, is to introduce interaction.
When you make the audience a part of the presentation, they'll automatically become more invested. And a simple way of doing this, is with live question and answer sessions, or live polling. It's easy - the presenter asks a question, and audience members give their answers, thoughts or feelings - which then shows up on screen, live.
Or switch it around and let your audience ask presenters questions, which they can answer on the spot. This will dramatically change the way presentations happen, and get your audience active and involved. How can this be done? With a mobile event app, of course.
Secret 3: Leaderboards
Give your attendees points for being active meeting participants. Reward them for asking and answering questions, for interacting with speakers and other audience members, and for participating in any gamification elements you (or the speakers) may have introduced to the meeting.
Display these digital leaderboards on presentation screens during breaks, or on digital panels around your meeting space (if any are available), and you'll see a buzz of excitement as participants try to outdo each other in the leaderboard - or watch intently as their friends and colleagues chase for the top prize.
Get an event app, then get creative!
Keeping your meeting participants entertained and engaged all throughout your meeting, isn't too hard to do - provided you have the right tools.
Speak to a trusted mobile event app expert to find out how you can gamify your meetings and transform even a potential snoozer of a meeting, into a thoroughly engaging event!
