Looking for support at your upcoming exhibit? 
Objective
Their objective? Bring to life the theme of 'envisioning and enabling change' and the role empathy, community, accessibility, sustainability and design play in the future of events.
Solution
- Creative content support to incorporate the Elevate look and feel into all branding elements, from opening and closing videos to speaker bumpers and staging elements.
- Custom stage set for a three-stage general session, with content projected across five different screen types, ranging from super-wide to triangular.
- Transformed environments with custom scenic — hanging mobile triangles and fabricated pieces helped participants feel enveloped in a unique, thematic experience.
- Immersive storytelling with Backdrop Pro and projection mapping to make participants feel like they were part of an art installation.
- Oversaw the general session production and show management to ensure all the event elements came together to create a memorable experience for attendees
Outcome
With Encore support, Maritz reinforced their role as an industry thought leader and agent of change at the critical client-focused event.
“It’s been a great partnership with the Encore team,” says Maritz Partner Engagement Manager for Brand Events Shannon Holcomb. “It’s a win-win for all of us.”
A post-event survey showcased the following:
- 87% of attendees were satisfied with their experience at Elevate
- 93% of attendees feel they achieved their personal objectives
- Overwhelmingly positive sentiment about the experience. Attendees described Elevate as:
- A great networking opportunity
- Amazing
- Inspiring
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Events are one of the most powerful tools for driving strategic value — thanks to their ability to build meaningful connections, spark inspiration and foster change.
In fact, 80 percent of meeting organizers say in-person events are the most influential marketing channel in their organization.
When you craft memorable experiences that truly resonate, you elevate a brand’s impact and demonstrate the measurable value you bring to your organization’s success.
From planning to post-production, the right moves can help you:
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- Demonstrate measurable ROI
- Show how your events benefit the organization in concrete ways
- Position yourself as a strategic leader to your C-suite
Here are five simple steps to help you take charge and enhance your event’s value.
1. Define what success looks like
First things first. To craft a successful event, you need to be clear on what success looks like. What measurable outcomes will you use to show your event’s value? Which stakeholders need to align on this?
Depending on the type of event you plan, your success metrics will vary. Here are a few common ones:
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- Leads captured/converted
- Registration revenue
- Sales/sponsorships
- Attendance
- Repeat business
- Satisfaction scores
- Net promoter score
Along with these hard metrics, your objectives will likely include soft data like audience engagement metrics. These could be educational sessions attended, poll and survey responses, and anecdotal feedback.
These hard and soft metrics will provide insights into what people enjoyed doing once you got them to the event — and help you maximize their enjoyment at future experiences.
2. Nurture potential participants with personalized content
Now that you’ve defined your goals, you’re ready to set the roadmap for how to achieve them. One of the most effective ways to do this is to nurture potential attendees with personalized content.
Here are some good ideas for where to start:
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- Work with your event stakeholders to define the target audience and goals for the event.
- Segment your audience into the different personas who will most likely be in attendance.
- Identify what your event offers that might appeal to each persona. What would motivate them to attend?
- Incorporate those elements into your strategic event design.
- Use those specific experiences or opportunities to personalize marketing content for each persona.
- Ensure that onsite your event will deliver on that promise.
For example, a salesperson attending your event may measure its success by the number of business cards they collect, while a certified professional’s primary focus may be the clock hours that count toward renewing a valuable designation.
Knowing the audience for your event and what they care about will help you make design choices that maximize ROI for each segment.
It will also help you communicate the value of attending to potential attendees, which plays an influential role in capturing a larger, engaged audience.
3. Craft an experience that surprises and delights
What motivates people to attend events? If you want to make an impact, they need to be memorable. One of the best ways to achieve this is through immersive experiences.
In fact, these multisensory events is one of the top three trends that influence planning decisions, according to the Encore Planner Pulse.
Whether during a general session, meal function or social event, incorporating these types of experiences entices participants’ sense to make a lasting impression.
You can use these sensory-rich sessions to enhance learning and networking, for irresistible photo opportunities that boost social media buzz, and to help drive event registrations.
In this way, you’re able to influence audience behavior, which can maximize event ROI. Take, for example, the Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball, which transformed a ballroom into an underwater “supernature”-themed experience — not only delighting guests but generating twice as many donations as the year prior.
Elevating your event design
LED walls are the most popular backdrop for immersive events because they can act as a scenic to transform a space, communicate important messages or transport participants to different physical or emotional spaces without leaving their seats.
If you need support in developing video storytelling, animations or on-theme presentations for your LED walls or screens, we’d love to bring your vision to life.
View how the Encore Content Studio can bring the wow to your messaging.
Looking for inspiration for ways to boost engagement? Consider incorporating:
- Topics that are relevant and address real challenges your audience faces, like trying to do more with less.
- Superstar speakers or industry thought leaders that people would pay to see speak.
- Hands-on workshops that educate event participants.
- Intimate campfires or facilitated roundtable sessions geared toward niche interests and groups.
- Tools like Chime Live that deliver interaction opportunities like polls and Q&A as well as real-time user analytics.
Greater connections, greater loyalty
Networking opportunities build business relationships, reinforce brand loyalty and build community. If you can create events that make it easy for participants to find and make valuable connections, they’ll want to return.
Some good ideas to add to your program? Social activities, like icebreakers or group challenges, help first-timers and introverts forge meaningful connections with other participants.
This fosters a sense of belonging, which can be converted into brand loyalty. The friendships formed around events tend to be as big a draw as the content itself for people who attend year after year.
Networking opportunities also foster participation and demonstratable ROI, which sponsors and exhibitors will look for. You can maximize networking opportunities by using digital tools like Chime Live, which has a matchmaking feature.
Streamline scheduling
Strategic event design can also empower event participants, sponsors and exhibitors to maximize their participation ROI. For example, integrating a scheduling tool on your event website gives sales contacts the ability to book sales calls and meetings directly with prospects.
Streamlining the process and enhancing convenience reinforces the value of investing time and resources in your event. Buyers are also more likely to engage if they have a pleasant experience.
You can save time and effort with a tool that automatically sends confirmation emails and helps participants schedule follow-up calls. Why? Speedy responses improve conversion rates.
By integrating scheduling tools into event websites, you can create a smoother, more efficient networking experience that benefits all participants — from exhibitors and sponsors seeking business opportunities to attendees looking to connect with industry leaders and peers.
4. Entice with pre-event marketing
Pre-event marketing entices people to attend your event. By working closely with your marketing team, you can help ramp up excitement by recommending which stories to tell to create anticipation and how to align the content of pre-event promos to audience segment goals.
In this case, wisely leveraging FOMO is your friend. Show prospective participants what they’ll miss out on if they don’t attend.
Here are a few good ideas to try:
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- Place a countdown timer on the registration page to create a sense of urgency.
- Incentivize people to register early with ‘early bird’ pricing.
- Highlight social events and the caliber of attendees to attract people who prioritize networking or sales.
- Share sneak previews or demos of products people can purchase at the event.
- Promote webinars featuring your event’s speakers to highlight the educational quality of your event.
- Share examples of representative companies and job titles already registered to attract potential exhibitors and sponsors.
- Communicate how past survey data and audience demand have shaped the creation of this year’s agenda.
5. Continue the conversation post-event
Post-event, keep people buzzing by sharing repurposed event content. This extends the event experience, keeps the conversation going and reinforces the positive sentiment generated on-site. When done with intent, this cultivates repeat business.
Trending strategies:
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- Upload or rebroadcast general and breakout session content.
- Send promo or discount codes to redeem products or services.
- Use AI tools to generate blogs or recap videos from content captured onsite.
- Send personalized thank-you emails with fun takeaways, such as highlight videos, photo galleries or playlists.
- Share resources like research or insight papers developed or discussed at the event via email or on the event website.
- Provide additional ways to connect and continue the conversation with online webinars, discussion groups or social links.
Time is of the essence when it comes to follow-up communications, so keep in mind the marketing deadlines your team has set for post-event emails and offers.
Share leads and registration lists with your marketing and business development teams as soon as possible. This will assist them in generating additional conversions.
By incorporating these steps in your event planning, you can prime your sales funnel, enrich customer interactions and amplify event attendance, resulting in heightened revenues and enhanced conversion rates.
We’d love to help you add them to your event strategy and elevate your impact! Let’s chat!
Objective
Held in Tampa, Florida, the 2024 edition would feature keynote speakers, professional development seminars, industry engagements and more. One of the event’s most exciting highlights, and most complex, would be a Live Capabilities Demonstration — Battle of the Bay.
The demonstration needed to incorporate clear audio as part of its storytelling, informing attendees watching from the waterfront, convention center and live streams about each action-packed part of the ‘battle.’ Enter Encore, ready to take on the mission.
Solution
- Engaged audiences with resounding audio, narrating each part of the demonstration across the bay to attendees in various event spaces
- Produced and coordinated each aspect of the fast-paced demonstration
- Live streamed the entire event so it could reach in-person and remote participants
- Pushed the live feed to the convention center, in outlets along the riverwalk and to remote viewers’ devices
- Enthralled waterfront viewers with storytelling at sea, highlighting the vibrant video on a large LED wall on a floating barge
- Ensured a flawless livestream to reach a broader audience
Outcome
Chelsea Hamashin, Vice President of Marketing & Events, Global SOF Foundation, raved, “The Encore team was amazing to work with — they rose to every challenge. They tackled every obstacle and put together an amazing, finished product. No issue was too big and they weren't afraid of any of the ideas or concepts we put in front of them.
“If someone else were to have a similar project or proposal, I would 100 percent recommend Encore.”
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Objective
Hosted at the prestigious National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, the event would need to accommodate a live audience of over 135 attendees in the main room, while extending a similarly momentous experience to additional viewers in an overflow space.
Solution
- Enhancing the storytelling with two video walls and four downstage monitors with newsfeeds.
- Capturing the experience using two tripod cameras, a 20-ft jib camera and a high-end audio package.
- Delivering seamless video and audio feeds from the main room to attendees in the overflow space.
- Broadening the event’s reach with two outbound satellite channels to Times Square and TV stations including Bloomberg, CNBC and Fox Business.
- Connecting viewers in real-time through two inbound satellite channels with direct feeds from NASDAQ at Times Square.
- Maintaining optimal lighting with a custom package adjusted to sunlight changes.
Outcome
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Objective
Creating the large-scale affair on the National Mall presented unique challenges and layers of complexity — specifically to logistics and infrastructure planning. Luckily, the foundation teamed up with Encore and its subsidiary brand Hargrove to bring the vibrant festival of cultures to life.
Solution
- Encore supported foundational services such as power and internet needs for in-person attendees and the live streaming broadcast with expansive technical infrastructure
- Encore enhanced inclusion with remote, simultaneous ASL interpretation
- Hargrove served as the general services contractor
- Hargrove provided creative, design, fabrication,graphics, tenting, logistics and labor services, including over five acres of matrix flooring
Outcome
Leveraging its full scope of production services, the Encore umbrella of organizations delivered an unforgettable cultural extravaganza.
The event featured over 17,000 performers representing more than 180 countries around the world. Their breathtaking performances showcased incredible and diverse voices, talent and creativity on one central stage. It also engaged attendees with hands-on activities like workshops on meditation, culturally inspired crafts for kids and a wide array of cuisine.
Over the three days, the festival welcomed one million attendees with an additional 25 million viewers who watched the live stream, serving as a testament to the power of unity and the magic that Encore can create on a global stage.
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
The Ask
Leveraging their production partner’s expertise became crucial when last-minute changes to attendance affected event scope, gear needs and room layouts just an hour and half before doors were to open! Fortunately, the company was supported by an event team that could seamlessly pivot — no matter the ask or hurdles.
The Solution
- Scrapping the schematic and quickly writing out a new gear checklist, replanning the entire room design and utilization to the re-configuration of event technology needed
- Collaborating with two nearby Encore venues to supply the re-adapted equipment and staff resources needed to execute the adjusted event vision
- Managing the show to ensure every stage of the event ran smoothly
The Result
After the program ended, she expressed how pleased she was with the outcome, adding how glad she was to be working with Encore for the next event on the tour, just a week away.
The team offered to recreate the day’s setup for the next event to guarantee consistency and smooth operations across locations. Her eyes lit up. She relayed that Encore had set the standard for the national tour.
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
In today’s competitive landscape, creating events that not only captivate audiences but also deliver tangible returns on investment (ROI) and experience (ROE) is crucial.
When it comes to post-event debrief meetings, the majority of your peers not only report on how their event supported revenue growth or strategic goals but also how they elevated attendee engagement and satisfaction.
In fact, two out of three planners report on ROI, while 55 percent report on ROE.
We previously covered insights into common ROI and ROE metrics planners track along with a high-level view of event ROI- and ROE-boosting strategies you can start using to elevate your impact.
Now we’re taking a closer look into how to action those strategies to amplify both ROI and ROE, and influence event success with impactful experiences.
Winning strategies to boost event ROI
1. Streamline invitations & check-in processes
Planner challenge: A crucial part of ROI is calculating the cost per attendee. Without an automated tool, planners are left trying to make sense of this all-important number with loose, inefficient processes: sign-in sheets, manual headcounts, incomplete information from surveys or limited estimations based on venue capacity — none of which lead to solid figures.
Try: Simplify event invitations and check-ins for accurate attendee counts and reporting. This not only reduces errors but saves you valuable time and enhances the attendee experience.
The hero in your toolkit: An event invite and check-in tool, like Encore RSVP. This tool not only gives you a precise headcount but handles the legwork for seamless guest invitations, attendee management and efficient onsite check-ins.
Use it to:
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- Enable a streamlined, personalized experience
- Provide attendees with clear instructions
- Reduce wait times for onsite check-ins
Automating these processes cuts down on the tasks you’d otherwise do manually, minimizes errors and saves valuable time for both you and your attendees, leading to higher attendance rates and positive word-of-mouth referrals — all of which contribute to improved event success and ROI.
2. Leverage data analytics
Planner challenge: A big item in every post-event review? The bottom line. Stakeholders expect planners to communicate:
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- The total amount of revenue generated compared to total budget
- Expense allocations
- The investment that delivered the biggest impact on attendees
You may know the total dollars spent, but to confidently address any further financial questions, you’ll need reliable, easy-to-understand insights to support your responses.
Try: Harnessing data insights for evidence-based post-event reporting and recommendations.
The hero in your toolkit: An event app, like Chime Live℠, gathers actionable data on attendee behavior, session engagement and event performance.
Check its live analytics dashboard anytime during or post-event for a clear view of the number of attendees logged in, session participation, interactions with content and audience feedback.
When it’s time for that big post-event debrief, you’ll have the information you need to show which sessions or activities resonated most with attendees. This empowers you to advise how to allocate resources more effectively towards high-engagement areas so your organization’s future events are primed for optimal attendance and maximized ROI.
3. Increase sponsorship visibility
Planner challenge: Demonstrating a clear return on investment to sponsors is crucial for both ROI and sustaining beneficial sponsor contributions in the future.
Sponsors boost events with essential funding, enhanced resources, broader reach and increased credibility, benefiting both organizers and planners. But how do you meet sponsor expectations and engage their customer audiences to increase their sales while balancing event integrity and the attendee experience?
Try: Ensure sponsor visibility through captivating digital displays. Use dynamic media to make your sponsors’ messages truly sing. These are most effective in high-traffic areas that raise advertising impressions, a key metric for sponsorship value.
By leveraging dynamic digital displays, sponsors gain enhanced visibility without overshadowing your programming. Meanwhile attendees enjoy a more engaging event experience.
The hero in your toolkit: Introduce sponsor brands in creative ways while capturing participants’ attention with digital signage.
Beyond compelling content, Encore interactive signage provides engagement metrics, enabling you to report on the effectiveness of the display advertising.
Why should you incorporate tech into your sponsor promotions? Events leveraging technology for sponsorship activations experienced a 20 percent rise in sponsor satisfaction. And satisfied sponsors are more likely to invest in future events.
Winning strategies to boost event ROE
1. Increase opportunities for interaction
Planner challenge: Participant engagement is a top event goal for organizers, as it influences attendee satisfaction and overall event success.
With today’s shorter attention spans, and higher post-pandemic expectations for in-person events, planners face the challenge of adding excitement and interaction to sessions in order to keep participants interested and involved.
Try: Encourage active participation through live polling and Q&A sessions, enhancing attendee satisfaction and event ROE.
The hero in your toolkit: Integrate an event app, like Polling+ or Chime Live℠, to facilitate audience participation, encourage interaction and foster lively discussions between participants. Do it all with the touch of a button with:
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- Live Q&A/Polling: Facilitate fun icebreakers to get attendees warmed up, open up the dialogue with real-time Q&A and polls, and enable participants to respond to topics with emojis.
- Content Customization: Participants can suggest topics they want to discuss with the Emerging Themes tool. They can upvote those they find most relevant. Providing supplemental resources? Easily offer targeted content to different audience segments within the app. This personalization lets them know you see them and understand their needs to foster a sense of belonging.
- Live Chat: Enable live chat for attendees to communicate with each other and with speakers. Plus, seamlessly connect with social media platforms for sharing and interaction.
These features keep participants actively involved in your program and drive engagement — underpinning your event success and high ROE outcomes.
2. Engage the senses to enhance learning
Planner challenge: A key aspect of ROE is your educational impact. This may be assessed by information retention or the number of continuing education credits (CEUs) offered/registered for . To enhance these outcomes, your challenge is to ensure your educational sessions are primed for success.
If your approach to knowledge sharing doesn’t captivate participants, you run the risk of attendees’ eyes glazing over at exactly the moment you hope to intrigue them with learnings.
Try: Design immersive event environments that engage the senses. These multisensory sessions keep attendees engaged with educational content — while influencing how well they remember it.
Why immersive experiences?
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- A study found immersive learning can boost retention rates by up to 75 percent.
- 85 percent of planners believe that immersive experiences foster greater attendee engagement, according to Encore research.
The hero in your toolkit: Incorporate elements that engage the senses and literally immerse attendees in your storytelling. Your mission? Transform the experience to something truly memorable.
Some ideas for inspiration? Bring your audience along with your speakers as they deliver their message. Transport participants to exotic islands, faraway planets or compelling emotional spaces with wrap-around LED video walls.
Another tactic? Dial up the energy or create a relaxing ambiance by creating a sound bath with overhead speakers that move music in a wave from one side of the room to another.
Interested in more immersive experience hacks? Check out ways to boost learning and engagement with multisensory experiences.
3. Leverage “matchmaking” networking tools
Planner challenge: One of the most valuable part of in-person experiences for attendees is the connections they make at events. Your program needs to balance structured interaction with organic connections, to ensure attendees get the most value out of your sessions. Success requires careful curation and dynamic facilitation to foster meaningful interactions.
Try: Enhancing how attendees meet and connect with valuable peers in their network. Ensure your event strategy includes agenda time for networking and incorporate scenarios in your program that encourage attendees to mingle.
The hero in your toolkit: A robust event app, like Chime Live℠, can facilitate “matchmaking” networking opportunities, foster connections and promote collaboration among attendees.
Chime Live’s customized networking features help participants discover other attendees they’re interested in connecting with, based on industry, interests, job titles and more.
This more personalized “matchmaking” during networking sessions enhances attendee experiences, resulting in successful collaborations and enriched attendee satisfaction, thus boosting ROE and networking ROI.
The power of partnership
By implementing these proactive strategies, planners can unlock the full potential of their events, driving both financial success and exceptional attendee experiences.
Choosing a full-service event production partner, like Encore, can be an invaluable part of this journey. Leverage the experts to help set your event strategy and deliver the end-to-end creative, production and technology solutions that support your ROI and ROE goals.
We’d love to partner on delivering an event that resonates with both your audience and your bottom line. Click here to schedule a free consultation!
The Ask & Challenge
Eager and ready after her academy training at Encore, a multi-certified technician, supported by in-venue and regional network experts, led the charge in bringing the customer’s vision to life.
The Solution
- Illuminating the main stage with lighting and gobos
- Delivering engaging content with a three-screen projector setup and audio package
- Providing real-time footage of the presenter onstage with a camera-operated third screen source
- Supporting PowerPoint presentations, video content and audio
- Adjusting all solutions accordingly for the concurrent bilingual sessions
The Result
The CEO of the organization told the Encore team: “Months of planning lead to productions like these. It's a lengthy process, and we greatly appreciate both the support we received, and the outstanding results achieved.”
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Objective
- Refresh and invigorate attendees
- Create a plenary within a non-traditional venue
- Ensure compliance and avoid regulatory concerns
- Deliver the “best professional gathering of the year”
Solution
- Designed an immersive general session in an existing theater, by adding a LED screen that spanned the theater’s proscenium to create dazzling graphics and lighting that increased participants’ depth of experience.
- Created memorable experiences through education and hands-on activities at the eight Hubs for attendees to train, engage and learn with AV, creative and production support.
- Oversaw regulatory concerns to ensure compliance with the sponsor team and CME grant process.
Outcome
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 82% of the 14,000 AAN attendees considered the 2024 annual meeting the best neurological professional gathering of the year.
- 95% of attendees are likely to attend a future AAN Annual Meeting
