Are you organizing a hybrid business event? Or maybe you are planning to prepare a networking event? That means this article is just for you! In it, I will give you 3 ideas that you can implement at your online or hybrid event to effectively increase the engagement of your attendees. This will not only translate into a better reception and higher rating of the event, but also into valuable leads for your business. Shall we begin?

Workshop sessions and networking sessions

Workshop sessions and networking sessions are always a good idea at a business event. These provide participants with an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills, as well as to meet new people and expand their networks. If you are planning to organize such sessions, remember to let the participants learn about their topics well in advance so they can choose the ones they find the most interesting. You can put information about workshops and networking sessions on the event's landing page, for example.

You may also want to consider a registration limit for sessions, so that participants can attend, for instance, only two or three during the entire event as well as to give participants access to the platform well ahead of the start of the event so that they can safely register for the sessions of their choice.

Also, be sure to explain to them the entire registration process and inform them of the date and time of its start. A properly prepared email campaign that you send out to participants would be great for this.

Bonus content with limited access

What positively impacts attendee engagement at an online event? The realization that he or she is a "premium" attendee and has access to bonus content that others do not have access to. And the better this content turns out to be, the greater the attendee's engagement is. So think about what bonus value you can give them, for example, for registering for your event in the "early bird" phase or purchasing a higher (and more expensive) event participation package.

The easiest way to do this is to create additional space on the event platform with interesting downloadable materials, available only to a specific group of participants. These could be videos, podcasts in audio form, presentations, brochures or e-books in PDF format. It's really up to you what you include there.

You can also go a step further and, if your budget allows, create an additional stage or session where your invited specialists will conduct workshops or lead panel discussions just for the attendees that purchased the premium event ticket.

Speed Networking: entertainment and networking expansion all-in-one

A business event does not exist without networking. At an in-person event, networking simply "happens", may it be during a coffee or a lunch break. At an online event, however, attendees need an extra push to start conversations with others in order to expand their network. In such a situation, it would be ideal to provide attendees with a special space or a functionality that makes it easier to start a conversation. On the Gridaly platform, we call this functionality Speed Networking.

Speed Networking connects random participants for a few minutes of conversation, during which they can get acquainted and exchange contacts. If the conversation sticks, they have the opportunity to extend it, and if not... sayonara! As an organizer, you have the opportunity to make this networking experience even more attractive to participants, for example, by including support questions that help keep the conversation going and that are a great help for shy people. You can also set the parameters of functionality to make the match-making experience even better. Allow participants to mark a number of interests before the conversation so that the computer can match them with someone similar. Alternatively, specify which specific groups of participants your attendees can connect with (e.g., participants connecting only with exhibitors or only with speakers).