Autumn Live specialises in live engagement events. It sounds like someone is ‘popping the question’ doesn’t it? (I have actually had a visitor do this at an event, on stage, in front of 2000 people, but it’s not a proposal of marriage!) Hosting a Live Engagement event is an opportunity for people to connect together in really life and share something incredible.
Here are the Top 6 reasons you should host a Live Engagement event
1. Bringing people together
Recently we had the privilege of producing a live engagement event for Big Heritage who were working with NianticLabs, creators of PokémonGO.
Thousands of people descended on beautiful Chester to play Pokémon GO, find out more about the history of Chester and engage with some historical re-enactors from different time periods. From Vikings and Romans to the Normans and Civil War.
Look at this for an engagement event:
Here’s some comments about the event:
“The event itself was well organised and very unique! What a great way to get people learning about Chester.“
“A great event showing off the city and Big Heritage did Chester proud.”
“Thanks for an amazing day filled with history and fun. Now this is what I call an event.”
The Pokémon GO community are such a great bunch of visitors, helpful, friendly and working together as teams. I’ve actually not seen anything like it before. There were no incidents and the city welcomed thousands of visitors with open arms.
2. Meeting new people
Social media is utterly brilliant for enabling new people to meet at live engagement events – whether it’s through an event app, LinkedIn or Facebook group, Instagram, Twitter or following a hashtag for the event. Harnessing the power of social media is a great way to connect virtually and maybe even your participants will be brave enough to connect face-to-face. Often you meet someone first then add them to your social media platforms, but organisers can encourage people to engage virtually first, then connect at the event.
Dan Martell, award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, has some really great tips about how to make the most of conferences. Our personal favourite is organising a dinner invite. Often, at conferences and events, people are at loose end on their own in a new city. By encouraging people to invite others to eat together and get to know them, relationships can be built. Investing the spare time you often have when away at an event builds something unique and useful for the future.
3. Live engagement events create something memorable
Time is one of our most precious commodities, we need to use it well and invest it in the best places. An event with a unique combination of people, on a fixed day, weekend or week stands alone in time and will never be repeated. Let’s make the most of creating events and experiences that people remember for the rest of their lives. Hopefully for the right reasons. The sense of belonging and creating something memorable is incredibly powerful. It means stories can be formed that will be told over and over.
4. Feeling connected to the world
When we connect with other people we feel connected to the world, we are not alone. We are not the only person who is into this band, or enjoys that game or loves that football team. Joining in with a live event experience reminds us we’re human, we like the same things and we have more in common. In the current climate of world events and scary headlines, this is exactly the life-affirming experiences the world needs.
5. Pushing your boundaries or doing something new
The live event experience can encourage people to try new things – a new food or cocktail, experience a different style of music or start playing a game you’ve never downloaded before. Doing something new helps to form memorable experiences whether we love it or hate it. We often connect our senses – sound, smell, taste, touch, sight – to a new experience. I can smell a certain perfume and it transports me to Italy. I can listen to a Groove Armada track and I’m lounging in the sunshine on North Island’s glorious beaches. New ideas can spring up, new habits can be formed when we’re at an event.
6. Feeling Good / endorphin rush!
When you experience an event it can make you feel good – about yourself, the world, and it can definitely create an endorphin rush!
The Pokémon GO live event was an absolute buzz of bringing people together. Experiencing a one-off, unique event in a city many people had not visited before. Those visitors will never forget Chester, the Friday night rain and the gathering of people on Bridge Street like I have never seen it! And for the trainers – catching Articuno or Lugia gave them the gaming rush they were after!
If you want to host a Live Engagement event and benefit from these 6 outcomes we can help. Contact Jan and let’s make a plan!
