Experiences IRL (in real life) no longer occur in a vacuum. IRL is just one channel an event can be experienced through. It will then be translated onto a variety of other channels for consumption by other people around the world.
This new multi-channel experience means event planners need to take into consideration how IRL experiences translate into other channels. One way to take control of this is by creating an event visualization or dashboard that streams on the ground and online, unifying the multi-channel reality.
These are five reasons live event visualizations increase your overall event success:
01. People want to join the party
The concept of FOMO (fear of missing out) is a major reason why social media is so addicting. People want to be where the cool stuff is happening. By giving people online a glimpse into what’s happening IRL, you get them intrigued about the event, creating another engaged audience through online channels.
Concerts and sporting games are a great example of this. Even if people aren’t on the ground, they can still watching content being streamed and engage the attendees and bands who are IRL.
02. Tell the full story of your event
Visualizations reduce the number of times you have to say, “I guess you had to be there,” when people ask how an event went. When you take control of the story and the narrative, you can be sure that people on the outside and people IRL see the full scope of your event experience.
Red Bull’s Flugtag is a great example of an event visualization that showed real-time audience engagement, team voting and activity on the ground. This meant that whether fans were IRL or online, they were engaged and knew what was going on.
03. Amplify the experience
Someone may not be super interested in looking at someone’s selfie from an event, they could be very interested in seeing what top influencers were saying, how many people were there and other event-related facts. By creating something shareable and relevant to a wide audience, you increase the likelihood of amplification to a broader audience.
Conferences are a great example of an event that would benefit from real-time visualizations. Most conferences are chalked full of interesting facts and information, but lots of people aren’t able to travel or afford ticket costs. Providing real-time insight will engage the online audience.
04. Identify influencers online and IRL
As an event manager, event visualizations help you surface influencers or brand advocates both IRL and online. Monitoring follower activity and conversation about an event gives brands the opportunity to engage influencers or surprise and delight followers who may appreciate a small gesture or engagement. Through visualizations, you can keep a pulse on this activity.
Sporting events are a great example of how real-time visualizations give teams insight into a super fan or influencers they may not have previously known. A tweet or free gift goes a long way when it comes to developing loyal brand advocates.
05. Collect real-rime data and insights
Visualizations also give event managers a leg up on understanding how attendees and followers feel about the overall experience. This information is crucial when it comes to making decisions on what pieces to change or keep for future experiences.
The Washington Wizards benefit from the post-event insights because it provides more information about who their attendees are. With professional sports, few people buy their tickets directly from the team. That means they’ve had a hard time understanding their audience, until now.
Insights
Visualizations help event managers control the narrative and tell the real story of an event.
