The Importance of Video at an Event or Conference

The world is becoming more digital by the second. You can become friends with someone before ever being in the same room. Linkedin is great for networking, and Twitter is fabulous for reaching your peers, but as awesome as these tools are, they’re also saturated. Everybody’s using them….and therein lies the problem…they no longer make you unique. So, as a professional, how do you continue to stand out?

Attend a conference! Sometimes cutting through the noise and fostering face-to-face relationships with fellow professionals can be the best way to network and get yourself out there. Social tools are quick and easy to use, but they can’t replace the memories and impressions made face-to-face.

If you’re hosting a conference, you already recognize these benefits. For you, the question is: how do I get people there? How do I convince them it’s worth their time, energy and (often) money? How do I get them excited about the event, carry that excitement through the conference, and then leave them talking about the conference and sharing it with potential attendees for weeks to come?

The answer: video. Research has already shown that video is one of the most effective ways to market to your audience. How can video be used to enhance your event? Here are some of our thoughts:

Video Generates Excitement Before an Event

One of the best ways to increase the effectiveness of pre-event outreach is to develop a video. Events require active promotions to ensure that the attendance is as high as possible. Video is interactive and quickly demonstrates what an event offers – it also provides a peek into the personal interactions that an attendee can expect. Use video to attract all types of leads to your event. Include a call to action and make sure that it’s easy for viewers to navigate from your video to the sign-up page for the event or conference.

Video Increases Interaction at an Event

The interactions that occur at a conference or event are one of the most powerful benefits to attending. Video can be a great way to bring life to event presentations and various product-oriented displays. Encouraging attendees to live upload photos and video with a pre-selected (and advertised) hashtag can add social exposure to your event. This helps to increase the buzz around your event and can inspire new people to sign up for next year’s meet up. The immediate feedback also gives your social media managers a chance to engage attendees online while they’re at the event.

Video Extends the Life of an Event

The content captured during the event can be used for several purposes. For example, here are just a few ways video can have a lasting impact after it is over:

• Provides access to keynotes – Conferences spend quite a bit of resource to ensure a keynote has an impact. By capturing the presentation on video, attendees and others can view the content online after the event is over.
• Archives panel discussions – One of the more engaging parts of a conference is the panel discussions. These discussions often feature conflicting points of view and encourage audience participation. Video, especially when there are multiple angles, can capture the most interesting moments of panel discussions. When uploading these videos, you invite the conversation to continue online.
• CCaptures feedback and testimonials – One of the best ways to start marketing next year’s event is to use testimonials from this year. With a video production crew on-site, you can capture testimonials from participants and use the footage to develop a promotional piece. Creating a sizzle reel from last year can be a great marketing tool for next year’s event.

Ultimately, video is a great way to enhance the impact of an event. It provides the ability to capture the most interesting parts of a conference and extend conversations online.