Kickin’ it to the curb and taking it up a notch

Events tips for 2024

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. 

That’s right - it’s event season. It’s the real deal!

And our team at The Digital Voice™ couldn’t be more excited to get stuck into our plans for our incredible clients in the coming months. Our bread and butter is shouting our clients’ names from the rooftops whilst they make the biggest splash possible at events, but the way to make a real ripple in the industry changes every year. So, here are a couple of sure fire ways to stand out when it comes to planning your events in 2024, and a couple of things to leave behind too. 

Let’s start with the basics: KISS IT – Keep It Short and Simple

When it comes to making an impression, delivering memorable content, and maintaining engagement, Keeping It Short and Simple is the way to go. Avoid muddying your content, whilst saving yourself, and your important audience, from falling asleep…

• Avoid lengthy content slots that will leave your audience sat for extended periods of time without a break. Sat longer than an hour? No thanks!
• Break up content by introducing interactive elements, quizzes or entertainment! 
• Keep the waffle to a minimum! Keep your presentation to the point and any slides (if you must have them) snappy, and most of all, fun! 

PUMP IT UP

That’s right, we said it. Alexa - play pump up the jam. 

Let’s keep the energy levels high, pump up the volume, and give your audience an EXPERIENCE. If we see another event focused around a text heavy powerpoint, an industry intervention may be required…

Here’s how we’re keeping it fresh – feel free to take these and make them your own!

• Games: Incorporate a prize-winning game into your event, like a quiz during your presentation, or a literal arcade game during networking! Attendees love an interactive element at an event, and it can be a great way to gather leads that’s worth it for your guests’ data exchange.
• The sensory feel: Don’t sleep on the experiential elements of your events like lighting, visual decor, and smells. Think about how you want your attendees to feel. Easy ways to win on this: curated playlists, plug in air fresheners, themed food or hired actors! Go WILD!
• Videos: Impact, impact, impact! Open your event and set the scene with a booming video to get the audience in the mindset you want them. At a recent event we hosted, a clip from The Wolf of Wall Street was incorporated into the presentation. It was a great way to visually display the point being made, and it had the whole room laughing! It broke the ice, left an impact, and engaged the whole audience. 

And that leads us onto our next point for experiences:

Sharing is caring - drop the mic, and get chatting to your audience

One of our favourite trends for events this year has to be audience participation. At The Digital Voice™ we are known for our interactive sessions, below are some ways we like to sprinkle some magic:

• Poll/Quiz: A mid-content poll taken via an event app or even a quiz! Apps are a fun way to get people’s brains working!
• A roaming mic: This is a sure fire way to fire up the energy at your event, sometimes get some laughs, and make your event a memorable one. 
• Physical movement: Want something more analog? Maybe it’s a stand up/sit down answer exercise, or providing the audience with an ‘agree’ ‘disagree’ sign, for them to hold up!
• Use your voice! Utiq’s most recent event saw “what’s your biggest ick word when it comes to cookieless? Shout it!” This was followed by a lot of laughs and commentary on the buzzwords we’d heard. 

Keep it green

There’s no shock that sustainability must be included in our list and quite frankly, as an events team, we’re TIRED of the same old-fashioned approach to branding, merchandise and event materials that is wasteful and actually rather boring. 

1. Vendors: There’s no need to be wasteful when there’s a huge wealth of options for eco-friendly vendors. Do your research and order early. 
2. Quality over quantity: makes all the difference, and actually creates a better impact on those on the receiving end. If we see more cheap reusable water bottles and notepads, we’re going to have a fight. 
3. Be inventive with signage: Don’t print flyers or single-use roller banners. Not only are these ugly, but they are wasteful. Need custom signage? Put a QR code on an edible biscuit, order a recycled card sign and place it on an easel, and utilise the existing screens inside the venue.
4. Location: Did you know the biggest polluter for events is everyone travelling to the venue? Pick somewhere that is close to your audience, or if you can, make the event virtual! Lockdown saw that virtual events can be effective when you make them into interactive creative experiences.

Don’t forget to facetime

And no – we don’t mean a quick check in with granny! We mean that invaluable, oh so important face to face networking.

Don’t believe us? Sara Vincent, a guest in MAD//Fest’s Female Leaders Clubs interview series “Cappuccinos and Cock-ups”, emphasised this:

“I am a total advocate for the power of the network and a firm believer in making connections across industries, colleagues, cohorts – the list goes on, for bringing immense benefits to your own career progression, success and outcomes, as well as giving back to help others realise theirs.”

Don’t know where to start sometimes? Below are 4 of the biggest topics that have been rippling throughout the industry this year that you can read up on:

1. The media industry’s impact on climate change and media emissions – how can we change this? Who are the leading changemakers here? 
2. Cookieless, consent, privacy and a new era of data exchange for consumers and brands. 
3. AI, and its new role in the professional space. Where does it fit in, and where should we draw the line? 
4. DE&I, and how 2024 can be the year that awareness goes beyond a tick box exercise, and becomes a non-negotiable. 

And speaking of networking: Let’s talk afterparties

Now more than ever, the awareness around alcohol-free, sober, or sober curious lifestyles has blown through the roof. So when it comes to your event, particularly for networking and social elements, don’t let your menu be what lets you down. 

Ensuring we’re catering for alcohol-free lifestyles with non-alcoholic options means going beyond orange juice and water. So whether you’re a drinker, a non-drinker, or just there for the canapés (we understand), let’s work hard and play hard, whatever we’re sipping. 

So, there you have it - our must haves for events in 2024. Heed our advice, or don’t, but you can’t say we didn’t try to help you!