Managing a multi-day conference is not an easy task. It requires considerable attention and consolidation to facilitate the successful completion of the conference and the overall satisfaction of the participants. Despite the fact that the most important part of a conference is its content, one of the best ways to capture the interest of attendees and make the event more vivid is by integrating entertainment into the schedule. Entertainment has the potential to greatly facilitate networking, provide relaxation, and improve the conference experience as a whole.
In this article, we will highlight the important elements of planning a multi-day conference with entertainment that keeps the audience active, happy, and engaged throughout the event.
Audience Analysis
It is suggested that when planning an entertainment program, you must first understand the audience. Your choice of entertainment should reflect respondents’ tastes, which also include the kind of participants that will be attending. Are attendees coming from a certain field of specialization? Are they hoping to make new business acquaintances, expand their knowledge or simply want some downtime? Answering these questions will help you decide what form of entertainment will suit them best.
For instance, if your conference is focused on technology, perhaps consider incorporating futuristic forms of entertainment such as virtual reality or video game consoles. In contrast, yoga or mindfulness workshops may be more appropriate for conferences centered on healthcare.
Looking at the age and their interests of your audience, you will be able to develop a program that best fits them, elevates their experience, and keeps them occupied in their free time.
Selecting Appropriate Entertainment
After having a deep understanding of your audience’s interests, the next step is deciding which entertainment options will be appropriate for the conference. Entertainment can help in a wide array of ways: it can help facilitate relaxation from the hectic events of multi-day conferences and encourage networking, or as a break from the generally energetic schedule of multi-day conferences.
Below are a few options you could consider for your multi-day event:
• Live Music and Performances: Live performances are a great way to set the tone for the conference and create a lively atmosphere. To add value to the participant’s experience, consider hiring local musicians, bands, or performers to play during breaks or social events in the evening otherwise known as networking events.
• Interactive Experiences: Such activities as escape rooms, VR gaming stations, or augmented reality experiences can offer fun and engaging ways for attendees to escape and interact with the conference theme.
• Networking Events: Attendees may wish to relax with other members socially through social entertainment like cocktail receptions, themed dinners, and even team-building games.
• Workshops and Skill Development: Attendees can be entertained and fostered in creativity and learning within art, photography, cooking, and even dance by providing hands-on experience in workshops from skills that interest them the most.
• Themed Breakout Sessions: The formal content of the conference can be interrupted by A breaks sessions which are designed for the participants to engage themselves into more fun activities which could relate to their work or hobbies.
Balancing Content And Entertainment
Organizing a multi-day conference has many great challenges, like finding the right compromise between informative content vs entertainment. One reason these events are hosted is for attendees to gain valuable knowledge, networking, and professional development. With that in mind, the most important thing to a conference should not be the amount of entertainment offered, but rather the invaluable services that the conference provides.
Schedule entertainment activities during the natural pauses in the timetable: prior to or following formal sessions, lunch time, or at the end of the day. That way, participants can take part in the entertainment activities without missing important sessions. Also, allow participants ample time to recuperate and rest as these multi-day events can really be stressful and exhausting.
For example, a 30-minute coffee break can be combined with a 20-minute live music performance. This enables participants to recharge, socialize, and be entertained within the set time and also allow them to network.
Facilitating Networking Opportunities through Entertainment
Entertainment can serve as a key facilitator of informal networking events. Participants are likely to network within relaxed environments where they can engage in informal conversations. Adding entertainment to your event is definitely a great way to make these interactions easier.
Below are a few examples of how entertainment can aid in networking:
• Informal social events: After a busy day filled with presentations and discussions, attendees may welcome the chance to network while socializing. For such worth-remembering evenings, cocktail parties, happy hours or dinners of certain themes can be arranged.
• Interactive Games: Events and games like team building, trivia, and scavenger hunts can help build cooperation and communication among participants who do not know each other.
• Roundtable Discussions and Fireside Chats: These unscripted, informal small group exercises can include some kind of social event or show, so that in addition to getting to know each other, meaningful discussions can take place.
Logistical Considerations for Entertainment
As with everything concerning your multi-day conference, the logistics of the entertainment options you choose are equally as important. The entertainment program must have all its elements properly integrated to facilitate ease of operations and a positive outcome for the attendees.
Here are some logistics to keep in mind:
• Venue Selection: Identify a location which can integrate the content of the conference with entertainment components. If you are adding live shows or participant based activities, make certain that there is adequate room for them to happen without interfering with the overarching conference.
• Timing and Scheduling: Schedule entertainment to avoid clashes with the major speakers and content driven panel discussions. Share a calendar of activities with participants to promote forward planning in regards to taking breaks and rejoining the action.
• Budgeting: Entertainment plays a critical role in your event, and its cost can sometimes constitute a major portion of your event budget. You should consider how many performers to hire, what equipment to rent, and if the entertainers’s travel fees need to be paid. Create an entertaining environment, while finding ways to meet the spending limits.
• Technical Support: Cancel or moratorium all other tasks that require input of your entertainment activities prior to and including providing the entertainment. Ensure that all the required technical support for the entertainment is provided. Depending on the nature of the music, live performers may require a sound system, an interactive experience might need VR gear, and at times even a technician.
After the Conference Entertainment
After the official sessions are done, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the energy of the attendees is high and they leave the event feeling positive and great. As they wind down a conference, a final evening event rounds out the experience and can add some memorable moments so the attendees close the event on a high note- like a gala dinner, an award ceremony, or simply a fun closing party. This helps the participants think through their experience while socializing with other attendees in a more casual, enjoyable atmosphere.
Final Thoughts
Planning a multi-day conference with entertainment is demanding as one has to organize the logistics and plan for the entertainment in an effective manner. Knowing audience preferences, choosing suitable entertainment, and managing the logistics properly creates a conference that is informative and enjoyable. Entertainment enhances networking and collaboration with the guests and makes the event memorable. Thoughtful planning and entertaining activities will take the conference and participants anticipation for the next one to a new level.