One of the greatest struggles for meeting & conference planners, now more than ever, is keeping their audiences engaged throughout their events. Generally speaking, engagement in events is declining and attention spans are shrinking. So the question becomes, how do you address this to help your meetings & events remain highly impactful?

Audio, video, & lighting technology provides some of the most optimal methods of connecting & engaging with your audiences! Here are seven AV elements that can help you to captivate your audience and drive your content home!

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A concert-level audio system is likely to surprise and delight your attendees. With high quality audio typically reserved for musical performances, your audience will appreciate being able to hear the spoken content with more ease, and any sound effects or musical transitions will be that much more powerful.

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We’ve spoken about the benefits of dynamic video use in events before, but the effects cannot be understated. Using video elements like animated logos & backgrounds, video transitions, and IMAG (showing footage of the speakers up on the screens), you can keep your audience’s interest on the content being shared.

For more tips on using video in your events, check out Bringing Your Logo To Life and Seven Ways to Make the Most of Your LED Wall.

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Lighting can make a huge difference in the ambience of an event, whether it’s focused on the stage or used throughout an event space. You can go simple with a wash and some uplighting, or get creative with some moving heads & coordinate some eye-catching cues with different speakers or themes. Adding fog or atmosphere to a space is another simple move that can give your lighting a more dramatic or concert-like look, allowing the beams to be seen through the space and extending the impact of the effects.

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Polling is an easy way to get your audience involved in an event, especially if you can display the results & relate them back to the content being presented. There are many apps & clicker systems out there that you can use to achieve this, but one of our favorites is UMU. In addition to polling functionalities, UMU also makes it easy to do raffle drawings, games, and quizzes, and provides you with an engaging and aesthetically pleasing interface to use on-screen.

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Now, we know that VR & AR are up-and-coming technologies that still carry a hefty price tag, so right now it’s about baby steps. Encourage vendors in exhibit booths to utilize VR! This has been very popular in many conferences, and although it may not specifically reference the content of the conference, the experience stands out to the attendees and elevates their overall experience.

(Photo by Jack Looney Photography)

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Q&A’s are another great way to get your audience engaging with the content. Placing microphones throughout the audience not only encourages participation, but it also sends the signal early on that there will be a time for questions, which encourages attendees to pay more attention throughout the event.

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Depending on how you use it, staging can be passive and minimally engaging, or you can take advantage of new technology and create a more dynamic set for your event. There are so many opportunities for dynamic & interactive staging these days, from responsive physical set pieces to LED walls that open up a world of possibilities when it comes to content & transitions.

To check out some examples of our staging design process, head over to our Portfolio page!

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These are just a few examples of ways to bring impact & interactivity to an event, but depending on who your audience is, there may be many more options for you event! We’d love to help you come up with a creative solution to keep your attendees wowed and engaged!