Flexing our delegate experience muscles

We’re delighted to see that many of our clients are bringing larger groups together once again at business events. While we’ve certainly kept the VIP delegate experience going virtually, it is wonderful to offer that service in real life once again. With over 30 years of experience, getting back to those watercooler moments and face to face interactions is as exciting for us as it is for our clients. Here are my top tips to help you make the most of that white glove experience:

1. Make getting together an amazing experience – Delegates are excited to come back to live events, but it’s important to respect the time people are taking out from the office and home. Fill your events with interactive experiences and opportunities to network with colleagues. Delegate experience professionals like us are there to provide those added extras that make an event truly memorable; from suggesting innovative networking activities and icebreakers, to organising top notch catering, delivering a seamless travel experience, or sourcing thoughtful corporate gifts.
2. Think about the wellbeing of your delegates – This isn’t just about offering sunrise yoga and smoothies. It’s about treating delegates as busy professionals. Asking your delegates to sit in a dark room for hours on end, having content delivered at them with no breaks, should not be the norm. In the virtual world, many moved to shorter, more interactive sessions to ensure engagement and this should not be lost as we return to in real life events. Carving out pockets of free time, so that delegates can answer a critical email or check in with colleagues is another thoughtful touch.
3. Remember that the event landscape has changed since 2019 – When it comes to booking your catering, venue, security and accommodation, you may find that there are longer lead times than pre-pandemic, so plan ahead as much as possible. It’s undeniable that a number of people have left the industry over the past two years, but this also gives us an opportunity to welcome in exciting and diverse new talent. We’re doing this through our Year ONE initiative, a paid internship giving people a chance to learn about every aspect of an experiential agency, with no experience necessary. Sustainability is also an even higher priority in 2022 and WRG are early adopters of TRACE, a tool to help our clients monitor and reduce the carbon footprint of their events.
4. Give delegates a choice – Offering a mix of digital and face to face content can boost interactivity in the form of polls and Q&A sessions. Likewise, it can help those who are still reluctant to return to large scale events. We know that many clients, like us, are passionate about the face to face experience, but offering some virtual content shows that you are really thinking about an inclusive delegate experience.
5. Event platforms aren’t just for virtual – By using an event platform (such as our own heddle), you can bring together functionality such as registration, communications and presentation interactions. More importantly, you can also move content that would have traditionally been presented at people in that dark room for hours, to pre work, in the form of reading and video content. By doing this, you can focus on the discussions, innovation and group collaboration which are best delivered face to face. The platform can also gather insights for you on downloads and views, so that you can ensure a lasting impact.

Both technology and the ways in which we work have evolved rapidly since 2019, but for most, our need to interact in person remains fundamental. By combining some of the great event technology and tools available, with the white glove service of a delegate experience team, you can make sure your event strikes the right balance with all attendees.