The past few years have thrown event planning for a loop, to say the least. But there are silver linings to this story, and one is that we learned to successfully adapt our events to this new landscape. 

Today, event planners are successfully hosting virtual and hybrid events thanks to the advancement of event platforms. Sometimes, though, nothing beats a traditional in-person event where all attendees gather in the same physical place.

If you plan to host an in-person event soon, you might be wondering how to present an in-person experience that’s fresh, engaging, and safe for everyone involved. 

This article provides tips for using Webex Events (formerly Socio) to elevate your in-person event experience, and it includes suggestions for encouraging the health and well-being of attendees gathering in person.

Why should I use Webex Events for my in-person event?

Using Webex Events for your in-person events enriches attendee engagement, increases your branding opportunities, reveals valuable event metrics, facilitates networking, and more. 

Adding a digital aspect to your event creates opportunities for connecting with attendees in real-time with push notifications and building excitement before your event even begins. 

You’ll also save money on printing costs by replacing paper materials with digital brochures, agendas, and venue maps, all in one central, seamless app!

Let’s explore the ways that Webex Events takes in-person events to the next level. 

Custom mobile event app

The custom mobile event app enhances the in-person attendee experience by letting you brand every aspect of the app to match your organization and event, including the app icon, app theme colors, and custom splash screens.

Whether attendees are looking at your app or their physical surroundings, the mobile event app provides branding continuity. Plus, you have the power to customize the sign-up and login options that attendees choose from when they login to your branded app. 

The mobile event app also features shake and connect, a touchless networking tool. Exchanging business cards is a thing of the past. With shake and connect, simply shake your phone within five minutes of an attendee to make a connection and save their contact info through the app.

Encourage networking at your next event. Check out these 8 creative networking examples. 

Event game feature

The event game feature is a great way to drive attendees to different parts of your event and increase engagement. 

Consider creating a scavenger hunt, where attendees visit sponsor booths and attend sessions throughout the day to find game challenge codes and get points.

How RFMS uses gamification to boost attendee engagement at events

Announcements

When used effectively, announcements drive attendee engagement both in the mobile event app and at your in-person event. 

Send push notifications to attendees to drum up hype before your event and relay important information during the event. For example, you could use an announcement to let attendees know that a special event is about to start in the main auditorium.

Announcements also provide even more opportunities to showcase key sponsors. Simply send a push notification “from” a sponsor, and voila!

Reduce paper use and save the environment with more in-app features  

Reduce the need for paper at your event by replacing printed materials with some features. Since these features live within the Event App, attendees need only to log in to the app to access venue maps, agendas, and almost anything else you’d normally print on paper. 

Not only is this convenient for attendees, it also saves you printing costs, and it feels good to do your part by minimizing waste!

Maps feature

With the Maps feature, there’s no need to waste paper by printing a ton of maps for attendees.

The maps feature makes it easy for in-person attendees to find their way around your venue and discover all the wonderful people, places, and sessions your event has to offer.

As attendees explore the map, they click on regions to view features tied to an area of the venue, like speakers, sponsor booths, and agenda sessions. Attendees can also access map locations from any feature linked to the map.   

Agenda feature

With the Webex Events agenda feature, attendees will know exactly when and where sessions are happening throughout the venue. 

Have a last-minute change to your agenda schedule? No need to run to the printer. Simply make your changes on the platform, and those changes will reflect on the mobile app instantly. 

As a bonus, use the announcements feature to send push notifications about agenda changes directly to your attendees’ devices so they don’t miss a beat.

Custom list feature

Custom lists are incredibly versatile. Use the custom list feature as a central repository for documents that attendees can access before, during, and after the event, like FAQs, featured agenda sessions, city guides, and more. Upload PDFs and images, link to websites, and add custom icons to each listed item for a seamless branding experience. 

Single document feature

Use the single document feature to display a PDF, like a food menu, seating chart, or health policy. When attendees tap the single document feature on the event app, the document opens immediately. 

You can also internally link the single document feature to another feature. For example, you could internally link a syllabus to an agenda session. 

Live display

Show live display on screens throughout the venue to drive attendee engagement and keep everyone up to date about your event. 

Display attendee wall posts, upcoming sessions, game leaderboards, the app download QR code, and more. 

To further promote event sponsors, use the image gallery to showcase who’s sponsoring your event!

Live display is easy to set up, and most of its customizable features pull directly from the content you’ve already added to your event app, saving you time and effort. 

Onsite check-in and badge printing

Onsite is a dynamic, all-in-one check-in and badge printing solution that simplifies the check-in process and is sure to wow attendees from the moment they walk in the door. 

Onsite lets you customize the look of your check-in app and design unique, branded badges for your attendees. You’ll also receive a kit that includes all the check-in and badge printing hardware you need to have a smooth and user-friendly check-in experience. 

You have the option to set up onsite check-in and badge printing on your own. However, if you need a hand, lean on our professional services team to support you every step of the way. 

We’re happy to help build your check-in app, design badges, create custom rules, order hardware and venue internet, and more.  

Lead Retrieval

The lead retrieval app by Webex Events empowers your sponsors and exhibitors to seamlessly capture leads with enriched data, qualify and rate them, export to their CRM, collaborate with team members, and rake in ROI – all by scanning attendees’ QR codes with one app. 

Sound exciting? Learn more about Lead Retrieval’s key benefits. 

Metrics

We know that data is critical to analyzing event trends, attendee engagement, and overall event success. 

The metrics tab in Webex Events has a ton of useful dashboards, charts, and analytics that reveal insights about your event, attendee behavior, app usage, and ROI. 

The metrics tab also lets you easily share this data with stakeholders and export the metrics to a spreadsheet for even more data discovery.

Prioritize public health at your next in-person event

As in-person events begin to emerge from hibernation, it’s important to make sure your event is set up with attendee health and well-being at the forefront. We’ve gathered some of our favorite health and safety tips, which we’ll share with you below!

  1. Develop a safety plan and communicate it to attendees before the event to mitigate any confusion and uncertainty. Your attendees will thank you!
  1. Set up a health concierge and/or signage at your event so that attendees have a go-to resource.
  1. If you want attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative test, and you’re using Webex Events registration, consider adding relevant questions and a place to upload an image of these records on your checkout forms.
  1. Promote touchless networking with shake and connect so that attendees don’t feel obligated to shake hands when they meet each other.
  1. Consider implementing a red light/green light system. Offer attendees badges with a visual cue that lets other attendees know immediately whether they’re okay shaking hands or prefer a greeting without a handshake.
  1. Instead of passing the mic, consider using the Q&A feature at your next Q&A session. Attendees simply drop their questions in the Q&A panel on the mobile app, and a moderator relays them to the speaker.
  1. Looking for a touchless check-in experience? Turn on the fast track option within onsite check-in and badge printing! When you turn on fast track, attendees print their badges instantly by scanning their QR code at check-in.

This sounds great! Can I see how an in-person event might look on the app? 

Sure thing! If you want a glimpse of what an in-person event could look like in the app, request a demo today.