In Session with Liz Caruso, Liz King Events and Techsytalk (Part 1)

EventProfsCast by Hubilo

Welcome back, event profs!

On today’s episode of Event ProfsCast, Rachel is joined by Liz Caruso, CEO of Liz King Events and Techsytalk. Liz is without a doubt a doer of all things and quite possibly one of the busiest people walking the planet today.

The Highlights

2021 brought us both a ton of uncertainty about the events space, but also a ton of enthusiasm around the prospect of getting back together again at in-person events. In-person is coming back, and now we can take what we’ve learned and done in the virtual event space and benefit from that on top of all the things we were doing before the world turned upside down.

Many people had no idea that virtual events were in existence for 10 years before the pandemic!

We’ve learned to hone our focus on what we truly value in events. We’ve had to come to grips with what is really important when organizing and participating in events.

Human behavior has changed dramatically in the last two years, so in some ways we’re all on a brand new learning curve now. The past is important, but clearly we are not going back to the old ways as if nothing has happened.

Event professionals have almost been forced to learn a new craft as a result of the pandemic. Talk about stress! It’s pretty normal to be overwhelmed by the rapid pace of what can only be described as revolutionary change in our industry. On the flip side there’s also excitement about all the new tools we’ve developed and lessons we’ve learned. So its OK if you’re dealing with both right now. Mixed emotions about our industry are the order of the day for event profs.

In some ways, the events space needed a shake-up. If nothing else, the last two years have forced us to really consider what we’re doing rather than just rolling out the same events year after year and just assuming that everyone will come because they always have. Attendees have had to re-think how they spent time interacting in person which means event profs have to double down on creating enticing and valuable experiences both digitally and in-person that will make attendees want to return.

Virtual events are a VERY different attendee experience. It’s a bit too easy to multi-task or even “zone out” when attending any kind of virtual gathering. From where Liz stands, the question is “Does it even matter how an attendee is engaging with a digital event?” Podcasts are popular for a reason. They meet listeners where they are. Virtual event planners should embrace the new attendee experience rather than fretting over it. Give your attendees ways to consume and engage with your event in whatever way they choose.

Building community around brands and events is critical in this new environment. Once-per-year events are not ideal in terms of maintaining attention and engagement. The days of running one ad during the Super Bowl then remaining silent are gone. Brands should be leveraging the power of digital and hybrid events to run more frequent and valuable events that allow attendees to maintain active connections to and engagement with brands.

In 2022, event profs are better served by planning multiple smaller digital and hybrid events that meet attendees where they want to be met rather than trying to fill every seat at a once-per-year in person event like we did in 2004.

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