When it comes to creating an event, it’s a good idea to think about how you can get your guests to engage with you and your brand. After all, events are all about engagement, whether it’s through Q&A sessions and live performances or more hands-on activities like workshops.
Letting your attendees get involved will give them hours of entertainment and lasting memories. It’ll also leave them wanting more. They’ll likely return for future events, and might even tell family and friends about your event and how much fun it was, attracting more people to your future events.
So, how do you increase audience engagement and interactivity? Through interactive event ideas, of course! We’re going to discuss why interactive event activities are so popular, plus some of the most common types your attendees are sure to love. Let’s explore!
Why Are Interactive Event Activities So Popular?
Consider this: you’re at an event, enjoying the atmosphere and the keynote speakers. The speakers share their life stories and experiences relating to the event, but once they’re done, they leave. No Q&A session, no meet-and-greet, it’s just time for you to go home.
Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it?
Now, if we change that up and add a Q&A session to the mix, that makes it more interesting. By asking the keynote speakers questions you’re able to become a part of the event. You’re able to contribute, connect, maybe even network. You’re actively participating, which makes for a more meaningful and fulfilling event experience. This should be exactly what you want for your event attendees.
Interactive activities also:
- Let participants get invested in the event by becoming part of it
- Support different learning styles with visual aids and hands-on activities
- Build community with collaborative tasks and group discussions
- Challenge attendees to think creatively and solve problems with brainstorming sessions and workshops
- Contribute to attendees’ personal growth and development through workshops, skill-building sessions, and coaching circles
As you can see, there’s a lot of benefit to including interactive conference ideas or activities in your event. If you want to give your attendees a satisfying and memorable experience, then you’ll incorporate at least a few interactive event ideas into your next event.
8 Ideas for Interactive Events That Your Attendees Will Love
Now you get to decide what fun event ideas to use. While there are many to choose from, here are a few of the most popular unique event ideas. Choose one or many entertainment ideas, but don’t force them—they still need to relate to your event.
1. Consider Live Polling Event Apps
Live polling is a great option for all event venues and types. Whether you’re hosting online, hybrid, or even in-person events, your audience will be able to participate in live polling, as long as they have access to a mobile device with your app of choice.
Live polling is sort of like a survey, except it’s done during the event and not after. You can use it to collect thoughts, opinions, and data—and let your guests know their opinions matter. Mostly, you’ll be asking questions with multiple-choice answers, and it’s always done live.
Here’s an example of a live polling question and its possible answers:
What are you looking forward to most during the event?
- Keynote speakers
- Workshops
- The food!
This question will gauge what interests your audience the most about your event. You can use that data, much like the data you’d gather from an after-event survey, to measure attendee satisfaction and plan your next event. The question also allows your audience to share their opinions openly.
2. Organize Hands-On Workshop
If you want your attendees to have an immersive experience, what better way than through hands-on workshops? Workshops are a fun activity that will give your audience the ability to take something meaningful away from your event. They’ll learn something new or build on a skill that they already have.
There are some cool event ideas to explore here. If your event is about food, include workshops that build on cooking skills. If your event is related to creating, then a woodworking or pottery workshop would be nice to have. For technology-based events, try out a coding workshop. As long as you make sure there’s a connection to your event, the possibilities are endless!
3. Include Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality Experiences
Virtual reality (VR) and virtual augmented reality (AR) have taken the world by storm. From the Meta Quest to simple AR games like Pokémon Go, VR and AR have been able to blend reality with virtual worlds. And boy, have they piqued the interest of many everyday users.
Including VR and AR in your event can give a truly immersive experience to your participants. You can provide curious minds with virtual tours of locations it’s not practical to bring the whole group to. You could create virtual avatars and demos to show off your products and services. And if your event is remote—or even hybrid—you can offer live Q&A sessions or virtual networking spaces so that your attendees can connect in real time.
There are many other ways to include VR and AR in your event—virtual training, product demonstrations, virtual scavenger hunts, and more. It’ll all depend on the type of event you’re hosting and your goals.
4. Set Up Interactive Displays or Kiosks
If your ultimate goal is to advertise your company or sell your products, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you! Add a touch of interactivity to your products and services by including interactive digital displays or kiosks.
Your attendees can shift through important information, news, and updates, and also learn more about what you offer. You can even have the displays include demos so that your attendees can see for themselves how your company can benefit them.
5. Create Memories With Photo Booths
Your event doesn’t have to come to a total end after everything is said and done. If you want to leave your attendees with lasting memories of your event, photo booths are the way to go. You worked hard to make it the best event possible, right? You want your attendees to have something to look back on. Photos are a great memento of what your event was about and how much fun they had.
Yes, they can take photos with their mobile device, but if they’re caught up in the moment they may forget. Photo booths will remind them to capture the moment so they can have a keepsake to look at and remember the event fondly.
6. Keep the Energy High With Live Performances
Encourage your audience to laugh, move, sing, or dance along with live performances! There are so many options—music, dance, spoken word, and more.
Feel free to invite some of your attendees up on the stage to participate in the performance. If your event is based around the arts, you can invite some of your guests on stage to participate in improv or expressive painting. If you’re hosting a stand-up comedy session, ask your attendees if they’d like to share jokes.
For a truly unforgettable experience as part of a major event, you might even consider something like a theatrical show, magic act, concert, or even bringing in aerial performers.
When you host live performances and encourage your attendees to participate, you’ll keep them energized and wanting to engage more with your event.
7. Get Your Gamer Hat On
Come on, who doesn’t love a good game? From sport-type games to board games and beyond, games are a great way to keep things interactive and fun.
If you already have VR and AR set up for your event, you can easily add some virtual gaming experiences. But if you didn’t go that route, then there’s still hope.
Simple interactive games for events could include trivia quizzes or a scavenger hunt. If you have more time, staging an escape room or mystery would be a great way to let your attendees flex their problem-solving skills. If you have a more sporty crowd and want to take advantage of some beautiful weather, try golf or croquet.
Just don’t forget the prizes! They could be unique merch or special perks. Prizes are a great incentive to get your attendees to participate and will give them something to take home as a memento.
8. Incorporate Health and Wellness Activities
Your event doesn’t have to be based on health and wellness to include health and wellness activities. Encourage attendees to participate in activities that will strengthen them mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Some examples of creative event ideas for health and wellness include health and nutrition seminars, stress-reduction activities, and stress management workshops. Group fitness challenges are also fun because they offer your attendees a chance for some friendly competition.
When you incorporate health and wellness activities into your event, you’ll show your attendees that you care about their well-being and allow them to recharge at your event. After all, health and wellness activities can boost dopamine, which improves motivation.
Design Highly Interactive and Successful Events With Events.com
Bringing interactive activities to your event gives your attendees the chance to engage, participate, learn, and grow. It’s also a great way to build memorable experiences between event organizers, performers, and participants. But including interactive activities is just one step in creating a successful event.
If you want your next event to stand out, partner with Events.com, a leader in event management and event management software. With Events.com, you’ll have access to a platform where you can promote your events, sell tickets, engage with sponsors, and design your next event with interactive ideas. Plus, you’ll get world-class customer support and post-event analytics so you can see just how well your event performs.
Don’t wait—sign up today and experience a whole new level of event management.
