Digital event platforms as community-building tools

Many companies, institutions and organisations organise annual events to inform their members, customers or partners about the latest developments, communicate directly with them and strengthen ties. Specialist conferences, congresses and festivals strengthen the sense of belonging and identification with the brand or institution.

In recent years, the majority of these events have been held digitally. The advantages of digital implementation, such as greater reach, low-threshold access, time savings and sustainability due to less travelling, are obvious and will become even more significant in the future. On the other hand, organisers and participants complained that important elements of contact and exchange were neglected.

Well-designed event platforms not only offer many opportunities for interaction and networking, but can also be used far beyond the actual event, even throughout the year until the next big event, for community building and to make new contacts.

An example of the extensive possibilities of such a platform could look like this:

Two weeks before the major annual event, participants can already log in, create profiles, mark their favourites in the programme, make initial contacts and leave a greeting on a "welcome wall". They can see on a map of Germany whether anyone else from their city is taking part. If so, there is the opportunity to get in touch (and maybe even have a beer "live") and ideally watch the event together.

Two days before the main event, the first workshops take place for people who are new to the topic. There are smaller networking meetings for specific groups of participants and teasers to whet the appetite for individual programme items.

This is followed by three days of the main event. The presentations, panel discussions and show interludes will be livestreamed and viewers at home will be able to exchange ideas in the moderated chat, ask questions to the speakers and get involved in the general discussion. Workshops in smaller groups and hands-on sessions activate both those present on site and those participating digitally.

There are also few limits to creativity at the evening events - digital spaces for get-togethers, enjoyment packages for at home and interactive games ensure sociability, even if there are many kilometres between attendees.

Nowadays, the mobile app for the conference platform is also almost a standard feature. This specially configured application also offers countless possibilities, such as voting, opinion polls, voting for awards, quickly contacting other participants or customising the programme presentation.

An atmospheric conclusion is particularly important for virtual participants, because otherwise they simply close their laptop and are back home alone, without the farewells and appointments for the next time, which form an emotional conclusion for the on-site participants.

A video summary of the highlights of the event, for example, or keeping virtual rooms open where you can network and say goodbye, is a good way to do this.

Event over... and what happens now?

So far, so good - the event is over, everything went smoothly, the feedback was consistently positive - but what can we do now? How can we utilise the good atmosphere, the emotions and the new contacts to build a long-term and sustainable community?

The platform is there, it forms the virtual "home" of the community. Now there must be incentives to return there regularly. Firstly, there is the edited content of the event itself: Video recordings, recordings, presentations and other further information that can be downloaded. A "best-of" video brings back memories, a "making-of" video provides insights into the "hidden worlds" of organisation and logistics in the background and gives the feeling of being a real "insider".

Ideally, participants can also make their own contributions, for example by taking funny photos of themselves in a photo booth and uploading them to show: "Look, I was there too!". Social media posts tagged with the hashtag for the event are displayed on a social media wall and show how eagerly posts about the event were shared and spread. This can be an important contribution to the growth of the community.

Organisers, speakers and other community members can still be contacted via private message. All functions such as registration, conference rooms, chat, etc... are available for smaller meetings, regular get-togethers, webinars and workshops that take place throughout the year. New interested parties can also be invited to these in order to constantly expand the user group.

And then it's time to start preparing for the next big event! Here, too, the "regular guests" can be involved: through surveys on the desired programme content, with incentives for early registration, and perhaps they can even vote on the design for the upcoming event. Some functions will get an upgrade, but basically everything is already in place to welcome the community back in a familiar and proven environment!

How do you implement all this conceptually and technically?

There are now a large number of providers of event platforms that can deliver everything from small, low-cost solutions to very complex, customisable applications. At 3pc, we work with you to create an initial concept for your event, define the scope and special requirements for the platform and advise you on which provider would be best suited to realising your needs.

If no suitable offer can be found for your specific requirements, our in-house programmers can also create a customised platform for you. We will create this in your corporate design and integrate all the desired functionalities in a user-friendly and intuitive way. So that your community feels comfortable in their virtual "home" for years to come and will be happy to return!