Event Management by Live Blogging

Event management is a tough cookie! The commencement to the conclusion involves a lot of things. The road from planning the event to successfully executing it is long. The beginning point for a successful marketing campaign would be through content marketing. Since blogging has been a traditional way to introduce your content to consumers, it is understandable that a rich, entertaining and unique content is the need of the hour to catch the attention and retain attendees. Usually, content for an event is often developed during 2 scenarios,

• Before the commencement of the event to create hype or publicity thereby earning more attendees
• After the event is hosted or concluded so that the attendees can relate their experience with the content.

What if, an attempt is made to significantly keep attendees glued to your event from the beginning to the end? This can be done by introducing live blogging. Live blogging is similar to live radio or live television, which provides a rolling textual coverage of an ongoing event. Constantly giving updates about the event ensures that attendees don’t miss out on anything crucial.

We are aware of Cricbuzz, ESPN CricInfo, etc. They provide live updates of cricket match scores at every ball in an over. ESPN’s espnfc.com provides quick updates on football events. Live blogging can be done similarly to keep the attendees informed about the happenings at the event.

What should be conveyed about the event while live blogging?

• Did you know?

A most common way to keep attendees engaged is to put up a post that also serves as a trivia. A ‘did you know’ post that covers different undiscovered parts of your event will tempt the attendees to read further. These posts could create an everlasting impact on the attendees as they will be having a thorough knowledge of all aspects of your event.

• Speaker facts

When speakers come up to deliver their thoughts, a quick introduction and some facts about the speaker and his achievements or experience will attempt to create a feeling of trust in the attendees. Attendees would feel comfortable if they listen to someone who they know better.

• Food/ Menu

This might be the “most read part” of your blog updates. Even a brief introduction to the variety of dishes that you are providing can be delectable. It is advisable to list the food being served at your event in an ordered fashion, as in a menu card. It can be made more interesting by giving ‘Food for thought’ quotes.

• Offers and discounts from sponsors

Sponsors are the events’ backbone. They act as economic pillars to make your event successful. As a token of respect, introduce your sponsors’ products, and their offers to the attendees while live blogging. This can prove to be an ideal way to build a lasting relationship with the sponsor while gaining viewers interest; which is not only restricted to the event but also about the products for sale.

• Integration with social media

While you post your blogs on your website, simultaneously update it on different social media platforms to capture the attention of a wider range of audience. Likes, shares/ retweets, etc., can help your posts reach more audience.

• Live Comments

After you publish your posts on social media, as well as on the blog, make sure to keep track of the comments section. Reply to all the comments as quickly as possible so that you don’t miss out to keep any of your attendees engaged. This adds more liveliness to the blog and will convince the audience that “their thoughts matter.”