9 Things Attendees Actually Want From Your Next Event

Your prospective attendees are sophisticated, discerning, and maybe even a little demanding at times. They expect a highly customized, unique experience that takes into account their professional goals as well as their personal needs. 

As a corporate planner, it’s important to surprise and delight your attendees without sacrificing tried-and-true fundamentals. These are the things that your attendees expect from every single event, whether they mention it or not.

Sure, novel concepts with all the bells and whistles may wow your attendees in the short term. But in reality, these things should complement—not replace—what actually delivers a great experience, event after event. 

In this post, we’ve outlined 9 fundamentals that make every meeting and event an awesome experience—for your attendees and your team. Let’s dive in!

Your attendees expect the best, and you aim to give it to them! Here are 9 things your attendees expect from your corporate events program: 

Attendees expect a customizable schedule—one that allows them to learn in unique ways and achieve their specific goals with flexible timing (with adaptable event planning software to support). 

They also crave active participation that’s inclusive without putting too much pressure on them, such as a welcome event to kick off the program.  

And don’t forget to take your attendees’ health and wellness needs into account. Dietary options, exercise opt-ins, and meditation rooms are all great additions to help everyone stay energized and ready to rock.

Proper communication is key. You can plan the world’s most amazing event, but if no one knows about it, how will anyone show up? 

To cover all your bases leading up to the event, ensure all communications use the 5Ws framework: 

Consider conducting audience research through surveys and interviews early in the planning process to gain insights. Ask about their pain points, how they prefer to engage with content, what takeaways they expect, and what type of experience they want to have. Tailor the event based on what you learn. 

During the event itself, leverage your event management software to communicate schedule updates, networking opportunities, and other unique activities through push and email notifications. This helps attendees feel up-to-date and empowered to jump on aligned opportunities.

Following the event, recap what made the experience great and encourage your attendees to stay engaged through your email newsletter, blog, and social media. Use feedback surveys to learn more about their experience and how you can continuously improve. 

This will allow you to provide content that’s intriguing and relevant without getting sidetracked by flashy celebrity or flavor-of-the-month speakers. Those tactics might bump registration but, without the right context, won’t boost satisfaction. 

Having the right research in your back pocket means you can create innovative educational activities that help boost retention and get attendees thinking outside of the box—with storytelling and case studies, for example.

Build in networking with parameters that help promote inclusivity and fun.  Networking opportunities are an important part of events, but can also be intimidating for many. 

In educational sessions, you can do this by getting people to stand up and introduce themselves to the closest person they know the least. 

In the right environment, you can create a game around networking: give thought-provoking questions attached to name badges, or get attendees to go on a scavenger hunt to find certain types of people with a prize incentive.

In today’s connected world, hybrid events have become crucial and expected. This model allows both physical and remote participants to engage fully with your event—and with each other. 

By incorporating live-streaming, interactive tools, and on-demand content, hybrid formats democratize access, enabling a wider audience to experience the event. 

This format also offers attendees the flexibility to participate according to their schedules and comfort levels. Attendees can still learn and engage without overextending themselves or becoming overwhelmed.

Ultimately, hybrid events enhance the overall event experience and ensure no one misses out on valuable networking and learning opportunities!

Attendees expect to have a professional, smooth event experience. Make sure they don’t have to stress or worry about where or what they are doing next during their program. 

Your event website, mobile app, signage, and staff are your arsenal to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands what is expected of them. 

Just be sure that your attendees don’t get decision fatigue from too many options. Providing relevant content is key!

Remember what we said about your attendees being sophisticated and discerning? Turns out they’re also tech-savvy and expect a seamless, modern experience. 

This is where event management software comes in. 

The right software gives you access to a wide range of tools to make life easier (for your attendees and your team). 

For instance, the best event management software keeps attendees in the know through a branded event website, mobile event app, email marketing, and easy registration. 

Event planning software also allows you to deliver exceptional experiences with tools to:

…All while staying sane along the way. 

Attendees crave tangible takeaways that extend the event experience and provide lasting value. Well-designed conference swag, informative event books, and actionable educational materials leave a lasting, positive impression. 

Plus, useful take-home items reinforce key learnings long after the event ends. Some relevant examples include:

By investing in high-quality, purposeful takeaways, you’ll create a more immersive and impactful experience that resonates with attendees!

The ultimate way to create the wow factor is to give attendees something they can’t get anywhere else: a truly unique experience worth sharing! This stretches the story of your event past the scheduled programming and keeps attendees hungry for more.   

Exceed your attendee’s expectations by under-promising and over-delivering with giveaways, added production value, or unique far-out venues. 

Or use the surprise-and-delight method with fun, impromptu entertainment (like Improv Everywhere’s Beer the Musical), sponsorship activations, or surprise guest speakers.

Here’s what it comes down to If you know your audience well enough, you can provide new and exciting experiences that meet all of their expectations and keep them coming back…again and again. Trusted event planning software like Attendease by Tripleseat can help you get there.