20 Best Event Activation Ideas For All Types of Events In 2024
Having an extravagant event is always a good choice for a brand looking to achieve marketing goals. However, organizing and promoting the event is not enough, it’s also important to make the event as memorable as possible.
The strategy to do so is what event activation ideas are all about. It not only creates substantial brand awareness but can also increase engagement on your website as well as social media.
When done correctly, ideas for event activation can help a brand leave a huge impact on the market. So let’s unravel some of the trade secrets of doing the same and explore some of the best event activation ideas. Don’t miss the key benefit of event activations to understand how important it can be for any event you are planning.
What Is Event Activation?
Event activation involves strategic marketing initiatives designed to effectively promote an event and yield optimal results. It represents the latest and most potent method in marketing and event promotion, leaving a lasting impression on those attending the event.
What are the Advantages of Event Activation?
A brand having activation ideas for events can enjoy several benefits for your event planning endeavors. Here are the primary advantages of integrating event activation into your next event:
- Enhanced Brand Awareness: Deliver an unforgettable experience to your audience, significantly improving your brand visibility in the process.
- Increased Engagement: Incorporating efficient activation ideas for events into your planning can elevate engagement levels through the introduction of creative activities.
- Elevated Revenue: Create an exciting environment and offer engaging activities to attendees, including exclusive VIP experiences, to generate monetary profits for your brand.
Top 20 Event Activation Ideas for 2024
Explore the most effective event activation ideas that promise outstanding results. To further optimize your event planning, contemplate the use of free project management templates. These templates can streamline the planning process, foster collaboration, and guarantee a seamless execution of your event from beginning to end.
Here is the list of 20 best event activation ideas in 2024
- Employ Social Media Platforms and Hashtags
- Showcase a Social Media Wall
- Embrace Cryptocurrencies for Transactions
- Curate an Outstanding Event
- Metaverse: Embrace the Future
- Illuminate the Evening
- Activate QR Codes for Feedback
- Place Storytelling at the Core
- Provide Exclusive Access to VIPs
- Captivate the Audience through Virtual Reality
- Harness the Influence of Influencers
- Develop a Dedicated Event App
- Provide Interactive Workshops
- Broadcast Your Event Live
- Showcase Your Partners & Sponsors
- Provide a Distinctive Experience
- Bring Behind-The-Scenes Forward
- Gifts and Promotions
- Generate Excitement
- Integrate Photo Booths
1. Employ Social Media Platforms and Hashtags
Create a unique hashtag that allows you to respond to visitor inquiries, provide directions to your booth, and more. Engage with trending hashtags and topics to enhance your event’s visibility. Displaying your event’s personality through these interactions showcases your event’s relevance and resonance. While hashtags have been previously emphasized on this list, they serve both practical and promotional purposes in this context.
2. Showcase a Social Media Wall
The social media wall stands out as a powerful marketing tool and one of the most effective event activation ideas. Incorporating a social wall into your activation ideas for events is a must-not-miss opportunity. The real-time display of user-generated content (UGC) from diverse social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube offers a multitude of advantages. This can specifically be an impactful conference activation idea as displaying glimpses from the conference shows how successful it became.
A social media wall contributes to social proof, audience engagement, heightened sales efficiency, increased revenues, word-of-mouth marketing, credibility, brand advocacy, and more.
Throughout the event, a dynamic social wall elevates audience engagement through its visually appealing display. Attendees are drawn to the user-generated posts showcased on the social wall, inspiring them to contribute to the event’s social media buzz by creating their posts.
3. Embrace Cryptocurrencies for Transactions
There is a persistent belief among individuals in the reliability of various cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This customer trust underscores the enduring presence and credibility of the cryptocurrency industry.
Given the growing significance of cryptocurrencies, considering them as a viable payment method for event services, akin to prepaid and credit cards, is a forward-thinking move. Furthermore, events should proactively adopt new payment alternatives to stay ahead of evolving trends.
4. Curate an Outstanding Event
Event organization resembles assembling a complex jigsaw puzzle, where each piece must harmonize to accomplish the event’s goals.
Refining your event strategy involves cultivating innovative ideas such as incorporating photo booths, entrusting an emcee with responsibilities, introducing virtual reality, and more, all aimed at enhancing audience engagement. The array of potential ideas is extensive and may include:
- Securing Live Keynote Speakers
- Implementing Breakout Rooms
- Introducing Icebreakers
- Employing Live Polling
- Facilitating Live Q&A Sessions
- Distributing Swag Items
- Orchestrating Auctions
- Hosting Contest
5. Metaverse: Embrace the Future
Transform your attendees’ experience by enabling them to play videos and showcase documents, data sheets, and photos within a 3D virtual booth.
Engage a professional 3D animation studio to craft interactive materials for this purpose. Additionally, for sponsors and exhibitors, create a virtual networking space tailored to the unique dynamics of your event. It is also an effective social activation idea of your brand resulting in better engagement on social media as well as the brand website.
The concept of gamification, already employed to enhance attendance, takes on new dimensions within metaverse events, resulting in a substantial increase in audience engagement. After all, the metaverse offers virtually limitless possibilities.
6. Illuminate the Evening
Elevate your evening event to unforgettable heights by incorporating a captivating light show or experimenting with the latest trend of drone projection mapping.
These cutting-edge technological alternatives to traditional fireworks not only offer an eco-friendly option but also deliver an immersive visual spectacle for your audience.
Synchronize music with visuals to transform the crowd into active participants. Adding a modern twist through this event gamification distinguishes your event and leaves a lasting impression.
7. Activate QR Codes for Feedback
Not every event can perfectly cater to the diverse needs of attendees, making feedback an invaluable aspect. However, if the feedback process becomes cumbersome, attendees may choose to skip it. Simplify the feedback submission process by incorporating QR codes. Easing out the review process showcases your commitment to getting better and hence is an effective brand activation idea.
Utilize a QR code generator to produce various QR codes for your marketing campaigns and social media walls. This streamlined approach facilitates faster review generation. Attendees can effortlessly scan the QR code and share their feedback and reviews about your event, contributing to the enhancement of future events. For added convenience, consider employing a customer review platform to create personalized feedback QR codes.
8. Place Storytelling at the Core
Effectively engage your audience by incorporating storytelling into your marketing strategy. The essence of any successful event marketing endeavor is to convey a relatable narrative to potential clients. Emotional marketing, built on the premise that connecting with people’s emotions creates memorable experiences, serves as the foundation.
Craft your story around the challenges faced by your target audience. Utilize impactful design templates to illustrate how your services can address and resolve their specific problems.
9. Provide Exclusive Access to VIPs
Elevate your upcoming event by curating a VIP experience that includes exclusive lounges or privileged access to specific areas and activities. This special treatment not only makes these individuals feel exceptional but also adds a touch of exclusivity to your event.
This approach serves as an outstanding promotional strategy, fostering a sense of enjoyment and anticipation among your audience. Organize meet-and-greet sessions for VIPs, grant access to private viewing areas, and enhance engagement. Consider offering private tours or activity sessions led by professionals, tailored to delve deeper into the unique interests of your distinguished guests.
10. Captivate the Audience through Virtual Reality
Virtual reality stands as a favored choice among sponsors, providing advertisers with the opportunity to create memorable interactions using cutting-edge technology. Moreover, VR can immerse spectators even further into various experiences, ranging from 360-degree views of athletic events to concert performances.
Introduce a virtual 3D lobby featuring a sponsor area, support desk, and a welcoming video wall, creating a fantastic entrance for your guests. Establish a 3D virtual event auditorium to host breakout sessions, live conferences, and Q&A sessions, with the ability to run up to five concurrent polls.
Enable attendees to engage by playing videos and showcasing documents, data sheets, and photos within a 3D virtual booth. For sponsors and exhibitors, construct a virtual networking space tailored to enhance the collaborative experience of your event.
11. Harness the Influence of Influencers
Leveraging the popularity of celebrities and influencers is a brilliant event activation idea, as people have a natural affinity for these individuals. Moreover, influencer marketing brings along their dedicated followers, significantly expanding the reach of a brand.
Bloggers and social media influencers, particularly those well-established in their respective domains, offer valuable insights and commentary that can significantly impact marketing campaigns and the activation of an event. Depending on the nature of the product, consider inviting reputable and influential figures to add vibrancy and appeal to the event.
12. Develop a Dedicated Event App
Crafting an app specifically for your event proves immensely beneficial for both organizers and attendees, fostering seamless communication and updates.
This dedicated app assists in managing schedules, navigating the event venue, and uncovering exclusive offerings from sponsors. Elevate the experience by incorporating a social wall feature, ensuring everyone remains informed and enhancing the overall enjoyment and memorability of the event.
To further enhance engagement and recollection, consider integrating social media content or a live social feed into the event app, adding an interactive and dynamic dimension to the experience.
13. Provide Interactive Workshops
Enhance the overall experience for your event guests by offering captivating interactive workshops that encourage active participation.
Invite your audience to actively engage in these workshops, fostering collaboration and co-creation that elevates the brand and takes your event to new heights.
Organize educational and interactive activities, encouraging guests to participate more creatively. Deliver a memorable experience to your attendees, reaping the fruitful benefits of a more engaging and dynamic event.
14. Broadcast Your Event Live
Studies indicate that event attendees consistently prefer live streaming over reading blogs or social media updates. To amplify excitement, enhance participant engagement, and connect with those unable to attend in person, consider live-streaming segments of your event on social media.
Furthermore, engage in real-time conversations with your attendees or host live Q&A sessions. This not only fosters communication but also adds a human touch to your event, strengthening audience connection and identification with your brand.
15. Showcase Your Partners & Sponsors
Showcasing your partners and sponsors via an Instagram wall stands out as a unique event activation strategy. Share the collaborative journey with your partners by featuring captivating real-time posts on the social wall. This approach not only engages your attendees but also brings joy to your sponsors, creating a win-win situation.
By highlighting how you promote your partners and sponsors, you are likely to attract more collaborations in the future, as other sponsors will be eager to partner with you.
16. Provide a Distinctive Experience
Several event organizers leverage their expertise to offer tools and equipment for diverse activities, such as swimming, mountain climbing, and camping, to accompany and guide customers. Engaging in such activities not only allows organizers to showcase their knowledge but also provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with attendees.
This approach is particularly effective for building a strong reputation in the market. For instance, a bicycle supplier who organizes group riding sessions is likely to garner more respect than a seller who does not actively participate in local team activities.
17. Bring Behind-The-Scenes Forward
By bringing behind-the-scenes details to the forefront, you create numerous opportunities to share insights with both current and potential consumers. This approach allows you to first keep them well-informed.
Secondly, it provides a platform to commend your team. Thirdly, it makes you more relatable to your audience. Lastly, it enables you to diversify your content and display your personality.
18. Gifts and Promotions
Identifying the event’s target audience and providing the product for free in exchange for social media posts featuring the giveaway’s hashtag campaign is a creative approach to the activation of events.
Numerous companies, spanning from clothing and fashion labels to consumer electronics and food brands, leverage giveaways to enhance brand visibility and provide their customers with a unique and memorable experience.
19. Generate Excitement
Generate anticipation for your event with a pre-event buzz via a social media campaign. It’s crucial to get people talking and build interest. Create posts, explainer videos, countdown posts, pre-orders, or even countdown videos. Ensure each post comes with its hashtag.
20. Integrate Photo Booths
Photo booths, known for their fun, playful, and creative elements, have made a comeback in various settings such as events, corporate seminars, weddings, conferences, trade exhibitions, and conventions. They add an element of interest, engagement, and enjoyment for guests at any event.
These imaginative and interactive photo booths contribute to providing the audience with an exceptional experience. Furthermore, leveraging recent technological and digital advancements allows you to maximize event engagement and social sharing through the full potential of the photo booth experience.
These events exemplify experiential marketing, offering attendees the opportunity to share pictures, animated gifs, and brief videos on social media, showcasing their participation and experiences.
Conclusion
Events attract diverse individuals, and regardless of their scale, they require a certain level of event activation. Whether you are hosting a local or an international occasion, event activation is the need of the hour to make it grand.
One such tool that can help you aggregate and create engaging digital displays is Social Walls. It is the perfect tool to collect UGC from 15+ social media platforms making it the best choice for event activation.
So why wait any longer? incorporate a live social media wall into your event and make it a success!
