Once you have defined the objectives of your community and designed your overall community experience, you’ll be ready to start thinking about specific areas of programming to engage your members. Events are a common feature in many communities thanks to their versatility and the breadth of value they drive both for your members and your business. In this article we explore the value of events, common types, and what you should consider when selecting your event type(s). When we talk about events in this article we are referring to the broad spectrum of events; online, in person and hybrid!
One of the reasons events are such a popular format in any community calendar, is their ability to deliver against multiple objectives. For members, that includes:
- - Events are, by nature, social. They bring together groups of people, so are synonymous with community. The most obvious event formats to drive connection are networking or social events, but there is opportunity to build connection into almost all event types
- - Many brand communities utilise events to deliver learning to their members. Learning might be about your brand or business directly, or about topics that you are suitably placed experts to educate around e.g. a fitness watch brand might deliver learning events around tracking fitness, nutrition tips or how to build a sustainable fitness habit
- - Often paired with learning objectives, events are a great way to inspire your community. This might be from hearing from a well-known or recognisable figure, or even from another member of the community who has achieved great things. Inspiration events can be a brilliant way of engaging your members with your product or service, by showcasing the impact it has had on other people’s lives, or even offering the opportunity to get exclusive access through being one of the first to try!
In turn, events can drive significant value for your business, including:
- - given their often visual and participatory nature, events can naturally encourage attendees to organically share their experiences publicly, for example through posting photos or videos on social media. In this way, the reach and potential impact of the event extends far beyond those physically (or virtually!) attending. Additionally, positive experiences at community events often lead to word-of-mouth referrals, further amplifying brand visibility
- - In the same way that events can facilitate connection between members, they also provide a platform for you to interact directly with your members. These interactions can foster trust, loyalty and emotional connections. And by engaging with attendees, listening to their feedback, and addressing their concerns, you can build meaningful relationships that extend beyond transactional exchanges
- Community events offer a valuable opportunity to gather real-time feedback and insights directly from your members. Through surveys, live polls, or casual conversations, you can gain valuable insights into member preferences, pain points, and emerging trends. This data can inform product development, marketing strategies, and future event planning. This article explores the value of community in the product development process in more detail
- In today's competitive landscape, differentiation is key to standing out from the crowd. Community events provide a platform for brands to showcase their unique personality, values, and brand story. Whether it's through innovative activations, authentic storytelling, or immersive experiences you can create memorable moments that resonate with attendees and set your brand apart from competitors.
All of these things can directly drive business value so it’s easy to see why events feature so prominently on many communities' calendars.
There is constant innovation and new formats emerging in the events industry. They offer a fantastic creative opportunity to experiment and learn what your members like and engage with. Common types include:
- - sometimes referred to as lectures or seminars, this typically involves one (or more) speaker talking to an audience, either on their own (as a pre-written lecture-style), or in an interview format where a host poses questions to the speaker. Commonly, speakers will talk about a topic they are an expert on, or adopt a more biographical approach where they will talk through their career, journey or experience around something specific. Speaker-led events are great at informing and inspiring members, but offer less in the way of connection and networking, as they tend to lack the interactive elements that some of the other formats incorporate. However, if you are looking to bring in some interactivity with attendees, it can be useful to include a question and answer (Q&A) section towards the event of the event either using pre-set questions or encouraging the audience to ask the speaker directly
- - Online forums and Q&A sessions facilitate ongoing dialogue between brands and their community members. Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) sessions have become a popular platform for celebrities and industry leaders to engage directly with audiences. Similarly, video game developer Valve Corporation hosts regular "Developer Q&A" sessions on Steam, allowing players to pose questions and provide feedback directly to the creators.
- - interactive by nature, workshops offer attendees a more participatory event experience where they might get hands on with a product or learn a new skill. There is great opportunity to get really creative with workshop-style events and make them both informative, inspiring and highly engaging. Attendees should leave feeling that they’ve learnt something new so the value exchange for this event style is strong and advocacy is common
- there’s no better way to generate hype and launch a product, feature or service than to get it into the hands of your most valued customers; your members. Hosting launch parties within brand communities can amplify excitement and create a sense of exclusivity among members. For instance, Apple frequently organizes events to unveil new products, such as iPhones or MacBooks. These gatherings not only showcase the latest technology but also cultivate a sense of anticipation and loyalty among Apple enthusiasts
- - at the heart of community is the opportunity to connect with individuals who have a shared interest, and there’s no better way to facilitate those connections than through an event. Whether a professional networking style event or purely social, there are a range of different formats, with differing levels of structure to create those all important connections amongst your members. Airbnb's "Airbnb Experiences" enable hosts and travelers to connect through unique activities and cultural exchanges. These gatherings foster a sense of belonging within the Airbnb community while promoting the brand's ethos of fostering meaningful connections through travel.
Given the fluid and creative nature of events, there is also opportunity to merge different formats or come up with completely new formats. The sky is the limit! Salesforce's "Dreamforce" conference is a stellar example, bringing together trailblazers in the realm of cloud computing and customer relationship management. Attendees not only gain insights into industry trends but also forge valuable connections with peers and experts, fostering a robust ecosystem around the brand.
Here are just some of the factors you will want to consider when selecting the right event type(s) for your community:
.1 - consider what you want to achieve and which format is most suited to those goals
.2 - different event types carry different costs - from venue hire to speaker costs, equipment to catering. Make sure your ambitions are aligned with the resources available, and don’t forget to consider the logistical resource required to plan and deliver the event
.3 - if your target audience is geographically distributed or your priority is to reach as many people as possible, consider the easiest form of access, which will commonly be an online event, or a live-streamed real-world event
.4 - if you’ve run events before, what has worked and what hasn’t? Do you have any existing insights from your community around things they like or don’t that can give you an indication of what might be best received? Learn from the past when planning for the future!
A common mistake made with community events is to not consider the impact you’re looking to measure from the outset. Attendance numbers only tell you so much, so don’t forget to consider the broad spectrum of metrics, including engagement, experience, outcomes and business value. For more on measurement, head to this article.
Community events encompass a diverse spectrum of gatherings, each serving as a catalyst for engagement, loyalty, and advocacy. Whether through product launches, workshops, speaker-led events, online forums or networking and social events, brands have the opportunity to foster genuine connections and create memorable experiences for their audience. By understanding the unique needs and preferences of their community members, brands can curate events that resonate deeply, deliver significant value both for attendees and the brand and strengthen the bonds that unite their communities.