Meeting Planner Hacks: Using Video to Promote Your Event

In the event world, it’s all about energy.

You’re a meeting planner, so that’s not shocking information, right?

But knowing what to do and how to do it are two different things.

Here’s the deal: Using video to promote your event is perhaps the best way to create energy before the conference even starts.

You can also use video during the event – and after – to keep the energy up and the message top-of-mind.

Here’s how it’s done.

Promoting before the event: The intro video

Keep in mind, there are two kinds of events that people generally attend: corporate or association events.

Promoting your corporate event with a video will look a bit different than an association because attendance is usually mandatory.

People have to make the choice to pay for an association event, which means your event promo video should pack a little bit more of a punch and be a little more “salesy” in nature in order to get people to pull out their wallet and pay to attend.

Here are some good guidelines to follow when you’re generating videos to promote events:

  • Make the videos fun.
  • Make them brief.
  • Make them engaging.
  • Use good pictures and video of the event site.
  • Give a clear message about why people should attend.
  • Highlight your conference theme.

It’s a good idea to release several event-hype videos before the conference to build excitement and encourage attendees to get fully invested.

A great video will also help those people who are on the fence about attending to pull the trigger and sign up.

Promoting during the event: Build momentum

You may be wondering, Why should I worry about video during the event? People are already there, right?

It’s all about keeping the momentum going throughout the entire event – and beyond, as you’ll see in a minute.

Here are the kinds of videos every meeting planner should include during an event:

  • Speaker introductions. Set the mood for your audience with a video that gives a peek into what they can expect from the speaker. They can get a taste of the fun and energy the speakers will provide, which builds enthusiasm.
  • During the talks. Speakers are often hesitant to use video during their presentations for fear that something won’t work right and their important message will be lost in the sea of technical difficulties. But, when you’ve planned ahead and tested often, video examples are a great way to engage the audience with the topic and add a visual layer to the message.
  • Real-time videos. Play videos of the parties and breakout sessions that happen during the conference and make them available to those who didn’t attend. They may decide to put your event on the calendar for next year.

Promoting after the event: Recap video

The event is over and it was a huge success.

Time to rest on your laurels, right?

Well, not exactly. You’re not done engaging the audience yet.

It’s important to close the loop with a recap video.

Your speakers should review the key points from their programs and remind the attendees of the action points presented.

Here are some best practices to follow for your post-event video:

  • Share content for free. Even if you want to make some content exclusively for a charge, offer some for free so the viewers get enough of a taste to pique their interest.
  • Create videos for different mediums. Longer clips are good for your website, while short clips are perfect for social media.
  • Save it for next year. Use the video footage to create clips to promote next year’s event.

Using video to publicize your event

Using video to promote your event is valuable before, but can also be used during the conference, too.

A post-event video ties it all up with a nice bow, and gives attendees the motivation they need to put what they learned into practice.

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