It’s time to freshen up your event with these 10 creative event ideas your attendees will love. We know the event landscape is evolving and changing faster than ever before and it can be hard to keep up with the latest event ideas. No matter what type of event you’re planning there is an event idea in this article for you! Below we’ll cover the best virtual, in-person, and hybrid event ideas that your attendees are sure to love. Let’s go!
Need more inspiration? Join us June 16th for IGNITE CREATIVITY where you can pick the brains of the industry leaders commanding the virtual space. Register now!
1. Escape Room
Source: Puzzle Break
Event Type: Virtual or In-Person Events
Escape rooms create memorable experiences that bring your audience together. Even virtual attendees will love an escape room and let’s be honest, it’s a welcome break from zoom. Escape rooms are so successful at engaging attendees because they are a break from the norm and allow for adventure, and collaboration.
Puzzle Break offers both in-person and virtual team building, ranging in themes from virtual murder mysteries to Disaster & Survial exercises that are sure to build team rapport. For each experience they bring in live hosts, facilitators and even live actors. This ensures a seamless experience your attendees will not soon forget!
2. Gamify with Leaderboards
Source: PWR Lab
Event Type: Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid
This event idea offers a great way to gamify your event and spark healthy competition. Leaderboards work for a variety of events from races like you see in the photo above, to collecting points for participating such as points for attending sessions, asking questions, or even stopping by sponsor booths.
To ensure your attendees engage and stay active on the leaderboard offer rewards for participation. You can even ask your sponsors to participate and giveaway prizes to the participants leading the board.
3. Virtual Tours
Source: LOURVE
Event Type: Virtual or Hybrid
Virtual tours offer attendees ways to explore new locations all from the comfort of their home. You can utilize a virtual tour for events like college orientations or offer virtual tours to your virtual audience of museums, stadiums and more for an interactive experience. Take this event idea a step further and add a human touch by offering a live guided virtual tour. Having a tour guide will allow attendees to ask questions and interact during the virtual tour.
4. Bring Remote Attendees to the In-Person Event
Source: NBA
Event Type: Hybrid
For the foreseeable future there will be a virtual component of events, one of the challenges that surround hybrid events is connecting both the virtual and in-person audience. Merging both audiences will allow them to interact and enjoy a unique experience leaving no one behind. But how do you do this? Let’s take a look at the NBA bubble.
The NBA bubble was one of the first hybrid events. At the beginning of the pandemic the NBA needed to think quickly to restart. With no fans allowed in the Orlando bubble they needed to find a way to play on and keep their fans engaged.
In collaboration with Microsoft the NBA created a virtual fan experience that allowed fans to experience the game in a unique way and keep everyone safe. According to Microsoft “Together mode uses AI Segmentation Technology to bring people together using a virtual background – it makes being together virtually actually feel like being together in-person.” Fans were streamed in onto LED panels to create a digital crowd, they could interact with each other and the in-person audience.
5. Debate Sessions
Source: INBOUND
Event Type: Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid
If you are looking for an event idea that will keep your attendees on the edge of their seats look no further. A lively session debate is a fun way to see different points of views. At INBOUND 2021 they had a live session debate to solve an age old marketing debate – inbound vs outbound marketing. It was an exciting session that had the chats lighting up!
Tip: To encourage audience engagement have your audience determine the winner. Poll your audience at the beginning before the debate to gauge how they feel on a topic, then poll them right after to see if the debate has changed anyone’s opinions. Whichever speaker has the most votes is then crowned the winner!
6. Hackathons that Innovate
Source: Socio
Event Type: Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid
Hackathons are breeding grounds for new ideas. They allow for collaboration to solve problems and inspire innovation. Working together allows attendees to see from new perspectives and learn from each other.
Consider bringing a hackathon to your next event to cover a topic relevant to your audience. You’ll be surprised to see the inspiring ideas and concepts that come out of it, and your attendees will thrive and network in a naturally collaborative way.
For a great example from our own industry, look no further than the Hybrid Games. In the fall of 2020 Socio introduced the Hybrid Games, for 10 week, 72 of the leading event organizers and marketers joined together to rethink event strategy and design in face of the challenges of COVID-19. It was a meeting of the minds to hack the future of hybrid events. Attendees left feeling more secure in their new world, and some great ideas came from it!
7. Performances that Inspire
Source: Circuswerks
Event Type: Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid
Session after session can lead to event fatigue. Break up the monotony of your event with this event idea. Bringing in a performance allows for a change in atmosphere and evokes excitement.
Ensure the type of performance matches the tone of your event. For example if your event attendees are energetic a long performance where they need to stay seated might not be your best bet, instead look for an interactive performance that allows attendees to engage such as improv comedy or a live concert. If you are hosting a gala look for a more formal performance like a string quartet or aerial artists may be a better fit. By catering the performance to your audience it is sure to be a hit!
8. Hands-On Mixology Class
Source: Mouth
Event Type: Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid
This event idea is hands on, interactive and down right fun for any type of event. Bring your attendees together, roll up your sleeves and make a signature event cocktail. To really enhance the experience, hire a bartender to lead the audience through creating the cocktails. Following the mixing class attendees can have a happy hour in-person or virtually to mingle and socialize.
For virtual attendees, ship out kits to their homes. Mouth allows you to ship attendees cocktail kits directly to their doorstep for as low as $38.00/ kit.
9. 360 Photo Booths
Event Type: In-Person, or Hybrid
Source: MiHi Photobooth
Photo Booths will always be a staple at events. They are great for entertainment and will keep the memory of the event alive. This new twist is an event idea we can get behind! These cameras move around you a full 360 degrees capturing videos of attendees in their surroundings that they are going to want to share. We suggest grabbing some fun props like confetti to really elevate the booth!
9. A Swag Wall
Source: Brandon Garrison
Event Type: In-Person
Swag bag? You can do better… Swag Walls like the example above from the Bud Light Factory at SXSW are much more engaging! Allow attendees to choose exactly what they want on a giant swag wall. You can include branded merch such as water bottles, hats, or shirts. Bonus – you can repurpose this wall into an LED photo booth too.
10. Live Studio Broadcast
Source: PCMA
Event Type: Virtual or Hybrid
Virtual components of events are the new norm. For a variety of reasons some people will prefer to attend virtually. To upgrade your virtual event and ensure attendees are getting a great experience consider broadcasting from a professional studio. At a professional studio you will have state of the art equipment, sound, and cameras so your guests at home feel like they are there too. The quality will be on par with a news program.
A great example of this is PCMA Convening Leaders 2021, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, and Marina Bay Sands PCMA created a Global Broadcast Center. The center provided a place for live sessions with an in-person audience that was then streamed across the globe to thousands of attendees. It offered a quality and exciting experience for their hybrid audience.
That’s a Wrap! 10 Creative Event Ideas Your Attendees Will Love
Now that you’ve read through our creative event ideas it’s time to take this inspiration and use it towards your next event. Always keep your attendees experience and needs front and center when choosing event ideas and you will have great success!
We want to know. What is your favorite event idea you’ve seen recently? Comment below and let us know!
Are you looking for more creative event ideas? Join us June 16th for IGNITE CREATIVITY and pick the brains of the industry leaders commanding the virtual space. Register here now!
