Engage participants by making them active participants in your convention

Today, in France and around the world, thousands of corporate events take place every day: seminars, conventions, conferences, training sessions… so many different formats that generally share a common goal: to convey specific messages. All of them also face an inescapable reality: the audience retains no more than three main ideas, and their attention span rarely exceeds 10 minutes—especially if participants remain passive and are bombarded with hundreds of slides in just a few hours.

As a result, the challenge for organizers is to surprise their audience in order to capture their attention and spark their interest. We all remember Steve Jobs’ keynote for the launch of the first iPhone—masterful and captivating—but unfortunately, not everyone can be Steve Jobs. That’s why the biggest challenge remains: how to captivate and engage the audience during a presentation, whether large or small?!

To achieve this, several golden rules apply: the first being interaction. Indeed, it is essential to engage with the audience by asking relevant questions to involve the viewer. To facilitate these interactions, you can use apps designed for this purpose; here are a few examples:

• We are Logo: Bring the audience together around a logo. This app lets you create your logo in real time using photos of the audience. It’s a moment that helps boost employees’ sense of belonging and engagement. Photos can be taken when attendees arrive at the event or provided in advance by the organizing team. A “wow” effect is guaranteed!
• Voting System: Poll the audience. An app that allows participants to respond live to a question using a voting device or a smartphone/tablet app, instantly displaying a chart of the responses on the screen. Engagement guaranteed!
• Games: Get guests involved. An app that adds a fun element to the presentation or the content being shown. This works especially well if participants are divided into teams with a tablet placed in the center of each table. For example, after a video is shown, questions can be asked about specific details in the video, and the first team to answer correctly is declared the winner.
• Social Wall: Let the audience have their say. An app that lets participants share their thoughts about an event on social media; posts tagged with a specific hashtag (#) appear on the screen, and participants can also ask questions via an SMS feature. Fun photos guaranteed!
• We are GuestBook: Give guests a digital space to express themselves. An app offering a digital version of the traditional guestbook. Participants write a comment and take a photo; the message is animated, and the photo becomes a leaf on a tree. Bring people together and engage them around a shared project.

Second, it is essential to speak clearly and precisely while maintaining a good rhythm in your speech. Infuse your words with energy, pause effectively, and make full use of the allotted time to avoid monotony and actively help keep the audience’s attention.

Use dynamic presentation tools, thanks to state-of-the-art display equipment. Several display systems are available to you: freestanding screens in various sizes ranging from 55 to 152 inches, video projection onto a traditional projection screen, or immersive backdrops that offer a fully immersive experience.

Finally, it’s important to create a genuine atmosphere within the environment; to do this, new technologies are at our disposal: sound, lighting, images, and videos—all means are fair game to illustrate your speech. The use of impactful tools and visuals helps add depth, but be careful not to fall into the trap of an endless PowerPoint presentation…

To illustrate this point, let’s take a look at some of the different installations created by the Videlio – Events teams—some of which engage participants, while others immerse them and give them a truly unforgettable experience!

INNO GENERATION – Music Sets the Pace for Speaking Time

As part of the 3rd edition of BPIFrance Inno Génération, an immersive space was created to help entrepreneurs boost their growth! During the event at the AccorHotels Arena, 64 speakers took the stage, each with a speaking time limited to 8 minutes. This limited speaking time was timed using music chosen by the speaker themselves. Other methods can be used, such as video, lighting, or even a robot as a timer. For this project, the VIDELIO – Events teams were on hand to set up the video projection.

OUR OCEAN – An Immersive Experience at the Heart of the Oceans

Last October, Malta hosted the “Our Ocean” conference on the theme of global ocean conservation. The European Commission welcomed heads of state, ministers, and advocates committed to the cause. Over the course of two days, dozens of presentations took place on the stage of the Conference Room. To fully immerse participants in the conference theme, an immersive projection system was set up using 10 30,000-lumen video projectors to display images not only on the back of the stage but also on the ceiling, creating the sensation of being at the heart of the ocean. The result was breathtaking!

LINNC – Ambiance Minority Report 

In June, professionals in the field of interventional neuroradiology gathered at the Carrousels du Louvre for the LINNC conference organized by Europa Euroganisation.

To enable the thousands of attendees from around the world to follow the lectures presented by leading physicians and watch live case demonstrations from operating rooms, Europa Euroganisation called upon the expertise of Videlio – Events, which designed a stage setup combining interactivity and 3D technology.

A 3D video projection system was installed to lend greater realism to the professionals’ procedures, inviting participants to view 3D images using 3D glasses. The presenters were also able to control the projection using a transparent touchscreen table installed in the center of the stage, creating a stunning effect that immersed participants in a “Minority Report”-style atmosphere thanks to content produced by SUPERBIEN.

PARIS CHALLENGE – A Participatory App

In early May, the Hôtel d’Evreux and the JP Beltoise Circuit hosted the Renault P.A.R.I.S. Global Challenge. To recognize the top importers in its network, Renault brought together some 90 importers from around the world for a day-long event to honor 12 winners.

Hopscotch and Renault relied on the expertise of VIDELIO – Events for the event’s audiovisual production. The teams developed a tablet-controlled app that enabled the display of photos and guests’ signatures on an LED wall as they took the stage. This fun and innovative feature allowed participants to actively contribute to the content shown on screen!

These examples show you that there are plenty of solutions available to you, so don’t wait any longer—get your participants involved!