The Lowdown on Personalizing Events

You’ve probably heard lots of buzz about personalization, and have some legitimate questions about what it actually means when it comes to events. Questions like …

How can I incorporate it?

How do I even get started?

Can I make personalization work with my budget and the number of attendees expected?

Crafting tailored experiences for your attendees is easier than you think. Let’s break it down.

The key is in the data you already have. Think about all the juicy info you’ve collected at your events — everything from registration, content, format, layout, and interactions can be your golden ticket to opening the gates of personalization.

You probably still have questions, so we tapped our experts to get you the answers and some tips to get started.

Who benefits from personalization?

Everyone! But let’s be clear — different folks have different strokes. Take Millennials and Gen Z, for instance. These fresh attendees are all about personalized agenda plans.

Want to win them over? Try including the following:

• Curated agendas in your event app — they live for recommendations.
• Persona-based signage on-site — let these attendees be selective about their experiences.
• Interest-driven meetups — good for establishing or growing their networks and can also be great sponsorship opportunities.

What if I’m on a tight budget?

Limited resources are real. Many associations are on a fixed budget with little-to-no wiggle room. But there’s still a lot you can do, and ways you can get creative.

• For example, AI tools can help save the day. Try plugging your surveys reports, or other sources of anonymous user data, into event-focused AI tools like Spark or Streampoint. Some have free versions. Just make sure the one you use is secure, and steer clear of sharing attendees’ personal data with public AI tools. The results these provide can firm up your understanding of what makes your attendees tick and jump-start a brainstorming session.
• Once you’ve got those insights, grab your team and align your ideas with the data and insights. You’ll be amazed at what you can come up with.

How can exhibitors hop on the personalization train?

Our trends report shows that attendees love pre-planned moments offered by exhibitors.

Here’s how that could work, and take note that these could also turn into great sponsorship opportunities.

• Work with the exhibitors at your event to better define your target audience by understanding the segment of attendees that’s most important to them, and why.
• Then, partner to reach out pre-show with personalized messages like:

“Hey there! We noticed you’re coming to the show and you’re a product marketer. Why not swing by Booth #321 to see new software they’re unveiling. It could be just the thing you need to elevate your brand!”

What about post-event?

It’s smart to keep the personalization train chugging along even after the event has ended. Here are a couple ideas:

• Good manners are always in style, so make sure to thank your community — especially in person, if possible. It may seem super simple but will lay groundwork for forthcoming meetups and roundtables beyond the live event.
• Send curated wrap-up emails based on post-event app data or surveys. Include links to recordings of sessions they attended.
• Create a personalized highlight reel for attendees. It could be low-tech (aka: easy!) and feature photos, quotes, and key moments from sessions they participated in. It’s thoughtful, encourages post-event engagement, and reinforces the unique experiences each attendee had at your event.

Does personalization actually increase audience and partner satisfaction to help your ROI?

You’re right to ask. And the answer is, yes it does! Especially if you plan ahead by tweaking your registration questions to dig deeper into what your audience truly appreciates. That’s THE data that will bolster your future brainstorming sessions.

Remember, personalization is all about making your attendees feel seen, heard, and valued. It’s about creating an event that feels custom-made for each person who walks into your conference. Making the experience unique keeps them coming back every year.

And now that you’ve got some answers, you can turn them into a winning strategy.