The necessity of emotionally engaging events

Every event must be emotionally engaging – whether it’s a trade show, conference or product exhibition.

Regardless of the audience, exhibitors or objective. This is now a universal requirement for all shows.

Marketing as a whole has undergone significant transformation over the last several decades.

In a world that is more emotionally reactive, the following are now necessary:

• Why invoking emotional reactions is a priority
• Whether your event is B2C or B2B, ALL events should be B2F (Business-to-Feels)
• How AI-powered platforms are facilitating emotionally engaging events
• Emotionally engaging events lead to personal connections between exhibitors and attendees

Where the aim was once to build transactional relationships, it must now be about creating personal connections – even in B2B settings.

We have already seen this play out in how businesses engage on other platforms: social media, paid advertising, email marketing etc.

Exhibitors must ensure they are providing an emotionally engaging event experience for attendees.

It is the responsibility of organizers to provide the tools that enable exhibitors to create such experiences.

Why invoking emotional reactions is a priority

We’re not robots. Decision-making based solely on logic and reason has become the exception where it was previously the rule.

Business professionals are increasingly inclined to ‘go with their gut’ about a brand before committing to anything.

And these instincts are directly influenced by how the brand makes them feel.

How do brands create these emotional connections?

They work to gain a deeper understanding of their audience, with the aim of creating emotionally invoking experiences that lead to a personalized connection.

Capitalizing on positive emotions such as joy, nostalgia, passion, humor and empathy is an easy way for brands to build a strong foundation for lasting partnerships.

Event platforms are a crucial tool that enables exhibitors to understand their audience on that emotional level.

In turn, emotionally engaging events have the potential create stronger personal connections than any other medium.

B2B means B2F (Business-to-Feels)

B2C brands have been evoking emotions in their customers for many years.

It’s a straightforward formula to position a product as one that creates joy or pleasure.

Christmas for example, is an annual competition between B2C brands to see who can drive the most tears from their Christmas ad campaigns.

Those who create a significant upsurge in saltwater that year tend to have an excellent festive period.

It’s a little different for B2B brands.

Relationships between two businesses are traditionally based on how they can benefit one another on a transactional level.

B2B brands typically use monetary gain, increased efficiency and business growth as the driving forces to connect with their audience.

This has changed in the past couple of years. Business professionals are now more interested in brands that align with their personal values and passion points.

Brands that are all about creative storytelling, humor, relatable content or engaging with them as a person rather than just trying to sell them something.

It endears the brand to them and the consumer sees a potential partner rather than just a service provider.

Creating a stronger connection that also fosters increased loyalty between consumers and brands.

In response to this shift, organizers need to ensure that both B2B and B2C exhibitors have the necessary tools to hit their audiences straight in the feels.

Additionally, events have a significant advantage over all other platforms in this regard.

They are perfectly poised to create more personalized connections by enabling exhibitors to engage with consumers directly.

Providing a level of live, immersive tangibility that no other medium can compete with.

Exhibitors just need to have the correct tools on-hand to bring it all together.

How AI-powered platforms are facilitating emotionally engaging events

How can exhibitors create a truly personalized experience that evokes strong emotions in attendees?

By ensuring they have a platform that provides all the information they need to create said experience.

The best way to evoke the right emotion from attendees is to learn what emotionally engaging experiences will lead to a positive connection.

Technology can provide exhibitors with deep insights into attendee behaviors, showing precisely what emotional experiences are engaging to them.

Through AI-powered algorithms, attendees showcase which experiences they are seeking out and each of these experiences are designed to evoke specific emotions.

Attendees telegraph their interest in sessions with speakers who are speaking on subjects that motivate or inspire them.

A pattern could also emerge from which exhibitors they are engaging with. Brands that have similar values or tones of voice that align with that of the attendee.

The AI-driven algorithm continues to map these patterns by providing on-demand content related to their preferences – content designed to engage attendees in the way they are seeking emotionally.

If the recommendations are off, attendees can opt for content or resources that they are more emotionally invested in.

The AI algorithm then realigns itself with those preferences.

This lays the groundwork for exhibitors before the initial interaction with attendees – all thanks to AI-powered matchmaking.

Emotionally engaging events lead to personal connections between exhibitors and attendees

The platform empowers exhibitors with this knowledge so that when the time comes to engage with attendees, they can elicit the exact emotion that creates a personal connection with the brand.

In-person events can also enhance the emotional tone of the experience in other ways.

Exhibitors have the unique ability to provide interactive experiences that capture the senses with music, lighting, scents, decor and more.

These elements alone can aid in getting attendees to a desired state of emotion.

They looks at the exhibitor differently due to these emotionally stimulating experiences.

They become a brand that goes above and beyond to create a personal connection in an attendee’s eyes, rather than just selling them something.

This puts events at the forefront of emotional connective marketing.

All organizers need to do is ensure that exhibitors have the best tools available to provide attendees with the most emotionally engaging events possible. Book a demo to find out more.