As an association event planner, you’re competing for attention from a busy audience. Your members have increasing daily demands, budget challenges, and overflowing inboxes. But the stakes are high — 47% of associations cite a lack of engagement as the top reason members don’t renew. The message is clear: engagement and attendance are more crucial than ever.
How important is in-person connection? 44% of respondents to the 2024 Association Engagement Index say they’d ideally participate in person at an association’s event. So while it might sometimes seem like you are trying to organize a flash mob in a ghost town, there is demand for engagement and attendance. In fact, the rebound of in-person conferences is breathing life back into association budgets, with 62% of organizations reporting an increase in attendance.
If low engagement is hurting retention, but attendance at in-person events is on the rise, the logical question that follows is: how can you boost attendee interaction and make your events more engaging? Here are four actionable tips.
1. Know How Your Members Want to be Engaged
You can’t develop meaningful engagement tactics if you’re guessing at what your members want. Start by getting to know your members on a deeper level — what concerns them, challenges them, and what they think they could learn from their peers. Building that understanding is the foundation for successful association events that resonate and deliver real value.
👉 Ask them what they want: It seems obvious, but sending surveys or hosting informal Q&A sessions to uncover their pain points, challenges, and interests will generate membership insights — you might even be able to assemble a benchmark report on what you learn and boost engagement with that tool. As a bonus, asking people for input makes them feel valued—a key factor in increasing member engagement.
👉 Create personas: Take the time to build profiles of your members in the form of personas — semi-fictional representations of typical members that give you a clearer picture of who you’re trying to reach. By identifying your key personas—ideally three to five for a well-rounded strategy — you can make more informed decisions about event themes, content, and outreach methods. These personas should be based on common traits like job roles, career goals, and event preferences. So when planning your next association event, you can use these personas to tailor content, marketing, and the overall profile experience.
2. Content is King (But Variety Is Also Regal)
If your content formats don’t interest your members, nailing engagement will be an uphill battle. The key? Offer diverse, value-packed programming that speaks to different learning styles, interests, and personas with a variety of formats.
👑 Mix it up: Pair your classic PowerPoint presentations with hands-on workshops, roundtable discussions, and maybe even a debate or two. Attendees value association events that offer both education and entertainment.
👑 Bring in the (real) heavy hitters: High-profile speakers and industry thought leaders add credibility and traditional wisdom says they are reliable catnip for attendance. However, your event attendees of all kinds are increasingly looking for speakers who have shared experiences and actionable guidance and tactics. It might be that you can swap a “luminary” speaker with a well-respected practitioner and improve engagement.
3. Networking Doesn’t Have to be Awkward
Networking can either be the highlight of your association event or feel like being trapped in the world’s most awkward game of musical chairs. (Pro tip: this is where personas can be incredibly valuable in ensuring you’ve got networking techniques for everyone). The best strategy is to curate thoughtful interactions vs. unwelcome intrusions. What is one to one member may be another for a different member. In general, here’s how to make it the former.
🤝 Plan for connection: Structured activities like speed networking or industry-specific meetups help break the ice quickly. When designed thoughtfully, these activities make networking more comfortable and productive.
🤝 Play matchmaker respectfully: Do the work to make meaningful connections and introductions. Create curated networking experiences by hosting small-group discussions, themed meetups, or “speed networking” sessions tailored to shared interests or goals. This doesn’t need to be tech-heavy, but will benefit from some awareness of shared experiences, challenges, and aspirations. You’re not looking for business card exchanges here, you’re looking to create space where valuable and ongoing connections are made and fostered.
4. Extend The Life of Your Event, Post-Event
The best event experiences in the world won’t sustain engagement if they end when the event does. Your post-event marketing strategy needs to be as high a priority as your agenda strategy.
💰 Go multi-channel or go home: Share post-event video content through email, social media, and other platforms your members frequent. Repurpose highlights—like keynote sessions or panel discussions — into bite-sized clips and share them across multiple channels to extend your event’s impact.
💰 Personalize everything: Use data to tailor follow-ups based on attendee behavior. For instance, if someone attended a session on leadership, suggest related videos, articles, or upcoming events on the same topics. Personalized recommendations keep members engaged and invested in your association’s offerings. Make attendees feel like every session and speaker was handpicked just for them.
Post-event excitement is a powerful tool. Share testimonials, photos, or behind-the-scenes moments to reignite event energy and remind attendees why they can’t miss the next one. Looking for tips to stretch your event marketing dollars? Find some cost-saving strategies that deliver results.
Wrap It Up With a Bow
Ultimately, creating association events that drive engagement comes down to delivering value that members can’t find anywhere else. It’s about crafting an experience that feels purposeful — whether that’s learning something new, making meaningful connections, or simply leaving inspired. The better you understand what your members need, the better you can deliver an event that hits the mark. And when you do that, attendance and engagement aren’t just metrics — they’re a natural result.
Ready to elevate your association events and member engagement? Book a demo with Streampoint today to explore how.
