In business, change is constant. The ability to bring your people along on a journey of transformation – allowing your organization to keep pace with the ever-evolving business landscape – is an ongoing necessity. The event model I’m going to share with you enhances the potential for success.
By leveraging immersive experiences, you will achieve internal buy-in and in-depth understanding from the audiences you are looking to engage, attract, or influence.
The Model: Immersive Experiences + Engagement = Results
Immersive events are end-to-end experiences where the story or theme is consistent throughout. They aren’t punctuated events or a few select “WOW” moments within a larger gathering. Immersion means participants are enveloped in the multi-sensory story you have designed – for the event’s duration. The entire event is “WOW.
People want to be engaged. They come with elevated expectations for corporate events based on their everyday experiences. The combination of immersion and engagement doesn’t disappoint. These events inspire participants; they walk away with a deeper understanding and clear, actionable tools they can take back to their teams. They feel inspired by both the environment and the unique experience.
Defining Immersion for Corporate Events
Immersive experiences have been described as “illusory environments that completely surround you making you feel that you are part of them.” These can also be seen as next-level storytelling, where the “story” is built around your theme or business purpose. The story is told through every element. It is woven through pre-communications, on stage, at breakouts, and in post-event messaging.
Immersion also connects with audiences on an emotional level. We use tools to make emotional connections because we know that these experiences motivate most people to act. Logic + emotion drives people to action.
Immersion inspires. The inspiration leads to participant buy-in, which leads to engagement.
Best Practices for Meaningful Engagement
When a message provokes the audience to take a specific action, that’s engagement. It’s what connects your story (or experience) to the desired action, helping you realize a goal. Here are some examples of internal corporate applications of immersive event experiences:
- Leverage tech tools to support ongoing engagement pre-, during, and post-event.
- Turn a General Session into a dialogue by breaking down the fourth wall between stage and audience to re-invent presentation formats.
- Deploy imaginative storytelling to support your products or services.
- Build drama and excitement through innovative stagecraft.
Every event is an engagement opportunity.
Immersion + Engagement
Immersion and engagement are tools that become more powerful when used in combination; they build experiences that move people and stay with them, inspiring them to take action. For internal stakeholders, this model can support an organization in many ways. For example, it can be used to rally everyone around a new growth initiative, change attitudes and behaviors, or drive the business in new directions.
This event model makes people feel that they belong; it creates a sense of unity and builds commitment and community. That makes it even more effective, more powerful, and results-driven.
From Concept through Execution
Corporate events have lots of moving parts – especially when they are high-tech and include software tools for follow-on engagement. Weaving all the elements together to work effectively – on brand and on budget – is an art. Every moment, every element matters. Each component must be tightly aligned and synergistic to create the story, support the end goal, and drive participants to the right actions to accomplish that goal.
Why Try this Model
Businesses embrace events because their ability to unify people and move organizations is critical for growth. Immersion + engagement is a malleable event model that takes on very different forms depending on the audience, objectives, and type of event. When used for corporate events it boosts employee loyalty, productivity, creates efficiencies, supports revenue generation, and provides a consistent and unified story for all stakeholders.
About Image Media
Image Media has supported Fortune 500 companies for more than 30 years, helping to shape and drive key messaging through internal and external channels – from senior leadership to employees and sales teams.
Our mission is to connect brands with the people that matter most – compelling them to action that collectively lead to measurable results.
