Originally published June 23, 2016 , updated on September 13, 2024

Innovation is a huge contributor to the success of an event. During the planning process, most pros will spend a significant portion of their time looking for event speakers to engage with the audience.
Events are moving in a different direction. It’s more about engagement than it is being “lectured”. Co-creation is one of the biggest trends in events at the moment. The crowd itself is often the source of knowledge and wisdom rather than just the speaker himself.

Participant-Guided Interaction

There’s an almost schoolyard feel about speaker-guided interactions. Basically, there’s no earthly reason for participants to be instructed by an official representative when they can guide themselves and each other.

Consider the impact of handing the show over to the crowd, rather than one particular event speaker. After all, it stands to reason that the combined knowledge of the crowd far outweighs that of a single speaker. Dividing attendees into discussion groups is a great idea. Or, even more exciting, is the possibility of turning the presentation around. Turn it into a proper Q&A session where the crowd dictates the direction of the topics.

Compelling Video Content Instead of A Live Event Speaker

When done properly, video is often more effective than a live event speaker. There’s something undeniably engaging about “showing” rather than “telling”. Video offers a fantastic balance between storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

In many cases, you’ll want the professional input of a particular person but realise that one of their pitfalls just happens to be public speaking. After all, we’re only human so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some of the most knowledgeable and insightful individuals struggle with being in front of a crowd. A video interview with integrated footage and animations can work wonders.

Make Room for Entertaining Art

There’s so much more to storytelling than simple words. Why not harness the power of the creative arts instead of the usual string of event speakers?

It may be worth your while to consider telling a story through music, dance, or acting. The concept works effectively in so many other settings, there should be no earthly reason why a conference would be any different. At any rate, you’ll have a talking point that none of your attendees is likely to forget.

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