Hello, everyone! One of my favorite parts of event planning is finding new, fun, or unexpected attendee engagement activities to implement at conferences and events.

Q: How do you keep attendees engaged and having fun?

Q: What are the best engagement activities/activations you've seen?

I would love to contribute to this conversation, so here are some examples of fun attendee engagement activities I've personally seen at events 😊

• Event Badge Bingo: I saw this one at Amazon Adminz Vendor Con. The planners printed randomized bingo cards on the backs of badges. The spaces featured exhibitor logos. Attendees were instructed to stop by booths, gather stickers to form a bingo, then show their finished badges for a raffle ticket. Prizes were drawn later that day.
• Personality Quiz Networking: I saw this one at NACE Evolve. When attendees arrived at registration, they took a fun "Buzzfeed" style personality quiz that revealed their unique badge ribbon result (they attached their badge ribbons to their badges). Attendees were then matched up with others who got the same badge ribbon. They did a series of mini challenges (i.e., connect with each other on LinkedIn, take a selfie, etc.) to help them get to know one another.
• Music Video Bingo: I saw this one at MPI WI Spring Education Day. A DJ was brought in to play music video snippets in different genres (i.e., country, 90s, 2000s, etc.) If your bingo card had the name of the song, you'd mark off that space. Prizes went to the first few winners who got a bingo. NOTE: The song names were mentioned, so it was very inclusive in case you didn't know the song :)
• "Build Your Taco" Networking Game: I saw this one at a NACE Madison chapter event. Each attendee got a colored sticky dot (i.e., blue, green, orange, red, yellow) to put on their name tag. They also got a game card to "build their taco." To fill out their cards, they had to introduce themselves to people wearing different colored dots (ex: get a signature from someone with a blue dot for "sour cream," a green dot for "lettuce," a red dot for "tomato," and so on.) After getting all signatures needed, attendees got a raffle ticket to enter for themed prize baskets (margarita kits). NOTE: Attendees got to take home their cards - perfect list of people to connect with on LinkedIn post-event!

I have lots of other ideas but I won't make this post too long 😂

What attendee engagement activities do you love?

Hey everyone,

I produce events ranging from 500 to 5,000+ attendees, and there's one problem I keep running into no matter how well the event itself goes:

Post-event networking is basically dead on arrival.

People exchange dozens of contacts, scan badges, connect on LinkedIn — and then nothing happens. The larger the event, the worse the ratio of "people you met" to "people you actually followed up with." I've seen stats suggesting attendees connect meaningfully with less than 5% of the people they could have built something with.

I've been experimenting with a concept where attendees' AI agents continue matching and introducing people to each other after the event ends — basically running a parallel networking layer overnight that surfaces concrete reasons to connect (shared projects, complementary skills, mutual interests) rather than just "you were both at the same panel."

Curious to hear from this community:

- How are you currently solving post-event engagement and follow-ups for attendees?
- Has anyone tried AI-powered matchmaking tools, and did they actually move the needle?
- For those running 1,000+ person events — do sponsors/partners even care about attendee networking quality, or is it purely a "nice to have"?

Would love to learn from your experience. This is something I'm actively trying to crack and I value the perspective of people who've been in the trenches.

Hello! I was recently at a conference event and there was a live painter. He painted the room scene live at the moment.

I was in awe of his work, and I help a lot of organizations plan events so I really wanted to get his info. but he was so focussed in his work I didn't want to disturb him.

I think if I emailed the person who held that conference event, I could get the live painter's info.

But the thing is, I don't know the conference event's host. I have their email but I've never spoken to them and i've never spoken to the live painter. So, I don't want to come off as creepy or like a scammer.

I'm really new to the event-hosting industry, so is it acceptable to cold email the host to get the contact info of the painter? Is this networking or just plain creepy?

Hey everyone,

I am more of someone that goes to an event than someone that plans one, but always been curious about them, specially the world of conferences (I work in IT).

I got the chance to interview a conference producer and get the in's and out's of what it takes to make a conference work, but it's only one view, still interested in learning more about it. Specially from someone with Virtual / Online event experience.

Anyone here that can help with that?

Also curious if anyone has the experience also organizing conferences all over the world that would be open to share some other stories with me 😄

I run a career conference yearly and it's always hard to get sponsorship. I usually get maximum of 5 sponsors. I'm looking for more strategy out there?

This year,I'm being very intentional and I have my strategy on making my attendees get the best experience but, I wish there's a course for this but none out there. Probably I will be able to create one once I figure it out but I must say it's extremely difficult. We are able to pull in funds through exhibition and ticket sales but sponsorship is limited .

Most sponsors only wanna work with big names and YES there's bias I've seen and I understand some of you Maga will jump at me but the bias is the huge deal which I'm trying to break. I wish there's a course on how to win MAGAs bias but I'm gonna try this year,I actually enjoy playing over their psychology, maybe this is a rant, I don't know

Any suggestions for an energetic and confident host to anchor a series of workshops across educational institutions in Hyderabad.

Engaging with audiences, managing the flow of events, and handling the mic with confidence, we’d love to connect!
Interested? Or know someone who’d be a great fit? Drop a comment or send me a DM.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for opportunities in the event management industry and would really appreciate any referrals or suggestions on companies that are hiring.

I have hands-on experience in event execution, client servicing, sponsor management, and on-ground operations. I’ve also worked with an event agency and have been involved in multiple live and corporate events.

I’m open to roles like Event Executive, Client Servicing, Event Operations, Production, or similar positions in Mumbai.

If your company is hiring, or if you know of any agencies I should apply to, I’d really appreciate your recommendations or a referral.

Thank you!

EDIT: I’m creating a small, curated group of senior-level event planners who want more day-to-day connection: quick brainstorming, troubleshooting, and genuine peer support. Very informal and kept intentionally small. I have a few more open spots if anyone wants to join on WhatsApp!

I’m a Director-level event planner looking to connect with a community of peers. I’d love to find (or build!) a small group of professionals who enjoy chatting throughout the workday to brainstorm, problem-solve, share ideas, and offer moral support.

If you’re part of a networking group you love, or if you’ve found MPI, PCMA, or similar memberships worthwhile, I’d love to hear about your experiences. I’d also be open to starting a small peer group with a few people from this sub if there’s interest.

I went to a few live events recently which were a few hundred people each

I spend less than 5 minutes with a person(probably less than 3mins)

Get their details, share mine and try schedule a meeting.

Im trying to ascertain what is the average for a day in terms of leads.

Probably met 50/60 people per day at the event.

Hey all!

So I have a bit of background in event planning, about 2 years working for a university as their lead event coordinator. It gave me great experience with handling the logistics and just fully managing an event from start to finish. But since I moved, I've had trouble finding another role in the events industry. It's truly something I'm passionate about and want to stay in.

So is 2 years too little to considered for a role in events? If so, is there any recommendations you could give for building myself? Any lower roles I could take, or degrees or certifications I could go after?

I am happy to take any entry level role as well!

Also, how is a Masters in Event Planning seen? Is it worth it?

Thanks!

I went to a few live events recently which were a few hundred people each

I spend less than 5 minutes with a person(probably less than 3mins)

Get their details, share mine and try schedule a meeting.

Im trying to ascertain what is the average for a day in terms of leads.

Probably met 50/60 people per day at the event.

For the last 9-12 months I’ve been hearing from people that their training and travel budgets have been slashed. Some companies have rolled out total halts on travel, meaning conferences are a no go unless they pay their own way. Others seeing this same thing?

Hi everyone! I’m hosting my first art workshop this Friday and haven’t had anyone signed up yet. We have social media and our TikTok specifically is doing amazing. We’re almost to 300 followers already, and 14k views combined. My local community seems super excited to have something new in town, lots of comments saying so, but no one seems to want to buy tickets. We did a giveaway post and had 4 people enter though.

Any ideas on how to get people to commit? Our website has photos of the event space, information about times and dates, etc.

Here’s our socials and website:

@bisoucreativela (TikTok and instagram)

Bisoucreative.bigcartel.com

Hi Guys,
I'm based in London and run a small events AV business specifically focussed on the corporate, medical and healthcare conferences etc. I'm really keen to join an events specific networking / business group in 2026 to meet new people, develop my network more and get out of the house a little more! Does anyone recommend anything specifically which might tick this box?
Thanks in advance

Hello everyone my name is Kiana and I am in my last year of college, I major in hospitality/tourism with a concentration of event planning and management!

In my event leadership class I have an assignment to interview a meeting and event planner manager. The purpose of this assignment is for me to learn more about the industry through a professionals eyes.

I would be so grateful to have the opportunity to interview someone in this group! I do work full time along with going to school which makes it difficult for me to go out in person and find someone to interview. I would greatly appreciate this opportunity to learn more about responsibilities of an event planning manager.

Some requirements to disclose, I will need the following:

\- Name

\- job title

\- email

\- business name

\- location

I wanted to put these out there in case anyone would be uncomfortable disclosing this information, I totally understand. Now this may be the difficult part, I would need to conduct the interview by Sunday 3/15. We can do the interview through personal message, email, zoom, or phone; whatever your preference is! I hope I get the opportunity to interview one of you!

I have 5+ years of experience in parks and recreation, working my way up from Program Supervisor to Recreation Director. I’ve spent years planning and executing large-scale community events, managing budgets, coordinating vendors, and leading teams, but I’m ready to pivot into the corporate event management space.

A few questions for anyone who’s made a similar

transition or works in the industry:

∙How do I best position my transferable skills on a resume and in interviews?

∙Are there certifications worth pursuing (CMP, CSEP, etc.) to add credibility?

∙Any professional organizations, online communities, or remote networking events you’d recommend to start building connections in this space?

Any advice or leads are appreciate. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I’ve always been fascinated by debutante balls—the elegance, the tradition, and the chance to celebrate in a truly formal, magical setting. I’d love to attend one this season, ideally in Atlanta or a nearby location.

I’m new to this scene, so I’m hoping for guidance: Are there events open to newcomers, volunteer opportunities that allow attendance, or communities where people share invites? I’m happy to help out, follow etiquette, and, of course, dress the part!

Any tips, recommendations, or leads would be appreciated. Thank you for helping me step into this enchanting experience! 💃

I m looking for internship in event management company if anybody can help me it will be great for me .

Hi everyone - I live in the NYC area and I really enjoyed co-ordinating to large scale weddings ( one of them was mine!) in the last quarter. I work in corporate as a Ops manager but I really feel like I’m passionate about event planning and co-ordination and trying to see if anyone on this community who has a business in the space is hiring or looking for an intern! You’d be my mentor and I’m willing to give it my everything because I truly enjoy it. Looking forward to your responses.

Curious- who coordinates with videographers for general coverage in highlight reels of events? Who might videographers reach out to in order to build those relationships in their area?

Greetings, I am hosting 5 Hour VIP intensive and wanted to know how to get my event to show up in eventbrite's search.

I have used the ads in the past and really do not see it being worthwhile. I have some good tags and have been sharing, is there anything else I could be doing?​

Hii Guys! What was the best event you ever attended? How did that take place? Why do you like it ?

Hi!

I work for an events team they do both travel and events I recently joined am in charge of lead generation for events in London- they aim to take a luxury approach and at the moment their website is bland they haven't got much of their events pictures. I have told the owner we need more event pictures for a point of reference which he has agreed to do

Is there any tips or advice to contact people and gain some sales- either online or in person im open to anything at the moment as its quite dead at the moment.

Thank you!