Even the most energized attendees require quiet from time to time to recharge. Factor in the fact that there are 16 different personality types, many of which become overstimulated and mentally fatigued when forced to be constantly “on,” and your fun meeting agenda has morphed into a meeting disaster. While event engagement is important for attendees, noise is not always the answer. Here are five ways to engage attendees, “mum” being the ultimate word.
1. Silent Discos
Hosting an electronic dance party at an event can be loud not only for attendees, but also neighboring venues if your event is located in a tight urban core. A silent disco, however, brings attendees the dance-club experience without the noise by using music broadcasted via headphones. This eliminates the need for large speakers and other audio equipment and brings attendees a crisp sound from anywhere in your event venue. Plus, it will make it easier for attendees to still have conversations without yelling over loud bass lines.
2. Silent Seminars
Similarly, silent seminars require attendees to use wireless headsets to listen to a seminar they are attending. Not only does this allow attendees the ability to hear more clearly, it also gives meeting planners the ability to host more than one seminar at the same time in the same room.
3. Directional-Sound Systems
Directional-sound systems use an ultra sound emitter to shoot a beam of sound, narrowing its focus so that only people inside the sound path can hear it. These systems are especially helpful at large-scale events, allowing for tradeshow exhibitors to aim their message directly at attendees in a targeted area or for speakers to engage a specific section of attendees during an educational session.
4. Typed Meetings
Some companies use Skype, but silently. Instead of logging in for voice or video conferencing, the whole meeting is conducted via typed exchanges. The typed meeting allows for groups to exchange more information during a shorter amount of time, as attendees bring pre-typed discussion items and topics that they can simply copy and paste into the discussion. It also gives all employees an equal chance to share, whether they’re quick to talk or more of the observant type.
5. Silent Auctions
Now an event classic, silent auctions remain popular because they don’t involve people vocally bidding against one another, and they don’t attendees to be in the same place at once. Instead, attendees can peruse the auction items at their own pace and simply write their bids down on a piece of paper.
