As an event organizer, you know how important networking and engagement are to creating a memorable, successful event. However, you might also have some concerns — after all, you want to make sure your attendees both have plenty of opportunities to participate and feel comfortable doing so. So, how can you dispel some of the awkwardness that comes with event networking, or better yet, avoid it altogether?
Whova already provides various tools to effectively help with attendee networking. Now Whova’s new Icebreaker feature further helps attendees feel at ease participating and allows them to find others with common interests. Whether your event is remote, in-person, or hybrid, breaking the ice can not only improve interaction and engagement within sessions but also help attendees find valuable networking opportunities and form memories that keep them returning year after year.
Make your event memorable with unique, interactive networking opportunities
With this feature, participants can learn about their fellow attendees in the Community Board by “literally” breaking the ice — choosing to interact with Whova’s animated interface to view another attendee’s introduction!
When introducing themselves, attendees choose from a variety of questions, like “What animal best matches your personality?” or “If you had to teach a class on what thing, what would you teach?” They can post their answer along with their rationale and add an introduction with any other information they want to include.
From there, attendees can easily foster community by clicking the Welcome button or add some more personality by choosing another emoji to respond with. To get a conversation going with an attendee they find interesting, they can even add a comment to the question. Not only does this interaction make them feel more comfortable and engaged in the event, but they can also find surprising connections based on common interests they wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise. From there, attendees can also use many other tools, such as 1-1 video/text chats, to further continue the conversation.
Form connections before the event even begins
Waste no time — attendees can start posting icebreakers and building connections well before the day of the event. With a few names and conversations under their belt, they’ll be more familiar with Whova’s interface and far more comfortable continuing to engage and leave comments during sessions, leading to better collaboration, further connections, and an even more memorable event.
Encourage even the shyest attendees to say hi
We all know that for some attendees, getting out of their comfort zone to network can be a challenge. Whova’s Icebreakers’ low-pressure engagement is the perfect way to help them feel at ease.
As soon as attendees click on the Icebreaker tab in the Community Board, they’ll be prompted to share their own answer to a fun question. We make taking part quick and easy; posting an icebreaker can be as simple as choosing a question and typing a few words in response. But once they’ve posted something once, it becomes less daunting for attendees to leave comments or emoji reactions on others’ introductions, encouraging them to actively participate in virtual event networking rather than just lurking. For attendees who might be put off by video or in-person meet-ups, engaging through text also makes it easy for even the quietest participants to feel involved.
Break down barriers between in-person and remote attendees
With many organizers considering hybrid events, Whova’s Icebreakers are the perfect way to start connecting remote and in-person audiences.
Attendees can access the feature from both the mobile app and desktop, so while remote attendees chat at home on their computers, in-person attendees can join in on the same conversations on their phones, bridging the gap between the two attendee types.
Keep things light and casual or get down to business with more “serious” questions
Every event has a different atmosphere, whether that’s casual and fun or a bit more professional. Whova allows attendees to choose between sillier questions and more serious ones, from recommending a book or show that recently caught their attention to explaining what fruit or vegetable they would most want to be!
In turn, other attendees can match their tone by responding with fun emojis — or just click the friendly waving Welcome button.
Further engagement, inspire suprising new connections
Whether your event is in-person, virtual, or hybrid, it’s never too early to start breaking the ice. Whova’s Icebreakers can help you get the ball rolling to encourage your attendees to bond with each other and in turn, feel more confident participating in the event.
To learn more about Icebreakers and Whova’s other online conference networking and engagement opportunities, schedule a free product demo.
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