Insight
Virtual monetisation
TANYA PINCHUK SHARES SOME THOUGHTS ON REVIVING SPONSORSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEETINGS AND EVENTS
hile seeking recuperation
from the current crisis,
event professionals are
reforming the industry
with digitalisation as their lighthouse.
Event monetisation is one of the areas
where such reforms are clearly visible,
especially after the current boom of
virtual conferences. With offline revenue
streams gradually becoming unfeasible,
organisers need to cultivate virtual
monetisation strategies to compensate
for the same.
Here is a primer on how organisers
can use event technology to up their
online monetisation game:
Offer extended visibility to sponsors
Digital mediums have a distinguished
advantage of providing a 24/7 outreach,
compared to offline venues. Offering
sponsored listings on strategic web
pages like the homepage, registration
page, and various information listing
pages, such as sessions pages, is one way
to meet the desired visibility quota for
sponsors. The key is to figure out web
pages with high viewership to offer
extensive brand exposure.
To do so, sponsors can utilise banner
ads and marquee texts on these selected
web pages. Sponsored news (in the blog
section), push notifications, and sessions
are great ways to reach a bigger
audience. Similarly, pre-populating
virtual event goody bags with sponsored
content (e.g. user guides, onboarding
manuals, discount coupons, exclusive
access to workshops etc.) is another great
way to capitalise on sponsors’ branding.
Offer targeted outreach opportunities
Targeted marketing via matchmaking
technology is a concept well utilised by
industry counterparts like Google,
Amazon, and various OTT platforms.
But the event industry still lags on this
front. Event organisers must consider
offering targeted outreach opportunities
to improve sponsorship and advertising
ROI.
Taking cues from previously
mentioned activities, advertisements in
the form of display banners, videos, push
notifications, and marquee texts can be
shown to a relevant set of attendees. A
similar approach can also be applied to
sponsored search results showcased
when a user applies a filter on listing
pages. These can be fuelled by the smart
learnings of the event matchmaking
algorithm, derived from registration
details and user behaviour on the
platform. Such initiatives ensure the
dissemination of advertisements to
targeted users only, allowing organisers
to serve parties with niche offerings or
those with budget constraints.
Offer onsite retargeting opportunities
Often visitors require gentle reminders
to complete a particular transaction or
resume engagement on pages. Onsite
retargeting solves this problem and helps
pave the way to lead nurturing and
Below right:
Tanya Pinchuk,
managing director,
ExpoPlatform
conversion. By using onsite behavioural
data, speakers can implement targeted
campaigns aimed at their profile visitors
and capitalise on their interests. For this,
event organisers can offer a push
notification facility. Once the user clicks
the notification, he/she is taken over to
the speaker profile, where he/she is
shown a pop-up card. This pop-up card
can contain more information about the
speaker’s session, along with a call to
action like – ‘message’ or ‘book session’.
Offer a freemium registration model
Most events have a fixed pricing model
for attendees. However, one way of
encouraging visitors to increase their
basket size is by using a freemium
registration model. Similar to the airline
industry which offers First Class and
Economy Class tickets, event organisers
can use event tech to offer Basic Tickets
and Premium Tickets (with VIP Access)
to differentiate attendee journeys.
Premium ticket-holders can receive
additional benefits in the form of access to
extra sessions/workshops, comprehensive
learning material, or even exclusive
previews of product launches. Additionally,
event organisers can set a standard
availability for various pieces of content
resources of their virtual event and levy
charges if participants require more.
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