Maximizing Your Event ROI
Most events are treated as a one-and-done experience. If done right, however, your event can be the start of your content engine for months or even years to come.
With the right pre-production strategy and early planning, your event has the potential to generate tons of content, revenue and ongoing audience engagement.
Start with the End in Mind: Why Pre-Production Planning Matters
To capitalize on your event properly, you need to set the right mindset from the start. You wouldn’t just book the first venue or vendor that gives you a quote, and the same can be said for recording event content – you shouldn’t just “film everything”. Evaluate your event goals and then align those goals with content that would be most helpful post-event.
If your event goal is to increase brand awareness, you might prioritize capturing audience testimonials and social media reels that showcase your brand in action. If the goal of your conference is to drive education, you might set up a podcast recording studio and prioritize session highlight reels.
The idea is to approach filming your event with a purpose and plan ahead of time. A good production team knows that filming a speaker is different when you know you want to turn their keynote into 6 social clips, 1 podcast, and a webinar replay.
The Right Approach:
- Outline content goals during the event strategy phase
- Identify priority sessions or speakers for capture
- Talk through your post-event content with your production team early
- Build in moments for testimonials and behind-the-scenes filming
What Content Should You Capture Onsite?
Your live sessions and panels are just the start of what you could be recording. With a clear plan in place, your production team can film:
- Audience reactions and testimonials
- Sponsor shoutouts
- Short-form interviews with speakers
- Engaging workshop sessions
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Evergreen brand content
Your event goals will drive your filming needs, so strategize and engage your event stakeholders early to form a clear path to getting the content you really need.
Raw Footage to High-Impact Content
Start by creating event highlight reels that showcase the best moments from your conference. This helps extend the energy and engagement for those who were there while simultaneously getting those who missed it excited for the next one.
Full session replays can be offered as gated content to generate leads or add value for ticket-holders. Pull out short-form video clips for social media—think mic-drop speaker moments or powerful quotes that highlight your theme. You can also repurpose high-quality audio recordings into podcasts.
Go a step further by transforming content into educational products such as training modules, online courses, or certification programs. And don’t overlook the opportunity to generate additional revenue through monetized replays.
Don’t Underestimate Platform Strategy
Choosing the right place to host your content is almost as important as what was filmed. Where will the content live: your website, YouTube, Vimeo, or possibly an internal LMS? Think through the target audience and how they will access it. Are you targeting new leads with free teasers or uploading long-form content behind a paywall?
To ensure a good ROI, you want to build a content drip strategy post-event that will sustain engagement. Key takeaways & highlight reels should be prioritized in the first few weeks post-event, while session recordings are typically accessible 1-2 months after. Podcasts can be scheduled to drop monthly, and testimonials can be shared to market future programs and events.
Monetizing for Maximum ROI
Session replay access is typically included with the purchase of an event ticket, however you could be selling post-event “virtual passes” to the session recordings at a discounted rate than the in-person ticket was. With some strategic planning, you can turn train sessions into digital products or record evergreen session introductions to turn your replays into a paid online course. By implementing strategic planning, your content could be monetized generating revenue for years.
Future-Proofing Your Event Strategy
The real value of your event is in how long it continues to work for you after the last session ends. Strategic thinking at the start enables you to amplify your message and support your overall goals. Well-produced content on-site can serve a larger audience and build your community. Intentional content drip on the right platforms grows your impact with less effort.
This is how a single event becomes months—or even years—of content and value.
Ready to start turning your event into a content library?
Chat with our team to see what’s possible for your next conference.
