# 3 Innovative Ways to Increase Engagement at Your Events

> Your events are only effective if attendees are participating and engaged. Here are some unique ways to capture their attention.

Source: https://nextmeapp.com/blog/event-management/3-innovative-ways-to-engage-event-attendees/

[Blog](https://nextmeapp.com/blog/) · [Event Management](https://nextmeapp.com/blog/event-management/)

Your events are only effective if attendees are participating and engaged. Here are some unique ways to capture their attention.

![Peacock NextMe Twisted Metal Photo 5](https://nextmeapp.com/_astro/peacock-nextme-twisted-metal-photo-5.DnZDywT3_Z2i74c5.webp)

-   **Event Management** Category
-   **March 29, 2026** Updated
-   **3 min** Reading time

Any organizer who has been in the business for long knows that event engagement is an excellent way of measuring the effectiveness of your events. Simply put, engagement is how fully your attendees are participating and how much of their attention your event has captured. If attendees are tuning out or working on other things, you’ve lost them. So it’s important to captivate your audience, from the moment they arrive until the event doors are closed. But how?

## Reduce idle time

Nothing will lose a captive audience quicker than making them stand around and wait. If you want to keep your attendees engaged and excited about your event, allow them to skip the lines and spend that time learning, networking, or exploring instead. You can leverage a waitlist solution like NextMe to turn idle time into an engagement opportunity.

Rather than forcing visitors to wait in line, NextMe allows them to register with just a few simple details. They’ll receive a text message linking them to a [**virtual waiting room**](https://nextmeapp.com/virtual-waiting-room/) where they can check their place in line. You can customize this waiting room to include all sorts of helpful information: event maps, recommended activities, games, links to your socials, brand sponsor placements, and much more. Attendees can then wander the event as they please, spend some time networking with other attendees, or go grab a snack or a quick drink. A few minutes before their spot is ready, they’ll get a text prompting them to return. They can confirm or cancel their reserved spot with a simple text reply. During and after the event, you’ll get insightful and actionable reports on everyone who checked in, allowing for easy follow-up and feedback. All of this can be done without requiring attendees to download an app.

## Make networking simple and fun

One of the biggest reasons for attending in-person events is the ability to network with peers across the industry. Not only that, good networking automatically means increased engagement and a more favorable response to your event. Why not make it easier with fun and interactive networking games?

Create a networking scavenger hunt, where attendees have to interact with one another to fill in a list. Use simple prompts like, “find someone with the same initials as yourself,” or “find someone celebrating a birthday this month.” Once they’ve completed the hunt, they’re in the running for a door prize or other gift. They’ll meet tons of new people, have fun doing it, and possibly walk away with a prize.

Encourage smaller networking groups. Large networking mixers can be intimidating, and it’s often hard to find the _right_ contacts in a room of hundreds of people. Instead, have your attendees fill out questionnaires at registration and then use the data to place them into smaller, targeted groups of 20-25 people. This will help to encourage more meaningful connections and provide increased value for attendees.

## Encourage real-time feedback

Asking event attendees what they thought of the event after it’s over is a useful way to improve your outreach. But when guests have a great experience or need someone to complain to, they want to be heard _right now_. The good news is, since every one of your attendees is likely carrying a phone, you can make that happen easily.

Create a virtual suggestion box and publish it before the event even begins, allowing them to have input through the registration process and leading up to the big day (or days). Include polls and survey questions in presentations or on event literature. Encourage them to text your brand or engage with social media via targeted hashtags, then be sure to monitor and respond to those feeds in real time. The options are endless and often easily implemented with the help of the latest **[event management technology](https://nextmeapp.com/blog/event-management/event-planning-management-technology-guide/).**

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I keep attendees engaged at my events instead of standing in line?

Let them join a waitlist with a few simple details instead of holding a spot in a physical line. They get a text with a link to a virtual waiting room that shows their place in line, so they can network, explore or grab a snack while they wait. A few minutes before their turn, a second text prompts them to come back, and they can confirm or cancel with a simple reply.

### What can I put in a virtual waiting room for event attendees?

You can customize it with helpful information like event maps, recommended activities, games, links to your social channels and sponsor placements. That turns idle time into another chance to engage attendees. Guests open it from a text link, so there's no app to download.

### How can I make networking easier at an in-person event?

Try a networking scavenger hunt where attendees complete prompts by meeting each other, with a door prize for finishing. You can also use registration questionnaires to sort attendees into smaller, targeted groups of 20 to 25 people. Smaller groups are less intimidating than a large mixer and help people find the right contacts.

### How do I collect attendee feedback during an event, not just after?

Open a virtual suggestion box before the event starts so attendees can weigh in from registration onward. Add polls and survey questions to presentations or event materials, and invite people to text your brand or post with a dedicated hashtag. Then monitor and respond to those channels in real time so guests feel heard while they're still there.

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