How to Host A Live Podcast Event

How to Host A Live Podcast Event

---

Are you using live podcasts?

You should be!

Why? Because a live podcast is a great way to engage your audience. A live podcast will allow you to chat with your audience and instantly receive their raw feedback in real time. And by doing this, you are building a rapport with those in your audience and creating loyal, potentially lifelong followers.

Many people have heard of podcasts and probably even participated in them. But they don't know exactly how to present one themselves. Thus the reason they aren't using them even though they are an extremely powerful method of audience communication and engagement.

The Benefits of a Live Podcast

There are plenty of benefits that come from implementing live podcasts into your marketing and follower retention campaigns.

• Increased real-time follower engagement
• Building brand authority, promotion, and retention
• Can be produced on demand
• To create a following
• A podcast atmosphere is more natural and intimate
• Instant feedback from your audience
• Podcast audience interactions provide you with new, fresh ideas and potential trends

Eight Tips for Hosting a Successful Live Podcast Event

1. Teamwork

You will first need to put together a team to help you cover all the necessary rolls such as producer, recording tech, administrative and marketing tasks. If you're just starting out, work with what and who you have available.

2. Determine Your Budget

Your budget should include items such as venue, equipment, sound crew, and other staffing if needed. The equipment will usually be your biggest expense depending on what you need which could include special lighting, microphones, mixers to plug into the house PA, etc.

However, if you want to help offset some of these costs, you can always charge admission to your event or solicit a sponsor.

3. Find a Venue

To find the perfect venue, you will need to estimate how many people you anticipate attending. But it's always a good idea to rent a venue that can accommodate more. Once you've determined that, you will need to visit that venue in person to make sure it's the right fit. Consider the cost, size, its geographic location, parking, public transportation, and the physical characteristics of the space versus your needs.

4. Video Projection

Your video projection can be something as simple as a PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow. If needed, you can also use software such as Q-Lab, which is a theatrical cueing software that automates the lights, videos, and graphics. However, some people find such software programs a bit complicated. So if you decide to go that route, make sure you schedule some time to learn it well before you begin.

5. Promoting Your Live Podcast

They are so many different ways you can promote your live podcast, especially in the current age of social media. Here are some other ideas you can use:

• Fan communities like Facebook Groups, Google+, Reddit, etc. Participate in these communities by posting and answering questions, and sharing comments then linking back to your podcast promotion.
• Publish relevant content, then link it back to your podcast promotion.
• Ask your existing followers to help promote your upcoming podcast.
• Twitter. Find the official hashtag then participate and promote your event on Twitter.
• YouTube video promotions.
• Local merchant participation in exchange for free advertising.

6. Rehearsal Run Through

After arriving at the venue, but prior to the event, once you have everything setup, you should perform a rehearsal run through to make sure everything goes as planned. This will also help you identify any obstacles and fix any equipment issues before you begin.

7. Involve the Audience

Involve the audience as much as possible. You can invite them onstage to participate in games, contests, Q&A's, opinion sound bites, etc.

One word of warning though, never release the microphone to anyone in the audience or you could lose control of the show if the conversation gets spirited or begins to take a different direction. Designate someone on your team to control the microphone at all times.

8. Have an Aftershow

Live streaming can be distracting to some of your audience; therefore, you should consider hosting an aftershow.  Just allow enough time, about 15 minutes or so, for you and your audience to transition. This will give your audience another opportunity to participate, share their reactions, and provide you with more feedback.

Hosting a live event doesn't have to be hard, nor does it have to be perfect. You will get better and better with each event you perform. If there's one thing you should remember though, it's to make sure your presentation is informing and entertaining to keep your attendees looking forward to coming back for more!

Three Things Forbes Included in its Under 30 Summit

Three Things Forbes Included in its Under 30 Summit

---

With its recent Under 30 Summit, Forbes showed that it knows how to connect with the under 30 crowd. Forbes put a lot of research and effort into creating an event that catered to this audience while recognizing their unique experiences. The summit, which has been an annual event since 2014, took place in Boston, MA from October 1st to 4th this year. With over 7,000 people going to the summit, Forbes showed that it created enough interest in advance for people to want to attend.

How was Forbes able to reach this up-and-coming population? Here are three of the components Forbes included in its summit that connected with the under 30 crowd. 

1. Inspirational and Professional Opportunities

This event put young professionals in touch with opportunities that would inspire them, give them professional connections and teach them a thing or two. The summit included a wealth of content in different subject areas, from technology and science to health and social responsibility. It allowed attendees to connect with each other, collaborate and even learn about work opportunities. 

The crowd was able to learn and be inspired by top-notch speakers and celebrities, including Sophia Amoruso of Girlboss Media and John Chambers of Cisco. They learned from entrepreneurs, influencers and other powerhouses. They got the chance to talk to investors and network with other professionals as a way to grow their careers and opportunities. 

2. Entertainment and Experiences

Young professionals could get more than career-related education and inspiration at this summit. They also had fun. Event attendees had the chance to try different cuisine at an included food festival and experience the summit’s rocking music festival. 

The entertainment went beyond shows that attendees could watch from the audience. They also got to have unique experiences that engaged them. This aspect of the summit was new to this year, and it made a huge difference in connecting with the under 30 population. Attendees were able to test drive an Alfa Romeo sports car, learn from and play with a former professional basketball player and a bar crawl.

3. Recognition

With this summit, Forbes does a great job of tying an experiential event into its recognition of important people under 30. It goes along with Forbes’ “Under 30” list that yearly recognizes 30 innovators that are younger than 30 within numerous categories. This connection helps build interest around Forbes’ list and its authoritative position, while engaging with people on an in-person level.

The current summit recognized the new 30 people that were honored this year while also bringing back honorees from the past. In addition, the event recognized winners of competitions attendees were able to participate in. Medinas, a healthcare exchange platform, won the Global Change the World competition and received a $100,000 prize along with a $300,000 in-kind prize. 

Overall, Forbes did an amazing job at gaining excitement from its target audience and creating an experiential event that attendees would benefit from. The content, events and experiences kept attendees mostly in an "under 30 village" while also giving them the opportunity to fully appreciate the city by visiting different parts. Through a mixture of great content, awesome experiences and professional opportunities, the under 30 crowd was engaged and given the chance to grow personally and professionally.

2016 Experiential Marketing Summit

EMS 2016 is coming, and marketers around the country are attending. Denver’s Experiential Marketing Summit is a jam-packed conference powerhouse, bringing industry leaders together to discuss tactics, share stories and invigorate the marketing world’s future. EMS 2016 event-goers can expect massive insights, years of information and seminars discussing the world’s latest, greatest trends.

The World’s Biggest Event Marketers

With over 1,500 marketers attending, EMS 2016 is far more than a conference. American Express, Pepsi, Bacardi, Cisco, Google and Intel are leading the charge, informing others of hand-picked strategies guaranteed to win. Bestselling authors, strategy chiefs, design experts and technology gurus inspire attendees between May 4 and 6, redefining the way 2016’s business providers dish out deals, engage consumers and generate event visibility.

EMS 2016 features an all-business platform, but its high energy surpasses all expectations. Its empowering speaking faculty engages the world’s biggest brands in a one-on-one platform, crafting mission-critical trends, extraordinary practices and face-to-face marketing solutions. “The big ones” aren’t simply lecturing. They’re getting involved on the ground level.

The “Flex Learning” Format

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a small business owner or a marketing guru yourself, EMS 2016 promises total engagement by way of its “flex learning” format. Traditional breakouts, conversation sessions and workshops do away with typical speeches, offering an environment reflective of 2016’s organic business climate. Exclusive keynotes, too, are present, allowing marketers to walk away with intuitive, extensive EMS 2016 messages.

Master Classes and Brand-Side Instructors

The brands consumers and businesses know, love and support are engaging EMS 2016 audiences on newfound levels. Real instructors, exclusive info and three days of juicy teachings await, and each is presented by leading business pros who’ve played the game a thousand times over. Get into the field with senior-level perspectives, and check out the modern marketing landscape through the eyes of Pepsi’s Consumer Engagement VP, Adam Harter. Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s CMO, too, leads discussion, gifting audiences with the air of professionalism and timeless knowledge.

EMS 2016’s Master Classes, meanwhile, feature the business world’s bestselling authors. Each Master Class super-session reveals the industry’s hottest trends, best approaches and innovative solutions. Each class gets down to the nitty-gritty, revealing the many “tricks of the trade” currently powering modern solutions. Each Summit workshop touches base with one-day-long seminars. A variety of topics are covered, bringing eventgoers to the professional level.

An Afternoon of Engagement

With over 100 Solutions Center partners available, EMS 2016’s breadth of support is astounding. Demo products, engage new solutions and get a hands-on consumer view of new products and services. The Solutions Center is EMS 2016’s chief vehicle of attendee support, enriching each eventgoer with non-stop action, plan engagement and step-by-step resource delivery.

Of course, such an event deserves something extra. EMS 2016’s low-down hours are spiced up with a happy hour, the Ex Awards Gala and a supreme after party. Morning yoga, breakfast and coffee breaks, too, are offered, prepping healthy minds for the world’s latest, greatest experiential strategies.