5 Tips To Help You Choose The Perfect Conference Theme For Your Hybrid Event

The Ultimate Hybrid Event Theme Planning Guide

A meaningful theme concept will help direct your planning, keep your message clear, and drive audience engagement while delivering on your business objectives. 

It will also make your event “shareable” as event attendees screenshot and take pictures of your clever theme items to share on their social media pages, which increases your brand’s exposure. This is a great way to get professionals to network with each other while also making your event more desirable for potential customers. 

But what exactly is a conference theme, and how do you choose one that is on-brand yet fresh and exciting? 

Take a look at what an event theme is, why you need one, and five ways to choose the perfect theme for your next hybrid event. 

What Is An Event Theme, And Why Do You Need One? 

An event theme is the main idea behind the event that drives the overall tone, set-up, and outcomes stakeholders are looking for. 

A corporate event theme not only offers structure but serves to inspire your attendees with your message and provide them with a memorable experience. 

Compelling themes also help you make connections- building bridges between your in-person attendees and your virtual ones will increase engagement and create event cohesion. 

Unsure which theme would be best for your event? Here are five tips you can use today to find the theme to take your hybrid event to the next level. 

5 Tips For Choosing The Best Event Theme 

Before you settle on a theme, you need to think about your event goals. Ask yourself the following questions: 

• What is the purpose of the event? 

• What are the key takeaways you want attendees to gain? 

• How will you measure the event’s success? 

• What are your KPIs? 

Starting with the end in mind will guide you towards the theme that will best support your vision. Whether you are planning a fundraiser or an annual corporate conference, here are five tips to help meeting planners like you choose the best event theme.  

1. Plan With Your Audience In Mind 

As you are brainstorming your theme, it’s essential to understand the demographics of your event attendees. Knowing the interests, behaviors, and needs will serve you well when choosing the perfect event theme. 

Conduct pre-event surveys and analyze exigent data to learn as much as possible about your guests and what they are looking for. In most cases, networking is a big draw, so your theme should easily tie into breakout sessions and teamwork activities. 

2. Tailor It To Your Brand

Your event is a reflection of your unique brand. Both your event theme and taglines are opportunities to communicate your message. Take the time to think about existing perceptions about your brand. 

Focus on your brand’s core values and mission statement to guide your thinking. Don’t be afraid to expand your vision, especially during your brainstorming session. Make a list of event branding possibilities that are clear enough for your audience to understand instantly. 

3. Brainstorm Meeting Themes And Taglines

Now that you’ve established your event goals initiate a brainstorming session with your event planning team. Much like a sales meeting, invite a diverse cross-section of team members and key stakeholders to a neutral location where all ideas are invited. 

Present the information you gathered in the previous two steps, so everyone is on the same page. The goal of the meeting should be for each participant to dream aloud and share their ideal vision for the hybrid event. 

Encourage your colleagues to put everything on the table and then work together to refine the theme ideas collected. Ask each team member to think of a tagline you can use to represent the event. 

A tagline can help your team pick a theme and serve as a hashtag to utilize for social media marketing before and during the event: bonus points if you can factor in some industry SEO. Your tagline will come down to your overarching message and distill it into a straightforward statement. 

Even if you don’t use the tagline, having it displayed during your brainstorming session can help maintain focus and make critical decisions. 

4. Choose Strategically

After refining your brainstorm, consider your event strategy. A one-day event may not need as elaborate a theme as a multi-day event. Consider the event venue and how it will tie into the virtual portion of your event. 

Compare your ideas to similar events. Do a little research to see what’s trending and which themes have been well received. Learn from other people’s successes and their mistakes. Brainstorm what exhibitor and keynote speaker choices will fit well with your hybrid event theme. 

As you continue to narrow down your event theme, think about your event budget. Make sure the event ideas match the scope of your budget to allow for event ROI. 

5. Keep It Consistent 

Once you’ve chosen the perfect event theme, it’s crucial to be all in. All of your marketing, emails, invites, social media posts and swag should revolve around your event theme and tagline. 

The best themes don’t have to be explained. Commit to your event theme and make it evident from the moment your event attendees view the invitation. 

Create an engaging visual that fits with your chosen color scheme. Engage your attendees with an emotional connection created through fonts, images, logos, concepts, and tone. For the in-person component, ensure decor, music, food, and swag items fit the theme and communicate your team’s message. 

If you start without consistent, strong branding, it will be easy to lose your vision and stray far from the theme you worked so hard to create. 

Find The Right Theme For Your Next Hybrid Event Today 

Your event theme is the driving force of all aspects related to your hybrid event. Utilize it to drive your brand’s vision and provide a memorable experience to your attendees. 

Have fun with the brainstorming process: a positive experience will translate to the right theme for your event. 

If you need more guidance on event technology and event management, partner with BeaconLive to make your hybrid event an impressive and memorable experience. 

Not only does BeaconLive have the ability to scale hybrid events of any size, but they also offer high-quality customer service for seamless production of your hybrid event. 

Our team of event producers and customer service professionals will ensure a seamless, professional event while you focus on perfecting and projecting your event theme.