Planning & Promotion

Here's How Micro-Events Are Transforming The Events Landscape

Eventually Learning Team

06 September 2022

Read time 6 Minutes 6 Seconds

Take a moment to recall the last event you attended that had an enduring impact on you. Did you get the chance to speak with a new potential lead? Did you discover something useful to implement in your business workflows? Were you challenged to think about a business conundrum differently?

The remarkable aspect about events is that people remember them not for their size, but for their impact. Through micro-events we understand why “bigger” isn’t necessarily “better” when you are looking to inspire attendees.

More Impactful Conversations

One of the biggest advantages of hosting a micro event is that they are by nature more intimate than your average conference. This closeness creates a micro experience environment where your attendees can meaningfully connect with both you and other attendees.

When you’re at an event with a large crowd, it’s easy to feel lost or lonely. This can be the result of having fewer opportunities to interact one-to-one with other people.

With virtual events in particular, small gatherings, networking events, and roundtable discussions are the “most popular” types — for good reasons.

Smaller events offer a sense of connection. Since there are fewer people, you’re more likely to be able to personally address and interact with each of them as individuals instead of addressing a room full of nameless faces.
People feel less pressure to speak up. Smaller events more conducive to interaction. Attendees are less prone to “stage fright” and feel free to speak and ask questions. These experiences feel more like conversations.
You’re better able to offer an experience. Humans are social creatures, and we often feel a sense of fulfilment when we contribute to our community. With micro-events, you’re abler to create an environment or activity that involves everyone’s inputs.

In all, micro events help you to connect and create a sense of belongingness among your attendees, which is what makes for a memorable experience.

Micro Events = Budgeted Event Set-Ups

Another great reason to put forth micro events is that they are naturally lower in cost. According to data from Statista the average budget for meetings and conventions in the U.S has historically been over $1.2 million with an exhibition on, or over $600K without an exhibition area.

These figures relate to large-scale event planning. With budgets exceeding half a million dollars for events with or without exhibits, it’s easy to see the appeal of hosting small-scale micro events, where the pricing significantly decreases.

With a micro experience setting, you can leverage lesser but more efficient staff, fewer qualified speakers, a robust virtual event or webinar platform, or hire smaller venues that may not even need A/V equipment depending on the format of the event.

Better Focused Event Engagements

Conferences, conventions, and corporate gatherings may be an extrovert’s dream, but they are not always the best fit for everyone. Micro-events are perfect for attracting all types of attendees and helping them feel comfortable in a close-knit environment. Small events can help you boost one-on-one connections with all your brand’s top advocates.

If you want people to stay focused and participate in your micro-event, you will need a few audience engagement tools in place. Create an event hashtag, run live polls, ask trivia questions, host a giveaway, or use an event app to get your event attendees more involved in your event program.

TIP: As a part of your micro event marketing strategy, invite attendees to submit questions or topic suggestions for your speaker(s) to address in the program, as they fill out their registration form.

Perfect for All Formats

When it comes to hosting a micro event, you can do so online, offline, or a mix of both.

During the pandemic, many of the events were hosted as micro-events, without you even being aware of it! For example, an event organized by Clearscope, that was a short micro-event, dived deep into ‘how to build a website from 0 to 1 million page views’. The event organizers leveraged targeted promotional channels, like a Slack channel, to find attendees.

Notice how, even though it was a micro event, it had a planned structure, even with a single speaker. The micro event targeted a niche audience of marketers interested in the SEO content strategy.

Micro events can thus make a big impact with focused topics, solid speakers, a little event promotion, and active engagement!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some popular micro events?

A few of the popular B2B micro events are listed below: -

Martechopia
Ignite USA
Elevation Awards
Ignite London
Martech Awards
ABM Conference

Why are micro events important?

Micro-events give attendees a more personal experience instead of feeling like one square of many on a zoom screen. They empower attendees, giving them a voice and hands-on opportunities to be active participants in the event instead of passive viewers. The micro events also provide for a safe and secure avenue for the attendees to put forth their opinions and discuss growth opportunities.

Do micro events have a future?

Micro-events are the future of the events industry as these are extremely personalized. The messaging is tailored to attendee needs! The event organizers must ‘Go Small, To Go Big’. The micro event marketing strategy-led lead generation, collaborations and other activities at these events are immensely hyper-targeted and highly effective.