There’s no reason to deny it. We’re clearly obsessed with virtual events now. But can you blame us? After all, the event industry has been all about virtual and hybrid events in 2020/21.
And what would virtual and hybrid events be without social media? Right. Pretty damn unsocial is what. Integrating social media and, in particular, social walls brings a community aspect to events where most attendees are stuck behind computer screens with no way to interact with each other in a physical space.
Fun fact: social walls are also great for actual IRL events, but that’s probably a topic for 2022 or later. 😉
So with virtual events on the rise and here to stay, we’re seeing a lot of customers who integrate social walls into their event platforms and lobbies. One of those is e2k events x entertainment, an agency that has a lot of expertise designing event experiences — from concept to execution.
Boost engagement with a social wall during your next event!
During the pandemic, e2k (like many other event agencies) pivoted from live events to virtual events, which they create for their roster of clients from all walks of business. The e2k team has kindly taken some time out of her busy day to tell us a bit about how e2k uses social media and social walls in virtual events. We had a chat with Communications Manager Alys Olmstead and the company’s Vice President Jason Greenberg.
e2k’s broad clientele ranges from national sports leagues to impact-driven nonprofit organizations and everything in between. Delivering compelling social media messaging and calls-to-action is paramount to the success of our productions.
Sometimes we’re showcasing Walls.io on a jumbotron at a pep rally to encourage sharing or showcasing inspirational posts on a high-definition video wall as attendees take their seats at a conference.
Lately, we’ve been embedding the aggregators into our virtual event venues (web platforms), making a more interesting and immersive ‘lobby’ space to greet online attendees.
You started out with one of our event subscriptions but then switched to an ongoing plan. What was the process behind that decision?
The global pandemic brought about a swift change in our business as we pivoted from live events to virtual gatherings… but it was some time before we realized the staying power of these online interactions.
Heading into 2021, we had a much clearer perspective on the virtual (and hybrid!) landscape for e2k events and were able to commit to leveraging the power of Walls.io more frequently. Moreover, as our clients saw how we were using Walls.io, they got excited about it and wanted to keep their walls active for months to come, extending the reach and staying power of their events.
One of the challenges with virtual events is finding ways to reinvent the feeling of community that is created at live events. By integrating social walls, we give attendees a space to see how, despite physically being alone, they are connected with a global audience.
The event platform you’ve been using is Pathable, one of the companies we partner with. How did you find the setup process?
We have been working with Walls.io/Pathable for about a year now. Initially, we were just using the iframe embed option for the social wall, but we are excited to implement the new widget integration on upcoming events.
Could you tell us a bit more about your two most recent events where you used Pathable and Walls.io?
In January, we worked with National Geographic to bring their annual Storytellers Summit to the virtual stage. The event “gathers change makers from around the world to celebrate the art of storytelling.” Having the option to feature social posts in the virtual venue allowed for a greater breadth of imagery from storytellers and attendees to be featured.
In March, we worked with the Computer History Museum to produce their first virtual Fellow Awards Ceremony. This award honors “distinguished technology pioneers—unsung heroes and legends.” In this show, we not only featured Walls.io on the virtual venue, but we also brought a live feed of the wall into the show. This moment allowed for viewers to feel the magnitude of the audience and see the comments of fellow attendees in real-time.
As you can see, virtual events and social walls are a great fit. Attendees get a chance to see who else is taking part and put faces to names. They get the opportunity to communicate directly with others who are immersed in the same content they are watching. Plus, the event organisers walk away with tons of user-generated content that they can use in the future.
Fortunately, adding social walls to virtual events is super easy, thanks to the straightforward integrations with our virtual event partners. But even if we don’t have a direct integration, you can also simply embed the iFrame code generated by Walls.io into whichever event platform you’re using.
Want to know how to integrate a social wall into various event platforms? I promise it’s super easy!
Not quite there yet and want to know more about social media for virtual events? We’ve got you covered with our eBook.
Or maybe you want to jump right in and see what you can do with a social wall before you integrate it at your next event?