There's nothing quite like experiencing the energy and enthusiasm of an in-person event. While event planners are successfully hosting virtual and hybrid events thanks to the advancement of event platforms, in-person events also benefit greatly from incorporating event technology, like Webex Events. 🎊

If you're planning an in-person event, you're likely searching for ways to present an experience that’s fresh, engaging, and meaningful. Using Webex Events for your in-person event enriches attendee engagement and networking, increases your branding opportunities, reveals valuable metrics, and much more. Let's explore! 🔎

Onsite is a dynamic, all-in-one check-in and badge-printing software solution that simplifies the event and session check-in process that's sure to impress attendees. No need to pre-print badges before your event and spend hours on sorting and distribution. Use your connected printer to print badges on demand as attendees arrive, and go fully contactless with Onsite's Fast Track option.

With Onsite Session Check-in, check attendees in to individual Sessions, manage who can check in, and track Session attendance to award Continuing Education Credits.

There's much more to explore with Onsite, so read our Introduction to Onsite for full details.

Networking is one of the greatest benefits of an event, and the Webex Events App makes it easy to develop and maintain connections. Attendees create a profile, add connections, schedule meetings with each other, chat one-on-one or in a group, and network with exhibitors, speakers, and sponsors.

Our touchless networking tool, Shake & Connect, acts as a virtual handshake. Attendees within 8 kilometers (5 miles) can shake their phones within 5 minutes of each other and exchange contact information, enabling them to chat and video message through the app. Best of all, attendees can instantly add their connections as phone contacts and continue to build on their relationships.

Read our article about attendee networking with Webex Events to learn about all of the networking tools Webex Events offers.

Webex Events lets you customize your Event App to match your event's branding. Upload your logo, custom feature icons, and a cover image to capture the spirit of your event. Decide if you want to display the Event App in light mode or dark mode. If you're using the Banners layout for your Event App, consider highlighting key sponsors, sessions, speakers, and exhibitors with rotating banners.

The Branded App has even more branding opportunities. Customize your app icon, app theme colors, and splash screen. Feature a sponsor’s logo on iPhone and Android splash screens to give them more exposure at your event. Whether your attendees are interacting with the app or exploring the venue, your brand will shine through seamlessly. ✨

For beautiful and inspiring Event App branding examples, visit our Look Book!

Adding a digital aspect to your event creates more robust opportunities for connecting with attendees, keeping them informed, and building excitement before your event even begins. Attendees simply log in to the Event App to access venue maps, session, speaker, sponsor, and exhibitor details, FAQs, and almost anything else you want to showcase.

Not only is this convenient, you’ll also save money on printing costs, and your event will be more environmentally-friendly. 🌎 Some of our customers have even gone completely paperless using Webex Events! Plus, you'll save event staff resources and time they'd otherwise spend answering questions and directing attendees to different parts of the venue.

When used effectively, Announcements drive attendee engagement before, during, and after your in-person event. Send a "welcome" notification before the event to build hype, announce last-minute changes to session times or locations, or notify attendees that a special event is about to start in the main auditorium. Send a linked post-event survey reminder to ensure attendees provide the feedback that matters.

Announcements also provide even more opportunities to showcase key sponsors. Simply send a push notification “from” a sponsor to give them more visibility!

These are only a few examples, and the possibilities are virtually endless. For more ideas on how to use announcements for your in-person event, refer to our Announcements Best Practices article.

"Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" Let the Maps feature answer this common question for you! With the Maps feature, it's easy for in-person attendees to find their way around your venue and discover all the wonderful vendors, places, and Sessions your event has to offer. As attendees explore the map, they select regions to access features related to an area of the venue, like speakers, sponsor booths, and sessions. Attendees can also access map locations from any feature linked to the map.

When you build your entire Session schedule in the Webex Events platform, attendees can use the Agenda feature to know exactly when and where sessions are happening throughout the venue. Have a last-minute change to your schedule? No need to print new copies. Simply make changes in the Webex Events platform, and the Event App updates within seconds. Then, send an announcement to notify attendees right away.

Speaker, sponsor, and exhibitor profiles act as information hubs that give your attendees a chance to learn more about the people and vendors supporting your event. Add sponsor and exhibitor logos, speaker portraits, contact information, and more. Profiles help your speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors engage with attendees in meaningful ways with chat and Call to Action buttons. Internally link speaker profiles to associated Sessions and add a Map location to let attendees know where to find sponsor and exhibitor booths at your venue.

One amazing thing about Webex Events is that you can invite sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers to add their own information to their profile in the Event App! After you've formed a sponsorship plan, gather contact information from your sponsors and then send collaboration invitations.

Our Lobby feature is the perfect place for an attendee to land when they log in to the Event App. It links to your Event App's most important content, like Agenda Sessions, speakers, and sponsors. Consider showcasing this content in the Lobby before your event to encourage attendees to log in, explore, and get excited for the big day.

The Game feature is a great way to encourage attendees to complete actions related to your event goals. Consider creating a scavenger hunt where attendees visit sponsor booths and attend Sessions throughout the day to find game challenge codes and earn points. Ask one of your sponsors if they'd like to offer a prize to the game winner. Highlight their involvement by including "sponsored by..." in your game.

Read our Game Best Practices article for some tips and many, many great ideas for gamifying your event!

The incredibly versatile Custom List feature lets you store documents that attendees can access in one central place before, during, and after your event. Use a Custom List for FAQs, session materials, city guides, and anything else you can think of. Upload PDFs and images, link to websites, and add custom icons to each listed item for a seamless branding experience.

Use the Single Document feature to display a PDF, like a food menu, seating chart, or health policy. When attendees tap the Single Document feature on the Mobile App, the document opens immediately. You can also internally link the Single Document feature to another feature, such as linking a syllabus to a Session.

As you've learned so far, there are many perks to having a centralized Event App for your in-person attendees. With Webex Events, widgets let you take your amazing Event App content out into the world-wide web. Embed information about speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, Sessions, and Custom Lists in your website and sponsor websites. Read our article about embedding Event App content with widgets to learn more.

Show Live Display on screens throughout the venue to drive attendee engagement and keep everyone up to date about your event. Display attendee Wall posts, upcoming Sessions, networking and game leader boards, the app download QR code, and more. To further promote event sponsors, use the Image Gallery to showcase who’s sponsoring your event!

Live Display is easy to set up, and most of its customizable features use the content you've already added to your Event App, saving you time and effort. For more information on Live Display, read our Introduction to Live Display article.

The Lead Retrieval by Webex Events App empowers your sponsors and exhibitors to seamlessly capture leads with enriched data, qualify and rate them, export to their CRM, collaborate with team members, and rake in Return on Investment (ROI) – all by scanning attendee QR codes with one app.

Sound exciting? Start with Introduction to Lead Retrieval to learn more about Lead Retrieval's key benefits. When you're ready to activate and purchase Lead Retrieval licenses, read our Getting Started with Lead Retrieval article for step-by-step instructions.

We know that data is critical to analyzing event trends, attendee engagement, and overall event success. Every Webex Events product, including the Event App, Lead Retrieval, Onsite, and Registration, has a Metrics page with a ton of useful dashboards, charts, and analytics that reveal insights about your event, attendee behavior, app usage, and ROI. The Metrics page also lets you easily share this data with stakeholders and export the metrics to a spreadsheet for even more data discovery.

Even after your event ends, attendees can still access your Event App content and continue networking with their connections. Think of your Event App as a central hub where attendees can find session recordings, presentation slide decks, and other event collateral.

Send announcements after the event to keep up the momentum. For example, you could thank attendees for showing up, ask them to fill out a post-event survey, or announce next year's event, to name a few.

We've covered a lot of why Webex Events is the best companion for putting on an amazing in-person event. There's even more to explore!