5 State-of-the-Art Event Formats to Boost Interactivity

event formats

Event marketing is a growing trend. As this influence affects your industry, you may want to reconsider your event marketing strategy. Only the most interactive event formats will make an impact on your audience. Take a look at these five state-of-the-art event formats to revolutionize your events.

We suggest you watch a short video by Valoso that explains the essence of each of the formats!

1. Aquarium

event formats

An aquarium event is where a small group of people discusses a hot topic in front of an audience. In classic aquarium events, any participant can join a small group and enter into a discussion.

This is effective format for discussing trend topics and identifying different points of view. Aquarium event ideas make the decision-making process transparent, build trust in corporations, and simplify complex issues.

How to Host an Aquarium Event

  1. To create an aquarium event space, place 5-8 chairs in a circle. This is your “aquarium.”
  2. For the audience, place the chairs in the form of concentric circles around the aquarium.
  3. Select participants in the discussion, and arrange them in the inner circle.
  4. The event organizer announces the topic, and the inner circle begins the discussion.
  5. In the open version of the aquarium, part of the inner circle remains unoccupied and any person from a large audience can take this place and join the discussion.
  6. In the closed version, the participants remain inside the circle until the discussion is over. Then, new audience members take their places and begin a new discussion.

Duration: Approx. 1.5 hours

Benefits of the Aquarium Format

  • Alternative to traditional debate and panel discussions.
  • Audience members consequently gain value from multiple experts.
  • Discussion panel can bounce ideas off each other in real time.
  • More dynamic than the standard, boring lecture formats.

2. PechaKucha

event formats

A PechaKucha is a presentation, where you submit 20 slides in 20 seconds each (only 6 minutes 40 seconds). The presentations turn out to be expansive, dynamic, and create brand new business perspectives.

This program format for events has become incredibly popular all over the world. PechaKucha event formats are used not only in the creative sphere, but also for various topics in the event industry.

How to Host a PechaKucha Event

  1. Set up a large screen and a microphone for the speaker.
  2. A visible timer is optional to aid the presenter.
  3. Typically, a PechaKucha event consists of 8-14 separate presentations.
  4. Each presentation should have similar themes to interest the audience.

Duration: Approx. 1.5 hours

Benefits of the PechaKucha Event

  • An especially relevant alternative to traditional presentations.
  • Maintains a more informal and fun atmosphere in addition to productive discussion.
  • Unites people from one sphere of activity as a result.
  • Encourage communication and also concise insights.

3. Open Space

event formats

Unlike other event formats, Open Space is created to reach agreement on complex issues. This type of event is suitable for any size of audience, from a small group of 10 to a large audience of over 2000.

The main task of the event organizer here is to present the problem to the participants and explain the features of the format. After that, participants create their own schedule and set the speed of the event.

How to Host an Open Space Event

  1. Book a suitable location, appropriate for your event size.
  2. Set up a sufficient number of seats.
  3. Prepare writing materials for the participants.
  4. Create a strict schedule to discuss the issue at hand.
  5. Invite an experienced moderator.
  6. Allow the discussion to take place with different speakers and various viewpoints.
  7. Ask participants to take notes and come to a conclusion on the topic.

Duration: 1-2 days

Benefits of the Open Space Event

  • Gathers all interested parties to discuss a complex topic.
  • Identifies goals and plans future actions as a result.
  • Satisfies the need for a group discussion of either a hot question or a controversial topic.
  • Hence, organizes communication between different groups of people.
  • Also great for team building through discussion and compromise.

4. Unconference

event formats

The purpose of unconferences is to promote the exchange of experience and knowledge. As such, there is no strict guide or schedule to unconferences. The distinctive feature of this event format template is participants invent the course of the event as it goes.

Any participant can offer their own discussion. All proposed discussions must be taken into account. Thus, several sessions of discourse are created, and participants can safely navigate between them.

How to Host an Unconference Event

  1. Find a suitable place and topic for discussion.
  2. Gather the participants of the discussion, tell them about the topic and give the opportunity to come up with the continuation of the meeting.
  3. Ask participants to prepare discussions or presentations surrounding the topic.
  4. Each session creator has the right to choose the place for it.
  5. Limit each session to a specified amount of time.
  6. At the conclusion of the event, an agreement should be reached, a goal created, or an issue resolved.

Duration: 1 day

Benefits of the Unconference Event

  • Informal, unconventional atmosphere also stimulates stress-free thought.
  • Generates new ideas but without sacrificing the results of traditional knowledge.
  • Removes the practice of the status quo, therefore discovering the benefits of something unfamiliar.

5. World Café

event formats

This event management format is for meetings, which is a structured communication process enriched by the participants’ knowledge. Usually, people are divided into groups of 4-5. The meeting begins with a 20-minute discussion of the topic at hand.

After that, one of the members of each table switches to another group. The speaker of the other table welcomes the newcomer and shares what conclusions his group has come to. Participants have a number of similar conversations. Each time, they bring with them the knowledge and ideas of other groups.

How to Host a World Café Event

  1. Choose an informal place.
  2. Prepare 4-5 round tables according to your number of participants.
  3. Warmly greet all participants at the beginning and clearly explain the topic and context of the discussion.
  4. Divide participants into an appropriate number of groups.
  5. Time each discussion, then select a participant from each group to change positions.
  6. A different participant should be moving after each discussion.
  7. At the end of the event, ask the attendees to point out common conclusions.

Duration: Several hours

Benefits of the World Café Event

  • Participants share common interests so they can solve a common problem.
  • Astute participants can also share knowledge and exchange ideas with each other.
  • Discussions can consequently predict future trends in a specific context.

Wrap Up

All event formats described above have a great potential. They all reflect the trends, and they all can help revitalize your events. Use these event formats to make your event interesting and effective.

Want to make your event a smash? Video is your greatest tool.

If you want to introduce videography—live streaming, drones, movies, promo videos, and more—into your event, Valoso can help. Simply fill out the contact form below and we’ll get back to you with information on videography.