Have you ever walked into an in-person event and been the center of attention, because you just won a door prize? Remember how fun it was? Now imagine creating that same engagement and enjoyment for your attendees by adding door prizes for virtual events to your next summit. 

If you're ready to spruce up the excitement surrounding the announcement and the participation in your virtual summit, then you'll want to add some giveaways! 

These enticing rewards not only motivate attendees to actively participate but also help increase your conversion rates when properly highlighted on your registration page. Take your virtual event to the next level with an extra layer of surprise and excitement for attendees, just for attending. 

In this blog post, we'll guide you through the process of securing door prizes for your virtual event, ensuring an engaging and unforgettable experience for everyone from your speakers to your attendees.

Let's get started.

Elevate Your Attendees' Experience

Add an element of surprise and excitement to your virtual event by offering door prizes.

These rewards serve as incentives for participation and can range from physical products to digital downloads, exclusive access to resources, as well as products or services from your event speakers and sponsors.

Before we dive into how to secure these prizes, let's first talk about the benefits they'll offer!

The Benefits of Door Prizes & Giveaways at Virtual Events

• Reach: Lock in attendees who are on the fence about grabbing a free ticket, by highlighting your prizes on your registration page and in event promotions! 
• Engagement: Motivate attendees to actively participate in your event by creating anticipation through door prizes. This ensures a higher level of engagement and interaction throughout the event... 😁 must be present to win!
• Sales: Utilize door prizes as a powerful marketing tool to drive sales. The excitement generated by the prizes can lead to increased conversions by non-winners who still want to take the next step with you and your event speakers.

Now that we know the benefits, let's talk about how to get some door prizes for your next event.

How to Secure Door Prizes for a Virtual Event 

It may seem too good to be true or too easy for that matter, but if you want to add door prizes and giveaways to your event, you can simply ask your speakers to pitch in! It really is that simple!

I like to do this simply by adding a giveaway section to the speaker intake form (using Google Forms or Airtable) and asking for some key pieces of information. This makes it easy for me as well as the speakers, because they can decide if they want to provide something, without any added pressure, and then fill in the optional fields in the same way they submit their other speaker information!

Utilizing a Speaker Form to Collect Door Prize Information

• Include a section on the speaker intake form where speakers can indicate their interest in providing giveaways.
• Include a short description of what a giveaway is, so they know how it will work and a few ideas of what they could provide. 
• Make this section optional, so only speakers who are interested in participating fill it in.

Ask for the following information on your speaker form:

• name of the door prize,
• how many they are supplying,
• a description of the prize,
• redemption instructions

Choosing Winners for Door Prizes

There are many ways to choose winners for your door prizes, from random draws to incentivized actions it's up to you how you want to choose the actual winners. One thing to ensure is that fairness and transparency are upkept, when selecting winners for your door prizes. Consider the following methods:

• Random Selection: Use a random number generator or automated software to select winners from the pool of eligible participants. This method eliminates bias and ensures equal chances for all attendees since you're basically pulling a number out of a hat!
• Engaging Contests: Encourage attendees to participate in contests or challenges during the event, and award prizes to the winners based on their performance or creativity. I used a similar method with my scavenger hunt to award prizes based on who found certain badges!
• Interactive Polls: Conduct live polls during the event and reward participants who provide insightful responses or valuable contributions. This not only engages attendees but also encourages active participation and knowledge sharing.

Contacting & Announcing Winners

After selecting the winners, it's time to notify them of their success. Follow these steps:

• Announce the winners during the event during a live session, in the event community, or in an end-of-the-day email. This adds excitement and allows attendees to celebrate the winners' success together by congratulating winners in the comments or with emojis.
• Send a personalized email to each winner, congratulating them on their BIG win and providing details on how to claim their prize. For this, I create a template and just plug in the information for each winner before sending them out. That way, everyone gets the same format, nothing is forgotten and they get the exact redemption instructions the speakers provided.
• CC the speaker or sponsor who contributed the door prize, and let the winner know they should contact them directly for additional assistance redeeming their prize.

I've found this method to be the most simple way to deliver the prizes and make announcements. 

Tips for Implementing Door Prizes and Giveaways

Now that we've established why door prizes are beneficial for virtual events, how to get them, and how to deliver them, let's dive into some practical tips for implementing them effectively:

1. Choose Relevant Prizes:  Prizes should align with your event's theme or topic, ensuring that they resonate with your target audience. Consider offering exclusive access to premium content, discounts on future products or services, or even physical items that can be shipped to winners.
2. Create an Exciting Announcement:  Build anticipation by announcing the prizes ahead of time. Use compelling language and visuals to generate excitement on your registration page and promotion posts, to encourage potential attendees to register and participate.
3. Establish Clear Entry Mechanisms:  Determine how participants can enter the giveaway, whether it's through completing surveys, engaging with specific event content, or participating in interactive activities during the event. Communicate these entry mechanisms to ensure everyone has a fair chance of winning and understands how the door prizes will work.
4. Leverage Technology: Utilize event technology platforms that offer built-in features for managing giveaways and door prizes, Like HeySummit & Airmeet. These platforms can help automate the process, track entries, and randomly select winners in a transparent manner.
5. Promote Winners and Follow-Up: Once winners have been selected, publicly announce their names during the event or through follow-up communication channels like email newsletters or social media posts. This not only adds a sense of credibility but also creates a positive buzz around your event.

Remember that door prizes are just one component of creating an exceptional virtual event experience.

Combine them with engaging presentations, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities to deliver an unforgettable event that leaves a lasting impression on your attendees.

Because by incorporating door prizes and giveaways into your virtual events you can significantly enhance engagement, increase attendance, promote brand awareness, and encourage networking among participants. And by following our tips for effective implementation, you'll be well on your way to creating an immersive virtual event experience that keeps your audience coming back for more.

So go ahead!

Add some excitement to your next virtual event with door prizes and watch as engagement soars and participants eagerly await their chance to win!