Why You Should Care that Millennials Are Live Streaming

Live streaming has taken off in recent years, especially among millennials.

Research from Magid shows that 56 percent of Americans livestream content at least once a month, and 48 percent do so weekly. For millennial parents, those numbers are even higher; 70 percent of millennial parents used social media to live stream an event, according to Eventbrite. And now the Periscope live-streaming app or social media apps like Facebook Live and Instagram make live streaming easier than ever for events.

So, what does that mean for planners? You have an active audience that goes well beyond the attendees physically attending your event, which means more opportunities for sponsorships, branding and content creation. And if you become especially good at live streaming, it could be another way to generate revenue for your event by charging viewers an amount to subscribe.

Live streaming allows for creative sponsorships because meeting planners have control over what is broadcasted and when. For certain apps that don’t allow for pre- or post-production branding, you can control what banners or branding possibilities are in the camera shot. You can also do entire segments—lounge interviews or fireside chats—sponsored by a specific brand.

Even more beneficial to viewers, however, is creating engaging content that will not only generate a buzz around your event, but could also attract future attendees to your event. Here are five ways to engage that audience and broaden your reach to the living rooms of those viewers.

1. Live stream behind-the-scenes content. That could include everything from speaker interviews before they go on stage or coverage with the executive chef from the kitchen.
2. Use tutorials to educate attendees about a specific topic they want to learn. For meeting planners, that could include event design or creative F&B setups.
3. Create two-minute snippets of educational sessions or speaker presentations that give the viewers a CliffsNotes version of the event.
4. Broadcast major announcements such as product launches or association news that could appeal to a broader announcement.
5. Show off live entertainment—concerts to comedic acts—from the event to highlight the fun elements of the event.