Satellite Events: Reaching New Heights with Your Event Community and Enriching Their Experience

It’s 8 months until the trade fair. Your location is set, your suppliers are arranged, and sponsors are quickly signing on to participate. The preparations are well underway. At this time, the organizing team finalizes the concept ready for the show to come. Your exhibitors too are ready, it’s the event that they eagerly await every year.

But there are still 8 months left to wait. Your media team has been regularly sharing updates and teasing the event to come. From your regular communication with your community, you know they are active and energized. It’s clear there’s a lot of enthusiasm in the industry right now. What if there was a way to channel that, and bring them together? Right now? There’s a great way to do this— hosting a satellite event.

What is a satellite event?

Satellite events are a great way to extend the reach of your main exhibition, trade fair, or yearly company event. A satellite event, is, most simply, a new type of event connected to your primary event aimed at reaching a wider audience. This extension of your traditional programming may be held in a new format, venue or point in time, allowing you to reach participants in new ways. By transforming the concept of an existing event, it can provide an excellent entry point to make your event accessible to new groups of attendees, be more accessible to diverse groups, explore new types of programming or give your event a fresh look to your core participants.

How can satellite events be used?

Satellite events can take many different forms and suit many different objectives. They may be held simultaneously with your larger “main event” or take place before or after the main show. They can take place at an entirely different venue, location, or format. What is most important is that they are designed specifically for the goals and values their organizers wish to transport, as well as the attendees participating.

For organizers looking to reach a new digitized audience, such as a younger generation, they may look to digital formats with more youthful concepts to extend the reach of an existing in-person event. Or, if you are looking to build stronger business relationships within a certain region, you may choose to host a special satellite event in this location, with programming aimed at creating networking opportunities. Alternatively, satellite events can be used by organizers to explore adjacent themes or areas of interest. A recognizable example of this is how the SXSW Music Festival used satellite events to grow their festival into a much broader event, by creating  SXSW Film and SXSW Multimedia events.

1. Reach new types of attendees that may be adjacent to your core audience. Satellite events can transport some of the themes and goals of your main event to new audiences with enhanced formats that are designed specifically for this new audience.
2. Create more accessibility for those that cannot travel to your main event. Certain attendees and those with disabilities may find it difficult to attend large events with certain needs. Satellite events are a way to bring your event to these audiences and allow them to participate in a smaller setting that may be more accessible to their needs.
3. Explore new topics / themes that may not fit well into your traditional event format. For example, by hosting discussions or workshops that might not be suitable in a larger venue or audience.
4. Enhance your event experience. By hosting satellite events in conjunction with your “main event” you can create new connections with your attendees through different activities, and allow your attendees to network more effectively with one another.
5. Scale your event to new geographies. You can start a new regional focus for your event, as Munich’s DLD event created a new offshoot in Tel Aviv or Riga’s TechChill started a new offshoot in the warmer climes of Milan, Italy.
6. Give ownership to your community to create new opportunities to discuss and come together. The Applied Anthropology Network created a new satellite event series to let members create events during the year outside of their main conference to let group members explore new topics of shared interest.

How to ensure your satellite event is successful?

Just because a satellite event may be a smaller offshoot of your main event, it doesn’t mean you can skimp on your planning and event design. As with any event, satellite events require a strong concept, a defined budget, clear goals and measurable KPIs. Tracking these metrics is incredibly important if this event is used in an experimental way. In the case of satellite events, the pre-planning may be even more important than your main event, especially if you are using the satellite event to test a new concept, reach a prospective new audience or explore a new issue area. The evaluation of the effectiveness of your event will be a strong indicator if this is a viable opportunity to host in the future.

Are satellite events right for you and your audience? How to design a satellite event for success
As you begin exploring the idea of hosting a satellite event, probe your existing event for possible extensions and opportunities to apply to a satellite event. What are the biggest pain points of your existing event? What audiences are you missing at your main event, and how can you reach them? What new themes would you like to incorporate in your main event, but haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet? What groups of attendees would you like to extend your connection to?

Let questions like these guide you in developing your concept. Do any of the responses to these questions open up possible opportunities for a new event concept? If so, begin to explore creating an event format and theme around one of these specific pain points or goals. What type of concept could address this? What would be a creative way to connect to this specific audience? Try to be as specific as possible. Remember, satellite events are designed to be smaller add-ons to your main event, not an entirely new “product line”. So don’t try to incorporate too many objectives in each event format.  Keep the format for your satellite event narrow, with clear metrics to test and KPIs identified in advance.

What are some ideas for Satellite events?

Once you’ve identified a clear goal, audience and approach for your satellite event, it’s now time to develop a concept and theme for your event. As with any event, you are looking to create a unique and memorable experience for your participants. The choice of event will be different based on your event goals, audience and resources. Here are a few different event concepts and themes that you can use to impress your guests:

1. Exclusive Networking Event: Consider hosting an exclusive networking event for a small group of attendees or event stakeholders. This could be held either during your event or at another time of year to create new opportunities for networking with one another in a more intimate environment than your larger event. You could incorporate creative elements such as an elegant cocktail hour, dinner, or a VIP reception with a guest speaker or entertainment. If it is appropriate, you may include personalized gifts or branded swag bags to enhance the experience and allow your participants to bring the experience home.
2. Local Tour: Either before or during your event, organizers can create a memorable experience for attendees by offering a guided tour of the local area, highlighting the city’s unique culture and attractions. This can be a great opportunity for attendees to network while exploring the local community. By bringing your attendees outside of the venue, you can create new opportunities to network with one another. This can provide a unique and memorable experience for attendees.
3. Interactive Workshops: Workshops are great opportunities for your community to learn from one another and upskill the next generation in your field. However, during the busy main event or exhibition, it can be difficult to give workshops enough room or time on the agenda. Consider offering interactive workshops or hands-on activities that allow attendees to learn new skills or explore a new topic in a fun and engaging way through a satellite event. Through a dedicated event, you can allow your stakeholders to learn new skills and engage with industry experts in a more intimate setting. This could include hands-on demonstrations, interactive presentations, or roundtable discussions.
4. Industry-Specific Topics: For any industry or group, there are often many more topics on the agenda than can be discussed at the main event. Satellite events offer a great opportunity to put these topics at the top of the agenda. You can create special “topic days” of satellite events that focus directly on a certain theme or issue areas. Offer panel discussions or keynote speakers focused on industry-specific topics, allowing attendees to gain valuable insights and network with peers in their field.
5. Wellness and Fitness: During your event, you can offer wellness and fitness activities, such as yoga or group workouts, to help attendees de-stress and rejuvenate during the busy trade show week. Plan an outdoor adventure experience, such as a guided hike or kayaking trip, that allows attendees to explore the local area and connect with nature.
6. Technology Showcase: Technology and innovation are often great opportunities to spotlight through a satellite event. Put these new advances on display and curate a new audience for these latest developments through a satellite event specifically geared towards the latest technology innovations in the industry. You can use a showcase or have an interactive demo area, allowing your participants to get up close and personal with the latest innovations, outside of your larger event.

These are just a few ideas to get you started when considering how you can offer satellite events to accompany your next major event.

The Bottom Line

Satellite events offer event organizers a unique opportunity to build a community around their brand and provide value to their attendees. By hosting smaller events before, during or after the main event, organizers can foster relationships, increase engagement and advocacy, and ultimately achieve greater success with their events. Through careful planning and execution, satellite events can transform an attendee’s experience, creating a sense of belonging and loyalty. As event organizers, don’t be afraid to try something new and see how satellite events can take your event to the next level. So let’s make our attendees feel valued, appreciated, and part of a community they can call their own.

Geschrieben von:

Frederic Bleck 
PIRATEx New Business Manager