While others are brainstorming how to create online events to grab attention or achieve results, we suggest taking a step back to reality and reminding ourselves that sometimes, the internet needs something from the real world. So, let's remember offline meetups, which were everyone's favorite ten to twenty years ago but are now overshadowed by email newsletters with call-to-action buttons and online presentations. Why bother organizing offline events for streamers? How can they benefit your gaming business, and what sets them apart from press events? Let's delve into that.
An offline event implies that a group of people will gather in one place, watch a presentation, and then discuss what they've seen over a glass of wine or tea with snacks. Of course, this won't reach as large an audience as an online event, but everyone who attends will be highly engaged, as they've already taken the time to get to the venue and spend time with you. You can have meaningful conversations with them, which may not be possible through messaging.
While such events are common for the press, they are relatively new for streamers, especially those with smaller or medium-sized audiences. They eagerly welcome this attention and are generous in rewarding it.
Gathering feedback
If your game is in development or about to be released, and you want to get feedback from users and assess its potential appeal to influencers, consider hosting a closed event and inviting streamers who appreciate the genre of your game. Present your game or let the streamers play it, and ask them about their experience. This way, you can see firsthand how the process unfolds and gauge the actual reactions to your product.
In addition to gaining valuable insights, you can also build a dedicated fan base at this stage. These fans, with their influence, can help spread the word about your game to others. After all, if they've been given something as exclusive as a pre-release presentation from the developers themselves, they won't easily forget your product amidst the flood of other releases.
Forming partnerships
A closed party for select individuals is an excellent place to establish long-term relationships and find those who will represent your product. You can discuss partnerships in person, avoiding the prolonged back-and-forth typical of online communication. You can also propose collaboration on terms that significantly differ from the conventional ones, such as having a streamer become the prototype for a character in your game or lending their voice. Even if you don't pay them for advertising later on, you can rest assured that no influencer will forget to mention the game in which they were directly involved.
Increasing your reach
Regardless of your product's readiness stage, whether it's just a concept or an addition to an already released game, you can boost your exposure by hosting an exceptional party. However, you need to create the right conditions and atmosphere. For instance, decorate the venue in the game's style, serve snacks reminiscent of in-game items, set up attractive photo spots, and allow for live streaming from the event location. All of this will help generate fantastic content that streamers will want to share on their social media and talk about during their streams. Depending on your resources, you can even invite regular gamers by, for example, giving away invitations. A great example of such an event was the DJ Sona Party in 2015, hosted in Kyiv by Riot Games. They invited thousands of guests, cosplayers, players, and streamers. They offered thematic drinks and food, with DJ Sona as the main highlight of the event.
The most important thing is to clearly define your goals and create the appropriate conditions to achieve them. With successful organization, a single event can cover all three directions: gathering feedback, establishing new partnerships, and making a splash on the internet with requests to repeat the event in other regions. If you found this information useful, we also recommend checking out the following materials:
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