Ditch the Recap and Dive Deep: How to Turn Your Post-Event Report into a Must-Read
How to Craft Insightful Reports That Highlight Key Themes and Drive Future Engagement
In our business of event content fixing, we read a fair share of post-event reports. In many cases, these are accurate chronological summaries of what happened. But here’s the rub: neither those who attended the event, nor those who didn’t, want a replay or recording. That won’t drive engagement or stickiness. Audiences want insight - in part, so they can re-affirm what they took away from the conference, but mostly to pick up on the insight and analysis missed during the humdrum of the event.
To meet these needs, a post-event report should focus on key highlights and identify recurring themes that emerged throughout your event. When multiple speakers touch on similar topics, it reinforces the importance of those themes, providing a cohesive narrative that demonstrates the event's value and helps attendees grasp the bigger picture.
How to identify themes across presentations
Your event content writers need to review the insights across different presentations, keynotes, panel discussions, and breakout sessions, identifying overlapping topics and recurring ideas highlighting the collective wisdom shared at the event.
Then, instead of presenting your report by individual session, these should be grouped by themes, whether this is the ‘Impact of AI in your business’ (no surprise that we see this topic everywhere these days) or older re-occurring themes such as ‘Leadership in times of change”. A thematic approach will showcase the depth of discussion around key topics and help readers grasp the most important insights from the event.
How to create thematic sections
Within each thematic section in your report, it can be useful to summarise how different speakers approached the topic. To underscore each collective contribution, include notable quotes, statistics, or data points reinforcing the theme. Remember to credit each speaker and provide context that gives depth and credibility. Highlighting different perspectives on the same theme, whether these are practical applications or theoretical frameworks, offers your users a holistic and comprehensive understanding of each theme.
Use visuals for better engagement
Infographics or so-called "theme maps" can visually represent the relationships between speakers and topics, helping readers see connections at a glance. Making the most of layout design elements like pull quotes, sidebars, or highlighted boxes will draw attention to essential points and break up the text, keeping readers engaged.
Showcase diverse perspectives and real-world applications
Not all speakers will agree on a given topic. That’s a good thing - and your post-event report should reflect this in a measured and constructive way. Diversity of thought will be a boon to your analysis and playback. Highlight contrasting or complementary views to provide a richer understanding of the theme. If there were any panel debates, summarise the key points of contention or consensus. Finally, draw out any real-world applications, case studies, or actionable strategies shared by speakers that can demonstrate how the themes discussed can be applied in practice. This will add tangible value and pragmatism to your report.
Incorporate audience engagement and feedback
Any good post-event report will reflect the role of the audience, reflecting engagement and interaction by highlighting those sessions or points that generated significant audience interaction, social media buzz, or questions. If post-event surveys were conducted, share statistics around the themes, topics and speakers valued by attendees, and the why. Data-driven insights will underscore the relevance of the subject matter and show that the event resonated with your audience.
Draw conclusions and offer next-step solutions
Each thematic section of your report should conclude with a summary that ties together the key points raised by various speakers. To provide value beyond the event, offer actionable takeaways or a "What’s Next?" segment. This could include recommendations, further reading, or areas of development and exploration based on the insights shared.
Encourage ongoing engagement
Post-event reports should also be promotional tools. When you encourage attendees to explore further by inviting them to join upcoming webinars, read whitepapers, or participate in events that delve deeper into the themes, the post-report becomes part of your strategy to keep engagement going and build a loyal audience for future initiatives.
By focusing on core themes and providing a well-structured narrative that goes far beyond a simple recap or replay, your post-event report becomes a valuable resource. It will not only reinforce the event's value and promote ongoing engagement but also give your event an ‘evergreen’ feel while setting the scene for future events. Most importantly, it ensures your audience stays connected and invested in the journey ahead. And that’s true engagement.