Meeting planners know that the closing speaker is not the end of the experience. With great content delivered strategically, you can extend the reach of your event for weeks, months or even to the following year’s meeting.

Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events and hospitality technology provider, included “Event Content will Fuel Year-Round Marketing Campaigns” on its list of 9 event trends that will shape 2025. “Events generate a wealth of valuable content that can be repurposed to support your marketing campaigns through the year,” according to a Cvent blog article. “(Repurposing) allows you to provide a steady stream of useful and relevant content without creating new material from scratch.”

Savannah Christiansen, Convention Services Manager for Experience Grand Rapids, says repurposing event content for the web is a great way to keep information fresh in attendees’ minds, and to engage and inform those who didn’t attend.

The challenge to sharing web content after the event will be curating the highlights and choosing which content and delivery method will work best for your audience and your budget:

  • Photographs: These can include candid shots of speakers, presenters or and attendees at popular events inside or outside the venue. You can also capture memorable displays or sponsor exhibits. Instagram is the natural delivery method for photos. “You could also use Facebook, but the younger your audience, the less relevant it may be,” says Christiansen.
  • Videos: Create sizzle reels with different areas of focus, such as the education sessions, entertainment activities, VIPs of the organization or a simple compilation of the whole event. “Instagram Reels and TikTok videos are perfect for short videos,” says Christiansen. “Longer-form videos really belong on YouTube.”
  • Blogs: Try a blog on each presentation or interview speakers afterward to capture their content and get their takeaway. Interview your organization's VIPs or sponsors. You could also highlight some of the events you especially want attendees to remember. Blogs and the rest of the items on this list can reside on your meeting app, your event website or your organization’s website.
  • PowerPoint presentations: Ask each presenter to submit their content in a sharable-style that will live past the event, or create your own summary presentations for each session.
  • Webinars: Panel sessions, keynote speeches and presentations can make effective webinars. You can make them available as is, or add an element of interactivity by adding online polls, chats and Q&A sessions.
  • Podcasts: Recording select event content for on-demand playback requires technical know-how, as you’ll have to clean up background noise, edit out irrelevant material and record narration. It may be a good investment, especially if you want to reach Millennials and Gen Zers, who make up 61.6% of U.S. podcast listeners. (That figure is per SEO – Search Engine Optimization – company Backlinko.)

Groups that don’t have the capabilities to capture this content themselves can look to Destination Management Organizations like Experience Grand Rapids. “We have a network of local suppliers that can do any or all of this for you,” advises Christiansen. “All you have to do is ask – or search our Service Providers database, 24/7.”

“If you have an established presence on LinkedIn, it’s a great place to post photos, videos and links to blogs and other material,” says Christiansen. “That and any other social media platforms you use should always link back to your site. You should also encourage your audience to share your material on their channels.”

You may also consider launching an email campaign inviting recipients to check out your web materials. And you might want to create a virtual library on your site for all speaker content, including presentations, handouts and videos. Making the library accessible to members only can create an incentive to join.

“After this year’s event” is simultaneously “before next year’s event,” and all of your repurposed web content can help build excitement and attendance for the following year’s meeting, convention or conference.

Be sure to weave material promoting next year’s destination into your web content plan. (Yes, you should create an annual content plan.) Experience Grand Rapids has created a virtual library of materials you can use, stretching your marketing dollars even further.

“We can supply photos, videos and copy as well as maps, restaurant listings, attraction recommendations and so much more that you can incorporate into emails, social media posts and websites,” says Christiansen. “It’s all available at no charge.”

Make sure you track the performance of your content throughout the year and adjust next year’s event content plan accordingly.

“Meeting planners go to great lengths to create amazing content for their events. It makes sense to repurpose that content after an event and partner with a DMO like Experience Grand Rapids to incorporate new content in advance of the next event.”