Many organizations add a livestream to their event and assume that’s enough. The stream works, a link exists, but often shared at the last minute.

And then afterward, I hear, “It looked and sounded great, but only 20 people watched it online—was it worth it?”

The reality: If you don’t promote the livestream, you haven’t really launched one.

I spend a lot of time standing at the back of event rooms (that sounds creepy, right?).

Sometimes those rooms are packed with people. Sometimes they’re split between a room and a livestream. Sometimes they’re entirely virtual, and I’m in my PJs (too much sharing?). One thing I’ve learned is that everyone wants to be part of the conversation. So how can you make them feel engaged and heard?

For years, the answer seemed simple: count how many people showed up. If the seats were filled, the event was a success.

But audiences have changed. Some are eager to travel, dress up, and be in the room. Others prefer — or need — to join from wherever they are. If we only measure who’s in the seats, aren’t we overlooking the bigger picture of engagement and impact?