Event Activations with Interactive Videos: How UGC Can Amplify the Impact

Event activations create live, engaging brand experiences that invite audiences to participate rather than just watch. Interactive video marketing for events takes this a step further turning attendees into active participants who click, explore, and choose their path. But high-quality interactive videos can be costly and time-consuming to produce.

User-generated content (UGC) helps fill that gap. By sourcing real clips from attendees, brands gain authenticity, social proof, and community voice without a big production budget. BrandLens simplifies UGC collection and management at events, making it easy to weave attendee videos into interactive experiences.

The Power of Interactive Video in Event Activations

Interactive video marketing for events has become indispensable because it goes beyond passive consumption. Here’s why:

1. Deeper Engagement
   Interactive elements, such as clickable hotspots, branching narratives, and embedded polls encourage viewers to make choices rather than merely watch. Studies show that interactive content gains two times more engagement than passive content, highlighting that when viewers have agency, they stay involved longer. 
2. Shareable Moments
   When attendees participate in interactive segments, choosing their own adventure or answering quiz questions, they generate moments worth sharing. Viewers often post screenshots or short clips of their choices, extending the event’s reach across social feeds and driving organic buzz.
3. Increased Dwell Time & Brand Recall
   The combination of on-screen prompts and real-time decision points keeps viewers watching longer, which directly correlates with stronger brand recall post-event.
4. Real-Time Insights & Personalization
   Interactive videos can capture viewer choices and behaviors—data that event marketers can immediately leverage. 

BrandLens’s Capability: By sourcing authentic clips from participants, BrandLens helps event teams assemble interactive narratives around real experiences. For example, Mr. Tortilla wanted a fun way to connect with customers and boost its social media presence, so they launched an interactive BrandLens campaign where participants could dance, make on-screen choices, and even use custom branded music for a truly memorable experience. Customers were encouraged to share their videos on their own social channels in exchange for discounts and a chance at brand recognition.

Let’s say, you are an experiential marketing agency, you can also design fun, guided video experiences that anyone can join, no apps, no friction. 

UGC: The Missing Piece to Boost Interactive Impact

Authenticity is at the heart of modern marketing. While polished studio videos have their place, people connect more deeply with real stories from real people. That’s where UGC and video co-creation shines, introducing the voice of the community into every interactive experience.

1. Authenticity Drives Connection
   Content that feels genuine fosters trust. 88% of consumers believe authenticity is crucial when choosing a brand, and UGC is one of the most authentic form of content. When attendees share short video testimonials or behind-the-scenes highlights, new viewers see relatable faces rather than scripted actors—dramatically boosting engagement.
2. Relatable & Shareable
   UGC transforms attendees into brand advocates. When guests record their experiences, whether a quick “first-look” reaction or a highlight-reel walkthrough, those videos feel genuine and spontaneous. Fellow attendees and social followers are more likely to share or comment on content that looks and feels real, extending the activation’s reach.
3. Examples of UGC in Events
   • Short Video Testimonials: Event booths invite attendees to share a one-sentence “favorite moment of the day.” These snippets can be aggregated into an interactive highlight reel, allowing future viewers to click on different themes (e.g., “Best Product Demo,” “Top Speaker Quote”).
   • Attendee-Generated Walkthroughs: Guests can film their path through the event floor, stopping at branded stations, demos, and lounge areas. Those sequences become interactive maps: visitors watching later can click on specific booths to view inside tips, demos, or exclusive promos.
   • Live Reactions & Polls: During keynote sessions, UGC can be collected in real time, asking attendees to point their camera at the stage and share their reactions. Those reactions can be embedded as a “reaction layer” in the main event video, letting online viewers toggle between “speaker view” and “audience reaction” modes.

BrandLens’s Edge: The platform simplifies crowdsourcing video snippets from event attendees, turning them into an interactive showcase. Instead of chasing down files post-event, teams can set up branded collection flows (QR codes, embedded links) that guide attendees through on-screen instructions. Submissions are moderated in real time, ensuring brand consistency without stifling spontaneity.

BrandLens as Your Event Video UGC Engine

When it comes to scaling UGC video campaigns for events, BrandLens functions as the engine under the hood, enabling event marketers to capture, curate, and amplify authentic attendee footage. Here’s how:

1. Branded Collection Flows
   Upon arrival, attendees scan a QR code leading to a fully branded landing page: instructions, guidelines, and on-screen overlays guide them through recording their clip. With simple prompts, “Share your #1 highlight so far” or “Show us how you’re using Product X,” brands gather diverse content without the friction of app downloads.
2. Real-Time Content Moderation
   To maintain brand voice, submissions feed directly into a moderated dashboard. Teams can filter out off-brand or low-quality clips, add metadata (tags, categories), and approve only the best footage for interactive use. This ensures that even as thousands of UGC videos pour in, only on-brand content fuels the final experience.
3. Collaboration Tools for Editing & Transformation
   Raw footage often needs editing: trimming, overlaying graphics, or stitching multiple clips together. BrandLens provides collaborative editing tools that let editors, designers, and project managers work in tandem. Teams can add interactive hotspots, such as clickable links, “swipe up” overlays, or embedded questions that transform static UGC into dynamic, branching narratives.
4. Use Case Examples
   • Travel Brands: Imagine a destination marketing booth at a tourism expo. Attendees submit quick “why I love Destination Y” clips. BrandLens curates the best reactions, weaving them into an interactive video that allows future viewers to click on different experiences, “Beach Days,” “Local Cuisine,” “Hidden Gems,” each branch populated with authentic attendee footage.
   • eCommerce Brands: At a product launch event, shoppers demonstrate how they use the item. Those clips feed into a shoppable interactive video: viewers click on different features (e.g., “Feature A Demo,” “User Testimonial,” “Unboxing Surprise”) and immediately see a snippet from a real customer. By anchoring product education in genuine UGC, brands drive higher conversions.

5 Actionable Tips for Using UGC in Interactive Event Videos

To maximize the impact of UGC and create seamless interactive video experiences for events, follow these best practices:

1. Plan Ahead
   
   • Outline UGC Types: Decide what you need, such as testimonials, interactive Q&As, product demos, or reaction reels. Map out which interactive branches will feature each content type.
   • Define Submission Prompts: Craft clear prompts that guide attendees: “Share a quick tip you learned today,” “Show us your favorite booth demo,” or “Record a 10-second highlight of this session.” Specific prompts yield on-point content.
     
2. Incentivize Participation
   
   • Offer Rewards: Entry into a raffle, exclusive swag, or shout-outs on the brand’s social channels. Incentives motivate attendees to pause and record, boosting UGC volumes.
   • Highlight “Featured UGC”: Announce that top submissions will be showcased on a live event screen or social feed, giving participants a moment in the spotlight.
     
3. Focus on Authenticity
   • Encourage Attendees to Use Their Own Voice: Avoid overly scripted instructions. Let contributors speak naturally, share candid reactions, and skip auto-tuned lines. Raw, unfiltered clips resonate best.
   • Embrace Imperfections: Shaky footage, spontaneous laughter, and casual backgrounds feel genuine. These elements strengthen relatability and trust.
     
4. Balance Control and Freedom
   
   • Use BrandLens’s Moderation Tools: While you want authentic energy, you also need brand safety. Real-time AI moderation flags inappropriate content, while human moderators approve on-brand videos.
   • Set Loose Guidelines: Provide broad visual/language guidelines (logos visible, no profanity) but let contributors retain personal style. This encourages creative freedom while maintaining brand alignment.
     
5. Repurpose for Maximum ROI
   
   • Social Campaigns: Extract short clips (5-10 seconds) for Instagram Stories, TikTok challenges, or LinkedIn posts, tagging contributors to expand reach.
   • Website Content: Embed completed interactive videos on landing pages to showcase event highlights, driving extended dwell time and authority.
   • Future Event Promotions: Clips from past events can serve as teasers for upcoming activations, demonstrating real attendee excitement and driving higher registration rates.

Interactive videos elevate event activations by transforming passive viewership into dynamic participation. When combined with UGC, they become even more powerful, infusing authenticity, social proof, and community spirit into every frame. Instead of investing heavily in scripted productions, event marketers can leverage real attendee voices to craft branching narratives that resonate, engage, and convert.

With our video creation platform, BrandLens, capturing user-generated content at live events is seamless and scalable. Ready to amplify your event impact with UGC? Book a demo with BrandLens to see how interactive videos with user-generated content at live events can supercharge your next activation.