Many event projects start with what seems like a clear answer: Our target audience is our employees. Our customers. Our partners. Our industry audience. Our community. But knowing who you want to reach on paper says very little about what truly motivates these people. Gain insights into how Habegger translates target group insights into event experiences and why expectations, needs, and impact are the be-all and end-all of the process.
Malik at the Barry Callebaut AG 2024 Annual General Meeting
For Malik, Stage Director in the Creation at Habegger, the target group is the foundation of his work. Whether it is dramaturgy, show concept or flow: without a clear picture of the audience, much of the planning remains guesswork.
The message can be precisely formulated, the stage design carefully developed and the flow cleanly planned. But if none of it connects with the people in the room, the event loses its impact.
That is why it is not enough to simply name a target group. What matters is being able to picture them clearly: How do the participants arrive? What is on their minds? What kind of energy do they bring? And what do they actually expect from the event?
This shift in perspective is essential. An abstract target group becomes an audience with needs, expectations and emotions. Only then can an event be designed in a way that does not just take place, but truly resonates.
At Habegger, the aim is not to redefine a target group from scratch. In most cases, clients already know who they want to reach. Our role is to translate this knowledge into concrete event decisions.
This becomes visible in the tone of voice, the music, the flow, the presentation formats and the way people appear on stage. Often, it is not the big idea alone that makes the difference, but whether every element fits the audience.
This was exactly the focus at the Swiss Life Asset Managers Kick-off: fewer classic presentation sequences, reduced slides, new formats and a dual moderation setup that made the flow more dynamic. The feedback from employees was clear: for many, it was the best kick-off so far.
Swiss Life Asset Managers Kick-Off
If you want to reach an audience, it’s not enough to just know who’s in the room. What matters most is what these people bring with them: their needs, concerns, and expectations. Malik sums it up this way:
Needs must be met, concerns taken seriously, and, ideally, dreams fulfilled.
This is often underestimated during the planning phase. If an audience is primarily looking for discussion and networking, even the best lineup of presentations won’t help much. In that case, the problem isn’t the audience – it’s the format.
Managing expectations is a fundamental part of target audience work. Are participants coming for guidance, inspiration, discussion, entertainment, or simply to have a good time? If expectations are too low, there’s little anticipation. If they’re too high, even a good event can be disappointing. The key is to spark interest and deliver on that promise – or even exceed it.
At the Avolta General Management Meeting, the audience was primarily expecting dinner that evening. Instead, the room was transformed in a short amount of time, and the courses were linked with a 360-degree audiovisual content experience. It was a moment that surprised the audience without losing sight of their expectations.
Avolta General Management Meeting 2025
Whether an event has reached its target audience often becomes clear even while the event is still underway. Do people stay until the end? Do they return to the hall after the break? Do they ask questions?
Many events today use measurement systems that analyze visitor traffic, attention levels, and interactions. But every event has its own specific goal. That’s why it should be clear early on how success will be defined. At a town hall meeting, an honest Q&A session can be more valuable than cheering. At a customer event, it’s the quality of the conversations that matters.
That’s why working with a target audience doesn’t end with the briefing. After all, a target audience only becomes valuable when it’s translated into an experience that resonates with the people in the room.
What does a target audience mean for an event? In this podcast episode, Sandhya and Malik discuss why understanding the target audience is essential to a successful event and why simply defining it in broad terms is not enough. They explain how Habegger approaches target audiences from an event perspective, which questions provide meaningful insights and why needs, expectations and potential barriers are crucial to ensuring an event resonates with its audience.
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