You’re using social media walls wrong at live events – here’s how to fix it

Event teams have been sold a dream: plug in a live social wall and watch the engagement roll in. But it rarely works that way. What you often end up with is a half-empty screen showing outdated posts while attendees ignore the big display behind them.

The real problem isn’t the technology—it’s the approach. Installing a social media aggregator isn’t enough. If your wall isn’t actively engaging your audience, boosting interest, or showcasing your community, you’re missing an opportunity

So today, you’ll learn how to:

• Run your social wall in real time
• Make your content more dynamic
• Customize your setup by location and audience
• Showcase user-generated content without losing control
• Extend the impact post-event

Let’s walk through the 7 ways to make your live social media wall actually deliver results, that you could already implement at your next event.

The difference between “live” and live social walls that work

“Real-time” should mean exactly that. A digital display that updates every few minutes isn’t real-time—it’s a slow content loop. Someone shares a photo on Instagram or tags your event on Threads. They check the wall. Nothing appears. They move on.

What you’ve lost isn’t just one moment of engagement—you’ve lost the feedback loop. The motivation to participate drops off fast when people can’t see their content reflected instantly.

What better looks like:

• Feeds that update in seconds, not minutes.
• Zero-delay display modes for true live coverage.
• A visible shift in the atmosphere: people are watching the wall, reacting to it, even gathering around it. That’s what live content should do.

One feed doesn’t fit all

A single social wall trying to do everything often ends up doing nothing well. The “all-in-one” approach becomes cluttered—speaker highlights next to blurry crowd photos next to generic tweets.

Instead of showcasing community, it showcases confusion. What’s missing is curation.

Here’s a better setup for your next event:

Location	Feed Focus	Content Types
Main Stage	Speaker quotes, live reactions	X posts, Instagram Reels
Registration Area	Welcome posts, behind-the-scenes	Short videos, branded content
Breakout Rooms	Participant insights, Q&A moments	Threads, TikToks
Sponsor Booths	Promo shoutouts, influencer posts	Hashtag campaigns

Segmenting your feeds by social media channels and event zones creates clarity, not clutter.

Your social wall should surface what the schedule doesn’t

Most event displays mirror the agenda: the keynote, the breakout, the sponsor session, the wrap-up. But your schedule isn’t what makes an event valuable—it’s what makes it legible. What makes it meaningful often lives outside the run-of-show. That’s where your social wall should focus.

Great event organizers already know the value of liminal space: the tension between sessions, the insights that surface hours after a talk ends, the moments that weren’t planned but still shifted the energy in the room. That’s the texture your audience actually remembers—and it rarely gets seen unless you deliberately surface it.

If your display is only showing the loudest moments, the most obvious content, or the scheduled highlights, you’re not reflecting the event—you’re flattening it.

The best social walls aren’t just fast or well-designed. They’re observant. They pick up on what the official timeline can’t capture and turn that into momentum, not by showcasing more content, but by being more intentional about what’s worth showcasing.

This is what separates “engagement” from insight. Your wall shouldn’t just prove that people were present. It should prove that people were paying attention.

The human behind the social wall

Even the smartest tools need a human touch.

Live social media walls aren’t set-it-and-forget-it solutions. They’re platforms that benefit from attention. The best event teams treat them like a production element—something to manage, not just display.

Your social wall coordinator should be:

• Adjusting hashtags as conversations evolve
• Highlighting standout moments
• Switching feeds based on audience energy
• Syncing with the event schedule (keynote? networking? break?)

Having a human in the loop ensures your wall stays relevant, dynamic, and engaging across multiple sources and multiple social media platforms.

Match your social wall to your event’s goals

Your social wall isn’t just event decoration or a fancy prop—it’s a strategic tool that should directly support what you’re trying to achieve. Too many organizers install a social wall because it looks modern without connecting it to actual business outcomes.

Here’s the truth: a live social wall should entertain, yes, but more importantly, it should convert.

That conversion might look different depending on your event:

• Selling more tickets for next year’s conference
• Driving app downloads among your most engaged attendees
• Increasing foot traffic to sponsor booths or featured areas
• Collecting emails or feedback through prompted interactions
• Building your social follower count across platforms
• Strengthening community connections that last beyond the event

The key is alignment. If you’re running a corporate event, your wall might highlight thought leadership and industry conversations. For a festival, it might showcase energy and FOMO-inducing moments. For a product launch, it could feature early adopter reactions and testimonials.

Whatever your specific goal, your display should guide people toward it. A static feed of UGC (user-generated content) with no purpose behind it is a missed opportunity. Instead, integrate dynamic calls-to-action, QR codes that lead somewhere valuable, or prompt-based posts (“Share your favorite speaker insight with #ConferenceAHA to win VIP access”) that drive measurable outcomes.

Remember that your social wall exists at the intersection of digital and physical—it’s one of the few places where online engagement directly impacts in-person behavior. Use this connection intentionally. Don’t let it end when the lights go down

One of the biggest wastes we see? Event teams shutting down the wall right after the event.

That content—the reactions, testimonials, energy—is exactly what you need for your post-event strategy. Instead of letting it disappear, turn it into an ongoing asset.

Ideas:

• Auto-generate a highlight feed for your website
• Embed it on your post-event survey page
• Use it in follow-up emails or promo videos
• Share it with sponsors or partners to prove engagement

Let your digital signage keep delivering. The best social media posts don’t expire—they evolve into ongoing social proof.

Get the tech right without overcomplicating it

You don’t need a developer team to run a smart display. But you do need these key features:

Must-Have Features	Why It Matters
Real-time refresh	Keeps the energy alive and people engaged
Auto + manual moderation	Filters out junk while letting you curate
Multi-source aggregation	Covers Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, etc.
Custom styling	Makes it feel like part of your event brand
Embeddable anywhere	From digital signage to microsites
Performance analytics	Ties your wall to business outcomes

Keep your social wall community-connected

Your wall represents your event culture and values. Use it to:

• Highlight event organizer messaging
• Reinforce brand identity across social media channels
• Strengthen internal communication by surfacing team shoutouts or milestones
• Keep the community connected before, during, and after the event

When done thoughtfully, your social feed becomes more than a screen—it becomes a voice. And that voice should sound like the people who built your event.

Live Event Engagement Done Right: Real Examples

Imagine this:

• Your event opens and the registration area features a curated welcome feed from attendees arriving and tagging your event.
• Inside, each breakout room has its own screen showing real-time participant thoughts and questions.
• The main stage has a vibrant, fast-moving feed of speaker quotes, reactions, and sponsor shoutouts.
• In the lounge area, people are watching a loop of curated highlights with a CTA to share their own photos.

By the end of the day:

• You’ve collected hundreds of high-quality UGC posts.
• Your analytics show which content drove the most clicks or signups.
• Your social wall becomes part of your event story—not just a screen on the wall.

This isn’t theoretical. This is how modern teams use social media displays to make an impact.

Before your next event, ask this

• Is our social wall built to reflect our actual audience, not just a hashtag?
• Have we planned how content will shift throughout the day?
• Who is monitoring the wall—and do they have the power to change it live?
• Does the experience look and feel like our brand?
• Can we measure what success looks like?

If you can’t answer these confidently, you’re not ready to go live.

But that’s fixable.

Start with a smarter setup. Treat your wall like the live content channel it is. And connect every post back to a bigger plan.

When you get it right, a live social wall becomes more than a feed. It becomes the heartbeat of your event.

Make your social wall work harder

Event teams that elevate their social walls from an afterthought to a strategic asset increase brand awareness, engagement, loyalty, and trust. The difference between a wall that sits ignored and one that drives engagement isn’t just technology—it’s intention.

Juicer gives you the technical foundation: instant updates across platforms, customizable displays for different zones, and moderation tools that put you in control. But more importantly, it gives you the flexibility to align your social wall with what actually matters for your event.

Don’t settle for a wall that just shows posts. Build one that moves your event forward.

Start your free Juicer trial and see how much more your social wall can deliver at your next event.

FAQs

What is a live social wall, and how does it improve audience engagement at events?

A live social wall displays real-time content from attendees across social platforms, encouraging participation and interaction. By showing people’s posts on big screens during an event, you create instant feedback loops that deepen engagement.

Can I customize the social media feed shown on my event’s display?

Yes, with Juicer, you curate your social media feed by hashtag, handle, or platform. You can also moderate what shows up, so your event display stays brand-safe and on-theme.

How do I use digital signage effectively with a live social media wall?

Digital signage is perfect for displaying curated social content in high-traffic areas like entrances, breakout rooms, or sponsor zones. Real-time updates keep the screens dynamic and help capture attention throughout the day.

What social media platforms can be integrated into a live event wall?

With a social media aggregator, you can usually collect content from major social media networks like Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and even LinkedIn or YouTube, depending on the tool you’re using.

How can I collect and display event testimonials using a live social wall?

Encourage attendees to post quotes, reactions, or feedback using your event hashtag. Then, feature those event testimonials directly on your social wall—during and after the event—as powerful social proof.

Can live streaming be combined with a social media wall?

Yes—many event teams pair live streaming with a social wall to display real-time reactions and commentary. It gives remote attendees a way to engage and helps unify your physical and virtual audience.

How do photo booths contribute to live social media engagement?

Photo booths generate instant user-generated content. When integrated with your social wall, those images can be automatically shared and displayed, increasing visibility and encouraging others to participate.

What kind of social content works best on event displays?

Short videos, high-quality photos, and branded posts tend to perform well. Highlight posts that show energy, emotion, or crowd reactions to amplify excitement on screen.

What’s the difference between live social media and regular social media content?

Live social media is posted and displayed in real time—there’s no delay between someone sharing and their post showing up. That immediacy makes the content more relevant, engaging, and interactive during live events.

How can I showcase UGC effectively without losing control over what appears?

Use a moderation system—automated or manual—to display user-generated content that aligns with your brand voice and event goals. You can filter by keyword, user, or even sentiment.

Can a live social wall help us sell more tickets for future events?

Absolutely. When people see the buzz and energy of your current event through UGC and testimonials, they’re more likely to buy tickets for your next one. Just be sure to include clear CTAs and links on your website or displays.

How important is real-time performance for a social wall at events?

It’s critical. Real-time performance means people see their content on screen within seconds, not minutes. That speed builds trust and excitement—and it what separates effective social walls from passive ones.