To start with, you need to inform people about your Twitter wall.
It is a good idea to promote it along with your event. The two can go hand in hand, where you use Twitter to promote your event and to promote the fact you will be having a Twitter wall.
You are going to need a hashtag that is pretty easy to remember.
It also needs to pair well with the event.
Make sure you put the hashtag in places online where people will see it, including in your business and promotional material.
Set Up Your Twitter Wall
You will need a digital sign or several digital signs set up to create a single screen.
Setting up your digital signs means buying the digital signs (or TVs), installing them, and then using a media device to send the information to the screen.
Once you have the digital signs and the media device, you will need the Twitter software.
If you are looking for information on the many ways to set up your digital screens, then check out something like the Kitcast blog.
You can see how they suggest you set them up and see how other people have set up their digital signs.
Remember that you are probably better off keeping people away from your digital signs so they don’t feel the need to vandalize them or get their dirty hands all over them.
On the other hand, they need to be close enough so that people can read the Tweets. People also need be able to see the hashtags.
What Are You Going to Display?
There are two ways to go about it. You can create a video that cycles through hundreds of Twitter comments.
Doing it this way will allow you to curate what people see, but when they look at the screen, they won’t know how old or new the Tweets are.
The second method is to set up a live feed.
This is where Twitter messages are cycled through over and over again, but newer ones are incorporated into the feed as they arrive.
Keep in mind the purpose of your Twitter wall. Perhaps you are using it to help people feel connected to the event.
Perhaps you are trying to show social proof that your event is good, or maybe you are trying to promote your event by showing that other people are enjoying themselves.
Its use should determine where you put it in your building or within your event.
For example, if you are trying to encourage people to drink some of your guest alcoholic beverages, them near the canteens may or may not be a great idea.
Try to put them in places where people are going to queue up, as the Twitter comments will give them something to read.
Twitter-Compatible Apps
It is possible to run Twitter feeds on your PC or even on your Smartphone. Similar software can be used to put that live feed information on your website.
If it can go on your website, it can go on a digital sign.
If you wanted to go super low tech, you could run the live feed on your device or on your website, and then screen cast it onto your digital signs.
Management and Moderation
Twitter is a pretty toxic place, so you are probably going to need some sort of moderation and curation.
However, moderating what could be hundreds of Twitter comments is tricky.
There are real-time and delayed functions, and there are “Waiting for approval” functions where Twitter comments do not show on your wall until they have been approved.
There are spam filters you can use and various types of automation you can also use.
Software Features That Are Desirable
Having a live feed function is fun, along with being able to have Twitter comments held for approval.
Choice over the layout of your wall is also helpful, especially if you are connecting several digital signs to create a single image.
The ability to add custom content is handy, as is the ability to filter in some pre-made Twitter comments too in order to further promote your event.
You can also opt for things like Twitter analytics, but they are not really very important unless your event is going on for several days.