What Are the Benefits of Incorporating Live Scribing into Conferences?
The Benefits of Live Scribing at Conferences
Live digital scribing in action at a in-person conference, capturing key insights and discussion themes while attendees watch.
Conferences are fuull of insight.
The tricky thing = helping people remember it all!
Between back-to-back sessions, panel discussions and networking breaks, even the most engaged audience can struggle to retain what matters most. That’s where live scribing comes in.
Live scribing, also known as graphic recording or live illustration, captures key ideas in real time and turns them into structured, visual summaries. When done professionally, it becomes a super useful & strategic communication tool.
If you’re considering incorporating live scribing into your next conference, here’s what it can genuinely offer.
What Is Live Scribing?
Live scribing is the process of visually capturing talks, panels or workshops as they happen.
A professional live scribe listens carefully, distils key ideas and translates them into:
Clear visual frameworks
Structured summaries
Branded illustrations
Shareable digital assets
How we do it:
In person on large boards
Digitally on screen
Remotely, dialled into a live event
The goal is usefulness and delight :) We’re yet to meet an audience that didn’t think live scribing was the absolute bees knees.
Example of professional live scribing for a leadership conference.
1. Increased Audience Engagement
We’ve only got a finite bucket of attention. So when it comes to planning your agenda, it’s important to punctuate the day with wake-em-up sections and frequent breaks.
Live scribing creates a refreshing visual focal point that:
Encourages people to stay present
Reinforces key messages
Makes abstract ideas tangible
Seeing ideas take shape in real time activates a different part of the brain. Instead of passively listening, audiences watch concepts become visible and structured.
For hybrid or virtual conferences, live scribing can also:
Reduce screen fatigue
Add visual movement
Make sessions feel more dynamic and memorable
It gives people something to anchor to.
2. Improved Retention of Key Messages
People remember visuals far more effectively than text-heavy slides alone.
When live scribing is incorporated into conferences:
Key themes are distilled clearly
Complex ideas are simplified
Repetition and reinforcement happen visually
Instead of attendees leaving with scattered notes, they leave with a cohesive visual summary that reflects the essence of the day.
This is particularly powerful for:
Strategy conferences
Leadership forums
Research presentations
Change management events
Visual summaries help ideas stick.
3. Clearer Communication of Complex Ideas
Conferences often involve:
Technical data
Industry jargon
Multi-layered strategy
Live scribing translates complexity into clarity.
A skilled live scribe listens for:
Patterns
Recurring themes
Strong phrases
Clear metaphors
Then structures them visually.
This helps audiences see connections that might otherwise be missed. It also ensures that important insights are not buried in long transcripts or slide decks.
For organisations communicating internally across departments, this clarity is invaluable.
4. Immediate Post-Event Assets
One of the strongest benefits of live scribing is that you don’t have to wait weeks for a report that hardly anyone will read.
Professional live scribes can provide:
High-resolution digital files (and a licence to share them)
Branded visual summaries
Timelapse videos of the artwork
Cropped social media graphics
These assets can be used for:
LinkedIn posts
Internal newsletters
Follow-up emails
Funding reports
Stakeholder updates
Some of our clients like to print their visual notes - Starbucks even had them printed as a ginormous decal sticker and stuck the sribing to their office wall!
5. Stronger Social Media Visibility
Conferences increasingly live beyond the room.
Live scribing provides visually compelling content that is:
Instantly shareable
Highly engaging
Aligned to your brand
Posting a visual summary of a keynote or panel discussion often generates more interest than posting a text recap alone.
For organisations wanting to demonstrate thought leadership, live scribing can help amplify key messages far more effectively than slides.
All the ingredients for a great scribing sesh. We dialled in virtually to scribe for the V&A Museum’s online series of talks for young people.
6. Enhanced Speaker Impact
Speakers benefit too.
When a talk is live scribed:
Key quotes are highlighted
Core arguments are structured visually
Signature ideas are reinforced
Many speakers value receiving a professional visual summary of their talk. It can support their own marketing and professional visibility.
For conference organisers, this adds another layer of value to your speaker experience.
7. Support for Strategic Alignment
Large conferences often aim to:
Launch strategy
Communicate change
Align teams
Share research findings
Live scribing creates a visual anchor that helps teams stay aligned after the event.
Rather than relying on memory, teams can refer back to a clear, structured visual summary that captures:
Priorities
Commitments
Agreed next steps
This makes post-conference cascade and implementation smoother.
8. Inclusive Communication
Not everyone processes information in the same way.
Live scribing supports:
Visual learners
Neurodivergent attendees
Non-native English speakers
By reinforcing spoken content visually, it creates multiple entry points into the material.
For conferences focused on accessibility and inclusion, this is a meaningful benefit.
I look really serious. I do love my job, honest 😆 (Here’s me scribing at a pharmaceutical conference in London in November 2025)
9. Energy in the Room
There is something SO interesting about watching ideas appear in real time.
Live scribing can:
Spark conversation during breaks
Encourage attendees to gather around the artwork
Create a shared focal point
It often becomes part of the experience, not just a documentation tool. Attendees have been known to elbow each other out of the way to get as close as they can to the final artwork so that they can take photos of it.
Have you ever had your audience beg you for the notes afterwards? With live scribing, that is A Thing. Brace yourself.
10. Flexibility for Hybrid and Remote Conferences
Live scribing’s no longer limited to physical boards.
Professional live scribes can:
Dial into Zoom or Teams
Capture sessions digitally
Share screens live
Deliver final artwork immediately
For global or hybrid conferences, this flexibility is particularly valuable.
Remote live scribing can reduce travel costs while still delivering high-quality visual assets.
When Is Live Scribing Most Effective?
Live scribing works especially well for:
Multi-speaker conferences
Panel discussions
Strategy launches
Research presentations
Annual leadership events
It is most effective when:
The event has clear objectives
The organiser provides a structured brief
Brand guidelines are shared in advance
There is time for preparation
Preparation matters as much as performance.
Common Misconceptions About Live Scribing
“It’s just decoration.”
Professional live scribing is strategic communication. The focus is clarity and structure, not embellishment.
“We’ll just get someone to take notes.”
Live scribing requires active listening, synthesis and visual thinking skills. It is not the same as transcription.
“We can add it last minute.”
While sometimes possible, the best results come from proper briefing and preparation.
How to Incorporate Live Scribing Successfully
If you’re planning to include live scribing in your conference, consider:
Defining your key objective first
Sharing your agenda early
Clarifying brand guidelines
Confirming usage rights
Booking well in advance
A professional live scribe will guide you through the process and advise on format, whether in-person or remote.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of incorporating live scribing into conferences extend far beyond the visual.
When done well, it:
Increases engagement
Improves retention
Clarifies complex ideas
Supports strategic alignment
Provides valuable post-event assets
For conference organisers seeking clarity, visibility and lasting impact, live scribing is a considered addition rather than an extra flourish.
A well-executed live scribing experience ensures your conference insights are not just heard in the moment, but understood and remembered long after the event ends.
If you’re planning a conference and want live scribing that brings clarity, engagement and a lasting visual record, you can share your event brief here:
About the Author
Katie Chappell is a UK-based live illustrator, graphic recorder and founder of Illustrated Live, with over 10 years’ experience working with brands including Google, Apple and Adobe.
She helps organisations turn complex conversations into clear, engaging visuals.