Why Virtual Events Work
The digital age has done for the events industry what no other era could ever do – and that is to strip away our boundaries to access. Access to information, access to experience and access to a wider network. These are all made possible because of the advancement of technology that we know as new media. With the rise of simulcast events we can’t think of a reason why more brands with such broad footprints wouldn’t consider them as options. A defining factor in the success of virtual events is their wide reach.
Stop. Drop. And Change Your Virtual Event Strategy
If you’ve been ‘winging’ your virtual event planning the whole time, then this is for you! It’s true that not all virtual event strategies are the same, but we believe you’ll see a huge change if you eliminate the following:
- Overpricing Tickets: If you’re charging guests to access an event online make sure you’re not overpricing. A lot of event elements on location will not be included as nice-to-haves for virtual guests however this still applies if you’re booking venues at different locations to give guests the means of being part of the experience.
- Complicated Logistic Arrangements: Don’t complicate the logistics. Choose convenient locations for streaming your event and use local suppliers and make it easy for attendees to dial in.
- Long Agendas: Streamline your agenda and ensure you sign out with your audience and avoid ending your stream abruptly.
- Lack of Audience Engagement: Don’t forget the wider audience. Structure your event in a way that make them feel part of the event through different methods of engagement, such as Q and A’s or snap polls. Inclusive eventing is the way to go.
- Limited Data Tracking: Virtual events provide a great opportunity to grow a database of people who are interested in what you have to say. More than that, encourage engagement on social media so that your audience can use tools like check-in features to your event and interact with you in real time.
- Lack of content availability: Virtual events require a different approach to content sharing, make sure that content is available for download and ready to be repurposed. Ensure that you have a solid content plan and that it is scheduled ahead of the event.
- Ambiguous Marketing: If your event isn’t virtual – it’s simple - don’t call it a virtual event! It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon of the latest innovation but if you have no idea what you’re doing, you’re going to confuse potential attendees. Steer clear from the trap of placing a locked-camera at the back of the room with multiple PowerPoint slides and poor sound. That is not a virtual event.
Hire Professionals To Get The Job Done
Virtual events cannot be done half-heartedly. You’re either in it and willing to make the necessary sacrifices or, you’re out! If you want to keep the traditional event element, opt for LIVE Tweeting or Instagram and Facebook LIVE instead. These come with their own technicalities, but they are great options to consider. Lastly, we strongly advise that you get the right people for the job. When you notice how cost effective a virtual event is, the temptation to cut cost even further might surface. There’s nothing wrong with saving money but there are two sacrifices we suggest you steer far away from, first of all; hiring the least expensive technical supplier. This is a sacrifice that will be detrimental to your virtual event and secondly, not hiring an onsite Manager to avoid paying a management fee. If you got this far in the blog, then we’d like to believe you don’t need convincing to hire a great technical supplier and event manager. The beauty in all of this is that, you’ll cut cost with other event elements so you can in fact put the money to good use. Great tech and an excellent event manager are worth investing in.
