TIPS TO ORGANIZE SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL EVENTS: PART 1

People across the world have been shifting to virtual events, especially because of lockdowns imposed in different countries. While for some the shift from onsite events to virtual events might have been seamless, many others might be struggling a bit to get a hold of their footing and trying to figure out modern day technology.

Many people have been wondering about certain questions, how effective virtual events actually are? What will the future of these events look like? How to make virtual events enriching for all the attendees? How to ensure attendee engagement while using an online platform? and many more…

One thing is for sure, you don’t have to worry! Because we have listed some tips and tricks that you can keep in mind the next time you decide to organise a virtual event, that will definitely ensure success.

1.HAVE A GOOD GAME PLAN

Whenever you plan an event, be it an onsite one or virtual, ALWAYS have a good, secure plan in place.

These are just a few of the many questions you need to answer before you send out feelers about your event. You need to be sure about your plan at every single step of the way. One way to do that is maintain a written document (hard or soft copy) where you have each and every detail of the event mentioned out clearly, and a comprehensive checklist of things that need to be done (preferable in order of work). This will help you stay on track, remain organized and reduce the probability of getting flustered.

2. BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR BRAND VISUALS

It is imperative to remember that even though this is a virtual event, the kind of content you use, and the visuals, should work in unison with your brand and its identity. This is because your attendees take in the content and remember the visuals in connection with your brand. So stick the same company logo, colour palate, themes etc. this will make your brand more recognizable in the long run.

3. SELECT AN APPROPRIATE DATE, TIME AND PLATFORM

Different social media platforms get more user traffic at different times of the day and week. Depending on which platform you use, be sure to choose a date and time accordingly. If you aren’t using a social media platform like IGTV or YouTube live streaming etc, make sure that your participants are fine with the time you choose. One way to check this is to do a quick poll or Instagram or Facebook (if that’s what majority of your target audience uses), to get an idea of which date and time most people prefer.

Before you send out save the dates, ensure a few important things, like ensuring that there isn’t any competing event happening on the same day; if you are expecting attendees from different countries, take into consideration time differences and choose a time suitable for most potential attendees.

You could choose from a wide range of platforms, right from social media channels such as wide range of platforms

The list could go on and on, but selecting the right platform is very important, as it makes a difference in the platform features you can potentially use during your event.

4. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

It is extremely important to get to know your audience well. When we say this, what we mean is,

Things like this will largely affect your guests' event experience and understanding them well will help you create a better experience for them.

5. FORMAT OF THE EVENT

You must decide well in advance the format of the event . There are different types of virtual events that you can organise, right from webinars, quizzes, online workshops, Q & A sessions etc. keep in mind the kind of audience you are expecting while deciding on the format of the event.

For more ideas for virtual events visit the blog “9 GREAT NEW IDEAS FOR VIRTUAL EVENTS YOU CAN HOST”

6. LENGTH OF SESSION AND BREAKS

Length of the sessions you organize has a huge impact on the amount of content the listeners will retain. Remember, make sure the sessions don't go beyond the one hour mark, and also provide at least 15-20 minute breaks after every session so that the guests can relax their mind and return for the next session feeling refreshed and ready.

7. PROVIDE ENGAGING CONTENT

There is nothing worse than attending an event where you just have to sit and listen to one person talk for the entire session. Get the speaker to engage with the audience at regular intervals, like organizing polls, asking open ended questions, getting the attendees to break out into smaller groups for more dynamic discussions and debates etc.

Encourage attendees to send in relevant questions (both before and during the event), you could create polls or quizzes, encourage live tweeting and most importantly, get feedback! After all, how else will you grow your business and improve, unless you know exactly what your guests think.

8. PREPARE FOR GLITCHES

While organizing an event online, there are a number of things that could go sideways. Right from internet connection acting out to your attendee having trouble accessing certain files, or even worse- the event platform. Good for you there are ways to avoid them right from the get-go!

Just remember, the sooner you find their problem, the sooner you can start working towards the solution.

It is extremely important to keep in mind the fact that with virtual events, there might be audio/ video lags etc, and not getting flustered by that is key.

If you are organizing a virtual event and need help, be sure to use an event management software. This makes your work efficient, easy and simple. Contact us at Mavent Tech to know more and see if we can help you organize your event with the help of our event management software