In the last year, the event world has opened up again, allowing us all to meet in person for some really amazing live events. But, just when we all thought we could take a breath, a war broke out, inflation started to rise and prices started to skyrocket. Countless stories of long line ups and delays at airports, spiking travel costs and a focus on reducing carbon impacts from events are making some reconsider virtual and online strategies. For event planners, this means returning to virtual events. Here are three main things to concentrate on in order to make your virtual events successful.
Make content to be watched after hours
One of the great things about virtual events is that they can be watched from anywhere in the world, at any time. This means that you can make your content available to a wider audience, and people can watch it when it suits them. If you make your content engaging and interesting, people will want to watch it again and again.
Shift your focus from trying to engage an audience sitting in front of their computer at a set time. Where do they want to watch? What do they want to watch on their own time? Make sure your content is available on-demand so people can watch it when they want.
Does your audience want to watch this on a TV later on their day? There are some great options for hosting and delivering your content, not just through a website and hosted video player, but an Apple TV app, Google Chrome app or Android platform.
Focus on quality not quantity
With virtual events, you don’t need to worry about filling a daily schedule with hundreds of sessions. You can focus on creating high-quality content that will engage and educate your audience. Spend time on the production value of your event content and make sure that everything is well-planned and runs smoothly.
Your virtual event doesn’t need to be a carbon copy of your live event. It can be its own thing, with its own unique identity. So, don’t try to cram in too much – focus on quality over quantity.
Reduce your overall agenda from a general session, series of breakouts and sessions and then a closing keynote. That kid of programming works really well for on site live events. Think about how your audience will consume your content on line. Does it need to be long? Does it need to ahve breakouts at all?
Keep exploring
We are not where we were in early 2020, when this all began. There are amazing options out there, more than you had at the beginning of the pandemic. Virtual events have come a long way in the last year and there are new platforms and technologies emerging all the time. So, keep exploring and trying new things. Virtual events are here to stay – embrace them and make them your own.
Event planners need to be nimble and adaptable in order to succeed in the post-pandemic world. Virtual events are not going away anytime soon, so it’s important to make sure that you are prepared. By following these three tips, you can make sure that your virtual events are successful. Engage your audience, focus on quality and keep exploring new possibilities. Virtual events offer a world of opportunity – it’s up to you to make the most of it.
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