A Guide To Virtual Events
Virtual events have been around for some time and growing in popularity, but that’s especially true now as businesses are moving away from in-person events to help keep everyone socially distanced and safe. Whether it’s a webinar, conference, or livestream, these events are fully online, with the hosts and attendees participating from their own home or office.
While it takes some planning and preparation for a successful virtual event, the good news is that they are a great tool that offers huge ROI. We’ve put together some top tips to help you make the most of your next virtual event.
Start With a Plan
The last thing you want to do is wing it when it comes to virtual events. You need to create a plan beyond date and time: How many attendees will you be expecting? What’s the topic and type of event? Which platform will you use to put on the event? How will attendees register and will there be a cost? These details need to be nailed down before doing anything else.
Pick a Presenter
The beauty of virtual events is that you can choose presenters and panelists that may not have been able to attend in-person events due to travel or schedule restrictions. Once you’ve scheduled your event, reach out to industry experts and leaders that you would like to host or contribute their insight. Securing a presenter early on will let you create buzz about your event.
Reach Out to Sponsors
As you’re looking for capital to plan and run your event, many organizations are looking for ways to boost brand visibility. Sponsorship is a wise investment and can forge and nurture relationships and collaboration between businesses. Leverage the cache of your presenter and create a pitch that helps show the ROI for those organizations looking to sponsor your event.
Marketing is a Must
Now that the details are fleshed out, you can move on to marketing your virtual event. Create compelling digital graphics that you can share across channels, whether it be via email, social media, or on your website. Bolster your efforts with reviews of your business and other info about what you do, especially if you’re undertaking your first-ever event.
Create a Hashtag
This goes along with marketing. Think of a clever hashtag that you can use in your social media posts to promote the event; it can also be used by attendees to use in live posts as the event is happening. A custom hashtag makes it easy for you and others to find social media content with the click of a button.
Present Professionally
Take the time to create presentation slides and other materials that you can share with attendees during virtual events — there is no shortage of tools available to help you do that quickly and easily. Your presentation deck should engage and educate attendees as a visual element that complements what your presenters are saying.
Check Your Tech
This is a big one: If you’re hosting the event yourself, make sure your workspace has the internet capabilities to keep things running smoothly. You’ll want an office or conference room with a high-speed connection and a dedicated area for you, so you don’t find that the event is interrupted because of limited bandwidth or others working around you.
Record and Save the Presentation
Some of your attendees can’t make the event? No worries — record it and make the video available to watch on their own time, either on your website or another video platform like YouTube. It will become a valuable piece of content for your business, and help to show potential presenters and sponsors for next year’s event what they’re signing up for.
Make Your Virtual Event Accessible
You don’t want to limit who can attend your event, right? Make sure you add features that allow those with visual or hearing impairments from being able to enjoy your presentation. This includes elements like captions for speakers and a font in your presentation that’s large enough and easy to read without anyone straining to see it.
Whether you’re thinking of presenting a multi-day conference or a 30-minute webinar, it’s important to plan and prep for a virtual event in order to find success. If you’re looking for a space to set up shop as a presenter, look no further than the Globe Building. We offer flexible space, lightning-fast internet speeds, and a great location in the St. Louis area — get in touch with our team to learn more.
