How to Host a Virtual Event: Tips and Advice

Prevent improper planning and lack of audience engagement from ruining your virtual event. Knowing how to plan, produce, and execute a flawless virtual event will increase your viewership, and extend your reach to a global level.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information, tips, and advice to help you conceive, plan, and execute your virtual event.

What is a Virtual Event?

A virtual event is a partial or complete online event livestream or webcast whereby attendees view and interact in a virtual environment rather than a physical location. Virtual events can be multi-session online events, often featuring lectures, Q&A, webinars, and webcasts. The following are just a few of the online events you can host:

• Training
• Courses
• Tutorials
• Lectures
• Conferences
• Shows/Concerts
• Performances
• Behind-the-scenes
• Interviews
• Location tours
• How to’s

Here is an excellent example of how large, live, in-person events can turn 100% virtual. Amidst the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Network migrated all of their in-person programs, such as Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night Smackdown, from live to virtual audiences.

Watch this video to see how live, cheering fans were replaced by hundreds of monitors with individual live feeds of fans viewing the show remotely.

Virtual Event Planning

Virtual event streaming services have helped companies produce events extending beyond geographical limitations. Virtual events can be 100% virtual, or hybrid, and accompany a live (in-person) event. However your event is orchestrated, your company should be fully invested before event streaming. The following are considerations and questions that will help your virtual event planner organize a virtual event with your remote audience in mind:

Audience Demographics – Who will attend your event, and what do you know about them? Ask the following questions to attain a better understanding of your audience:

• Is your audience inclined to attend a virtual event?
• What timeframe is best for your audience?
• Once tuned in, what subject matter will keep their attention locked in?
• What event format do they find more appealing?
• What offers (swag, discount codes, contests, raffles, etc.) will your audience respond to best?

Tip: As you begin to plan your virtual event, inform yourself about your audience by conducting surveys, starting a discussion forum, or whatever means that allow you to create a more extensive profile of your audience’s demographics.

Event Date and Time – When is the best time to hold your virtual event? Consider the following:

• Survey your audience with three or four options of days and times.
• Avoid dates that coincide with major sports or entertainment events.
• Consider your overseas audience as well (cultural festivals, time differences, etc.).

Note: While you are not likely able to appease the totality of your audience with a specific date, your event, after the live show, can be uploaded to YouTube.

Format Definition – Whether your event will take on the characteristics of a seminar (one person addressing your audience), a trade show (with multiple vendors and information), a workshop (with learning and tutorial elements), or a combination of these. Consider the following virtual event production options when determining a format and features for your virtual event:

• Real-time Q&A with the ability to engage both viewers and attendees
• Custom graphics for titles and animations
• Slides and/or video presentations
• Downloadable documents for workshop and seminar support
• Live switching with multiple camera angles to provide a personalized point of view (POV)
• Virtual Reality (VR) elements
• Augmented Reality (AR) to offer a more interactive experience

Note: The more components or moving parts you add to your virtual event, the more potential you will have for glitches, timing mishaps, and other technical issues. For this reason, you should have a host or emcee in control of the event’s flow and operation.

Emcee/Presenter Selection – The selection of an experienced event emcee or presenter is vital to maintaining a consistent flow throughout your event. Your emcee should be:

• Comfortable presenting in front of a camera, as well as a live audience
• Quick to respond to or direct questions from social media viewers and online participants
• Well enough versed in the event to dispatch the need for scripted information
• Capable of maneuvering around or filling in for unexpected glitches (late speaker, technical difficulties, etc.)

Note: Your emcee can be a professional speaker hired for the event or a member of your organization, comfortable with public speaking.

Tip: By using two emcees or presenters, they can split up speaking time, detect and resolve technical issues more quickly, and even add another layer of interest to keep your audience dialed into your event.

Platform Selection – There are numerous live streaming and virtual event platforms, and you may already be familiar with their capabilities, controls, and limitations. Some of them include:

• Periscope
• Zoom
• Microsoft Team
• YouTube Live
• Twitch

Depending on the diversity or complexity of the event you want to host, you may want to contract a corporate event production company to help you plan, organize, and curate your event. Some of the benefits of hiring an event production company include:

• Pre-Production
• Custom Graphics Support
• Custom Video Player
• Audio and Video Support
• Webcasting Support
• Dedicated Technician(s)
• Live Switching
• Post Production
• On-Demand Delivery

Whether your event plays to the medical field, Government organizations, corporate board meetings or annual reports, education, training, or other areas, an experienced production company can flawlessly guide you into and through your virtual event. Watch this video to learn more about working with a virtual event production team.

Virtual Event Marketing – In the same way in-person events are marketed, so should virtual events. Consider the following marketing methods:

• Create social media posts, tweets, chats, and stories that include links to relevant content, a virtual RSVP book, event participant bios, vlogs, and relevant hashtags.
• Invite social media influencers to help promote and broaden the reach of your event.
• Email your subscribers, using your newsletter as a vehicle, or send virtual invitations.
• Print promotional announcements, flyers, or postcards and use direct mail to reach your audience.

Note: In-person attendance to your event should be determined, in part, by the size of your venue and your ability to observe/encourage health safety guidelines.

Virtual Event Venue – The nature of a virtual event allows you to hold it practically anywhere. However, the components of your event (in-person attendance, trade shows, workshops, speakers, etc.) demand that you make accommodations for them.

Secure a venue that provides enough space for your in-person attendees, stage, podium, audio/visual, and lighting equipment.

Hosting a Virtual Event

In this article, you discovered essential information, tips, and advice that help you understand the many facets of a virtual event, and how to take it from conception to execution.

Knowing how to plan and market your virtual event will help you increase your audience, extending your brand’s reach, and subsequently growing your business.

Carelessly throwing together a virtual event, ignoring its basic structure and necessities will lead to a loss of viewership and waining confidence in your company’s capacities to fulfill consumer needs.

Sources:
boisestate.edu/eventservices/go-virtual/
brown.edu/offices/events/planning-resources/virtual-events-planning-guide
specialevents.gatech.edu/virtual
hls.harvard.edu/dept/events/hls-community-event-resources/virtual-event-planning-101/
fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/legacy_files/FS-green-virtual-events-checklist.pdf

See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/how-to-host-a-virtual-event-tips-advice/ for the first version of this content.

13 Ways To Make Your Virtual Event More Engaging

Prevent a dull and uneventful virtual event experience from driving attendance down. Knowing how to engage your audience and make them feel like an active participant will contribute to a significantly more successful virtual event.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following 13 ways to energize your online audience and keep their attention focused on your event content.

How To Make Virtual Events More Engaging

With virtual meetings or events like webinars and conferences, operating outside the box is truly the only solution for keeping your participants tuned in from the beginning till the end. The following are 13 ingenious ways to keep your audience’s interest focused and avoid their premature leaving:

1. Present Compelling Content

When you go virtual, there is increased pressure on your content to attract and keep attention. Convincing attendees to show up for your event requires offering compelling content that captures their interest more than the movie that was just released on Netflix. Read more on leveraging content at webcastingandvirtualevents.com/content-marketing-guide-with-examples/

2. Shout Out Attendees by Name

While no one particularly likes to be called out in the middle of a meeting, it will certainly keep you alert. The same way some influencers single out members of their audience, have experienced speakers mention attendee names in the session.

3. Be Observant of Meeting Length

You might have the impression that because attendees are sitting at in-person events and virtual events, that their session durations shouldn’t change. But, there’s a striking difference between sitting in a two-hour in-person presentation with other engaged attendees, watching a presentation filled with music, performance, and inspiring speeches, and sitting alone in a chair at home.

Virtual sessions can feel longer, and attendees are more likely to click away during the event. Keep your meetings and sessions shorter than normal to keep your attendees focused on the content.

4. Collaborate With Other Creators

If you’re putting on a multiple-day virtual event, collaborate with other creators. This will help diversify the format and better appeal to your audience, keeping them engaged throughout the whole event.

You can do this by having:

• Interactive topic panels 
• Case studies from past participants
• Panel-style presentations and interactions


5. Production/Product Quality

The final production and product quality of your virtual event and its content is your opportunity to make a profound impact. Look to video best practices to truly make your mark. Acquire the highest quality cameras, branded props, crisp mics, and quality of your presentations. Stunning graphics and excellent video quality will keep your event attendees mesmerized with the screen. Read more on video content creation at webcastingandvirtualevents.com/video-content-creation-tips-and-tools/

6. Live Q&A

Let attendees pose questions and provide answers during Q&A sessions. By offering exceptional content, your attendees will have questions and want answers from the expert(s). Include Q&A time in the same way you would at an in-person event.

7. FAQs and Tips and Tricks for Virtual Events

Build an easily accessible page on your event website specifically for FAQs. Create a guide for your attendees with information about how to get the most out of a virtual event. Think beyond the typically written guide and make a series of video tutorials instead.

8. Surveys and Knowledge Tests

Hold your attendees intellectually accountable. Give surveys after each information block, whether it’s live or an on-demand event, or give a simple knowledge test to see if they were tuned in or not. This is an exceptional tool for educational content.

9. Live Keynotes

Your keynotes need to be engaging, inspirational, and educational. And, in a virtual setting, it’s best for them to be live. If your virtual event comprises many blocks or sessions, try to place a live keynote speaker to build a sense of excitement and online community. Encourage attendees to post their favorite quotes and thoughts to social media and message streams.

10. Networking

In-person events focus heavily on networking. Virtual meetings can make the most of networking, too. Using your mobile event app’s attendee list and connect your attendees based on common interests or shared event goals. Promote virtual happy hours or gatherings for attendees to make valuable connections.

11. On-Demand, Diverse, and Flexible Content

Sitting in a chair all day and watching videos can get very old and tedious quickly. On-demand sessions permit attendees to see content and watch sessions at their own speed. Offer sessions that can be watched at any time. If you want attendees to stick to a fixed schedule, give them space and add time in for breaks.

12. Messaging in the Event App

Maximize the use of your virtual event technology. Mobile event apps usually have built-in messaging capabilities. Encourage your attendees to talk to one another and interact. Keep them talking throughout the event in the easiest way possible – with a tool built into the event app. or software.

13. Swag

If you have collected your event attendee’s street addresses, you should send them swag. If you only have their email addresses, you can still send them swag. Virtual event attendees (like most people) love free things. Consider gifting them with an e-gift card for coffee or mail out t-shirts, pens, hats, or other branded material before the event for attendees to wear throughout the virtual event.

Think Outside the Box with Your Virtual Event

A virtual event isn’t required to be a stripped-down version of an in-person event. While it can’t match the experience of an in-person event, engagement should still be one of the top priorities. Going virtual only means that you will have to amp up your creativity about keeping attendees focused and inspired.

Create an Engaging Virtual Event

In this article, you discovered 13 ways to increase a virtual audience’s interest in exploring your content and promotional activities.

When you offer your virtual audience activities and purpose, you transform them from spectators into active participants.

Leaving your virtual audience not engaged will result in low interest and even lower virtual event attendance.

Sources:
socialmediatoday.com/news/how-to-shift-from-physical-to-virtual-events-and-maximize-event-outcomes/574048/
stonybrook.edu/commcms/studentaffairs/sac/Club_Org_Resources/managing_clubs_and_orgs_virtually/Planning_Virtual_Events.php

p>See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/13-ways-to-make-virtual-event-more-engaging/ for the first version of this content.