Virtual events are becoming increasingly popular, whether families who have been separated due to work can reunite online or friends who were unable to attend a wedding get together for drinks. A good event planner can help you manage these events from start to finish.
Virtual event planners focus on how technology delivers or informs participant experiences and wider marketing efforts. They also consider accessibility and privacy concerns.
Planning
Virtual events are becoming increasingly common in the event industry. They can be a standalone venture or accompany an in-person event. Either way, a virtual event requires more than just the right equipment. It also needs to be well-planned and supported by great data. In addition, it needs to be a seamless experience for attendees. Here are a few tips to help you plan a successful virtual event.
One of the biggest mistakes experienced planners make is trying to replicate a face-to-face event online. This is a mistake because not everything translates well online. Instead, focus on creating an event that is unique to the virtual environment and offers a value-added networking opportunity for attendees.
Another important aspect of planning a virtual event is determining the audience’s level of comfort with technology. Some attendees may feel overwhelmed by the lack of visual feedback, but that’s easily remedied with event software tools like Q&A and chat feeds. Using these tools can also boost engagement for attendees by adding a more interactive element to your virtual event.
A skilled virtual event coordinator is technologically savvy and can troubleshoot backend issues related to the virtual conference platform, software and app hiccups, as well as internet difficulties. They are also responsible for educating presenters, vendors and virtual attendees on the platform features and usage. They can also maintain a platform incident log and keep a list of event-related enhancements for consideration and implementation in future.
Additionally, a virtual event planner must ensure that all critical information is shared between the virtual conference platform and marketing automation and CRM systems. This helps jumpstart lead follow-up and enables the virtual event planner to better analyze key event performance metrics.
Budgeting
A well-thought-out virtual event budget is essential for planning and executing virtual events. It allows you to estimate costs and track expenditures so you can measure your return on investment. It is also a great tool for preventing overspending or underspending.
Start by identifying your goals. Do you want to increase ticket sales or spread awareness about a certain topic? Then figure out what features are a necessity and what could be cut from the event. Taking this approach will help you determine how much to spend on each item and ensure that you get the most value for your money.
Then, create a spreadsheet to organize your expenses. It should contain three key pages: overview, details, and expense tracking. A spreadsheet is the most comprehensive tool for creating a virtual event budget because it allows for detailed itemization and calculations. Use a platform that allows multiple team members to edit the budget in real time, such as Google Sheets. This way, you can collaborate on the budget with your team while keeping a central copy that autosaves.
You should include a description of each item on your virtual event budget to identify its purpose and justify its cost. This is especially important if the budget needs to be revised or approved by someone who is not involved in the process. Including a description can also make it easier to identify expensive items and determine where savings can be made.
It is also a good idea to include a contingency amount in your virtual event budget. This will allow you to cover unexpected expenses and ensure that your event runs smoothly. You can do this by adding a percentage of your total budget as a buffer.
Design
Virtual event planning is a lot of work and requires extensive preparation. Whether you’re an experienced event planner or not, it can take time to get everything done. That’s why it’s best to plan ahead. Start by creating a virtual event checklist to help you stay organized and on track.
First, make sure all your event partners are on board with the virtual event. This includes speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors. You can do this by documenting everyone and coordinating with them before the event. Next, create an agenda that details the event sessions and times. This will help you decide what topics to cover and when. You may also want to include a keynote address and breakout sessions.
Once you have the event content planned, you can start working on the design of your virtual event. This is important because it will set the tone for how attendees will engage with the event. You can use different colors, fonts, and images to create a visual design for the event. It’s also important to test out the audio and video quality of the platform.
Unlike face-to-face events, virtual events are not as easy to gauge audience reactions with body language or verbal feedback. However, virtual event planners can still gather data using post-event surveys to qualify leads and prove event success.
Whether you’re hosting a virtual webinar, workshop, or tradeshow, it’s essential to have great event management software. Wrike helps you save time, proactively solve issues, and keep everyone on the same page in real-time. The tool offers a free two-week trial so you can see how it can work for your business.
Livestreaming
Unlike in-person events, virtual event planning has a lot more moving parts. From selecting the right software and hardware to creating a high-quality recording, there are many steps to consider. To avoid any technical issues, virtual event planners should have a test run of their equipment and content before the big day.
One of the biggest challenges in hosting a virtual event is maintaining the audience engagement level. Whether it is through chat features or Q&A, virtual events require a strong understanding of how to make the event interactive and engaging for attendees. The virtual event planner is also responsible for educating presenters on how to use the platform. This includes ensuring that the presenters can read body language through their webcams and answering any questions from attendees.
Another important aspect of virtual event planning is choosing a time that will work for the audience. This can be difficult since geographic concerns are nonexistent. However, it is essential to choose a time that does not clash with other important events, such as high-profile sports games or the finale of Dancing With The Stars.
Luckily, there are companies that specialize in virtual event production and streaming. These full-service providers handle the planning, management, and logistics of online events from beginning to end. Their team of experienced event managers can help you choose the best software, hardware, and tools to meet your needs.
These services can be particularly helpful during the coronavirus pandemic. As more and more businesses cancel or postpone face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic, virtual events have become increasingly popular. These events are a great way for businesses to connect with their customers and stay up-to-date on industry news.
Audience Engagement
Virtual events are a great way to reach a wider audience and expand networking opportunities. However, they must be well-planned to ensure success. In addition, they must be planned with the audience in mind to ensure they are engaging and delivering the content needed. Using a virtual event planning tool that provides clear video streaming services, attendance tracking tools, interactive polling, lightning-fast registration and data collection is important to ensuring the event is successful.
Another consideration is how tech-savvy the average attendee will be. This is especially important if the virtual event will include live presentations or workshops. It is also helpful to determine how long the event will be and what types of activities will be available for attendees between sessions. This will help planners create the most effective program for their target audience.
Although it is difficult to replicate the in-person experience, a virtual event can still provide a valuable learning opportunity for attendees. Creating a digital exhibition, one-to-one meetings, virtual presentations, immersion experiences, and more can all be offered at an online event. The key is to choose the right type of activity for each attendee based on their interests.
While it is not possible to gauge body language or facial expressions in a virtual setting, proxies can be used to measure engagement. These can include the number of questions asked during a presentation, the number of people in a networking lounge, or the number of chat messages exchanged.
Another effective tool for boosting virtual event engagement is the use of social media UGC. This can be achieved by integrating a Taggbox social media ticker with live streaming and displaying it to the audience in real-time. This can engage the audience and drive brand awareness, trust, & participation at your event.