The value of face-to-face interaction is never going away, but in the present time, going virtual is an essential part of the event program. But how do you utilize a multi-day conference filled with educational sessions, networking opportunities, and attendee insights into a virtual event?
And once done, how can you ensure attendees are engaged during the event? If you don’t have ideas, then explore a complete guide that helps you host successful virtual events without hassle.
Hosting a virtual event needs the same attention and care as an in-person event. With hosting both events, you need to promote the event efficiently, create memorable moments for the audience, engage your attendees, and find ways to ensure your event’s success.
When you think of hosting an event not as a miniature one-off webinar or presentation but as an engagement-driven and value-added experience, you can create an impactful event that extends well beyond the computer screen.
For miniature virtual events, people need around 3 to 6 weeks to promote the event successfully. While for large virtual conferences, around 65% of marketers require six weeks to promote and drive the desired registration for the event. Hence it becomes essential for you to plan and promote your virtual event adequately.
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What is a Virtual Event?
Chances are you have visited a webinar online, joined a meeting using a video conferencing tool, and watched an on-demand workout class. You might have accompanied a conference from the comfort of your desk. All these are a few well-known examples of virtual events.
A virtual event is unitedness, where individuals experience the content of any event online instead of gathering in person. According to Google Trends, the world is whirling into virtual reality more than ever before.
Primarily there are four types of virtual events, including:
- Webinars
- Virtual Conferences
- Internal Hybrid Events
- External Hybrid Events.
When it comes to hosting an event program, virtual events can be added to the mix, such as internal, or other events you love to attend. Virtual events are not a replacement for any events, but the type to add and improve your entire program, below are a few virtual events types:
Webinars
Webinars last somewhere from 45 to 80 minutes. Holding webinars virtually facilitates attendees globally to join and listen to the content or present the content as a speaker. Organizers can charge attendees to join webinars through online payment gateways or can offer them for free.
Webinars use video conferencing tools that provide Q&A, the strength to present life, or a pre-recorded video and be allowed as on-demand after the fact. Due to the one-off educational nature, webinars have succeeded with 100% virtual attendance. These can include external and internal training as well.
Virtual Conferences
Just like in-person conferences, virtual conferences are created around a complex, live agenda that includes sessions, keynotes, breakouts, and more. This type of event includes multi-session content and can include community engagement tools.
However, it’s not as effective in terms of lead capture as well as networking as an in-person event. Most virtual conferences enable attendees to observe keynotes in real time, develop their agenda from on-demand and relevant content, and interact with other attendees.
Internal Hybrid Events
Internal hybrid events are used to yield a message to the entire group when employees are not all assumed in the same place. While it would be transcendent to navigate every employee to the organization’s headquarters it can be incredibly costly, and the scheduling needed would be time-consuming.
The next most trustworthy option is to host hybrid events that are part virtual and in-person. Virtual team-building activities can operate well at internal hybrid events.
External Hybrid Events
Such events are handled by outsiders; they can be industry or user conferences. External hybrid events need a higher level of video production to offer virtual attendees comparable to in-person attendees. Attendees who are unable to travel to participate in the event can attend such an event quickly.
Reasons that Justify Why Host Virtual Events?
The virtual events market size was estimated at 94.04 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to expand at a 23.7% CAGR from 2021 to 2028. Virtual events are hosted for the same purpose as in-person events; they deliver messages to drive revenue and leads, build loyalty, and lifetime value, and drive adoption.
Event and meeting planners have been choosing between virtual, in-person, or hybrid events for years.
Each event type comes with its set of pros and cons. For example, webinar advantages from being virtual as the main purpose-built to cast a broad net to abandon thought training, leadership, or some other content, at the same time a regional training or user conference program is purpose-built to organize 1:1 in-person intercommunication that face-to-face delivery enhances. Various reasons show why you must organize a virtual event.
Accessibility
Most organizers prefer to organize the event in person, but they need to understand that the virtual option enables them to accommodate attendees who are incapable of attending in person.
Budget
Your brand needs to cut costs and host smaller webinars and events virtually as it can help you save money which you can invest for the biggest event of the year that brings the most significant number of leads. It helps you have hybrid or virtual options when attendee budgets to travel are a primary concern.
What if There is No Other Option?
What if attendees can’t attend the in-person event due to travel bands, acts of God, or extreme weather? They have to cancel the registration, but the chances of cancellation are less when you choose to host a virtual event instead of an in-person one.
Virtual Event Technology and Platforms to Host Events Successfully
Virtual events primarily rely on modern technology. Attendance would not be possible without the use of smart devices and computers. However, there is more to virtual event technology compared to video conferencing tools.
Much like in-person events, virtual events profit from using an event ticketing platform that helps you execute, manage, and promote your event. Below are a few essential factors to consider when executing your virtual event.
Event Website
The event website can be used for event promotion. It serves the purpose, regardless of whether the event is in-person or virtual. The event website helps you interact with the value of virtual events, showcase speakers, contain the event schedule, including FAQs, and point inherent attendees to register.
You can even host an event using an Eventbrite clone, helping you to interest potential attendees and attract attendees to register for the event.
Registration
Registration is the first tool for information and is crucial to the event. Registration tools enable attendees to register for the virtual event, personal details, submit preferences, and provide payment if needed.
A healthy online registration tool enables attendees to register quickly and accommodates marketers and planners with the information they require to plan a great event and achieve success.
Email Marketing
It can drive demand for an event and boost registrations, keep attendees acquainted before the event, and be practiced to engage attendees reaching up to your virtual event. Email marketing is the best technique to communicate with attendees at all grades of the event.
Users can consider using different email marketing tools that can deliver branded and personalized emails. It automates when emails are assigned and to whom based on attendee data and presents open rates as well as click-through metrics.
Online Event Guide & Mobile Event App
One of the essential pieces of a virtual event is modern technology. The event guide and mobile app are home-based for attendees during the event. Surprisingly, event apps are as crucial to in-person events as they are to virtual ones. The advanced tools work on web browsers and smart devices and are the foremost information hub for attendees.
Agendas with links to sessions put content at the attendee’s fingertips. It’s where attendees select and determine what sessions to add to the agenda and where planners gather erudition on attendee engagement and session popularity. The advanced tools connect attendees and offer messaging tools that enable attendees to foster connections and network virtually.
Event Feedback
The feedback is critical for virtual events when planners cannot gauge reactions by the verbal or expression feedback from attendees onsite. You can utilize event feedback tools to collect feedback utilizing post-event surveys that can be practiced to prove event success. Event feedback can be practiced as a tool to drive sales and leads.
Integrations
Amalgamations ensure that energetic registration and attendee information are shared between your virtual event platform and the event technology system. It permits this information to be shared with you through CRM and marketing automation systems.
Use combination tools to keep attendee data in place to jump on leads quickly and analyze key insights from events like session engagement and attendance.
Plan Your First Virtual Event Today!
Choosing virtual events as a crucial digital strategy for your event program and meeting is a good idea. While virtual events don’t hold the same power as face-to-face interactions, circumstances might require going virtual; sometimes, they can be on concise notice.
Having a plan and powerful technology in place will remain a pivot to digital can be an alternative you have complete confidence with. You can be trusted to deliver an informative and engaging experience to attendees who work hard to make it happen.
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