It's no secret that one of the top reasons we attend events is to network. Networking provides an excellent opportunity to not only create valuable connections but also to learn from one another. Of course, the question on everyone's mind right now is: while coronavirus has us kept indoors and away from others, how can we continue to incorporate networking into our lives and events?
During the webinar session, "Meaningful Connections: Networking and Gamification in Virtual Events - Q&A session," the Chief Marketing Officer at Socio, Corey McCarthy, used her industry insights to answer pressing questions regarding how to make meaningful connections at virtual events.
Q&A Summary:
Q: Is it possible for networking to happen online?
A: Absolutely, it is. Event planners have a lot of opportunities to get creative with networking in the virtual setting. Socio is currently working on shifting tools to make virtual events easy for event planners.
There are several ways that organizers can pivot their in-person event apps to virtual, and help audiences to network and share ideas before, during, and after their online events. Take a look at some examples from Socio on how to achieve this below.
Socio's event app networking features:
- Attendees can view which sessions people are planning to attend, access their profiles from that list, and start chatting with each other.
- The speaker list and attendee list are searchable so that everyone has the opportunity to chat one-on-one.
- There is a discussion board that serves as a social media center where people can chat, post pictures, comment on and like posts.
- Individual group chats are available for each event session.
- Event planners can use push notifications to keep attendees up to date when each session is coming up.
- The shake to connect feature is a prime example of pivoting an in-person networking feature to virtual. In person, this tool allowed event attendees to forgo the handshake and connect by shaking their devices next to each other, which would prompt their online profiles to pop up. Now, this option is available remotely. Organizers can let attendees know to shake their phones at the beginning of a session, informing each person who shook their phone who else would like to connect.
- Another interesting networking tool is the smart feed section. Every time users open the event apps homepage, the app recommends a random person to connect with.
Q: How important is it to have a virtual networking plan ahead of the event to get attendees to connect through the event app?
A: When looking at why people attend events, 82% are looking to network, and 72% want a learning experience. As event organizers make the switch to virtual, they need to keep in mind that "any event that doesn't include an opportunity for attendees to network is just another webinar."
So yes, event organizers should definitely plan how to incorporate the right amount of networking into their virtual event.
Keep in mind that each audience will be a little different, so you need to put thought into what will work best for their unique group. When planning, organizers should take a look at what tools they already have and determine how to blend networking opportunities within the agenda of the event.
Q: Can we engage people online through gamification?
A: Absolutely. Gamification is a great way to add a fun element to events and keep people engaging. It's a good idea to customize how you gamify based on your event objectives. Only after you determine your goals should you begin to get creative with gamification.
Let's explore a couple of different ways to gamify in event apps:
- You can show a leaderboard of how many people attendees are connecting with to encourage more networking.
- You can use push notifications to announce sessions with a unique code to collect points.
- You can gamify surveys to encourage feedback.
- You can use gamification to incentivize people to interact with your sponsors.
- You can drive membership renewals through gamification.
- You can create custom trivia questions to boost learning.
- You can encourage people to take part in polls.
- You can digitize the old-school "passports" to connect sessions and keep people moving from session to session.
As you can see, there are tons of opportunities with gamification. When transitioning to virtual events, it's crucial to think about things long-term. Be thoughtful about picking a technology that makes sense both now and in the future.
About ConferenceCast
ConferenceCast.tv, an ultimate platform that allows users to watch world-leading conferences live and on-demand and enables conference organizers to extend the life cycle of the event.
We provide a turn-key solution for event planners from organizing a virtual conference and live streaming the event to monetizing their video content on-demand, thus enabling organizers to amplify their reach and generate recurring revenue even long after the end of the event.