We wanted to share some key insights from “Pivot to Virtual”, an online event organized by Event MB and their partners. You can find a full agenda of the event and video recordings here.
Here is the summary of a webinar presentation on how to use event apps to stimulate online event engagement during a time when attending in-person events is not possible due to the coronavirus.
Hosting an online event is an extremely effective way to engage with your audience and bring communities together, especially while face-to-face events are on hold. By pairing your traditional event planning skills with the right technology, you can absolutely achieve your event objectives in the virtual environment. Here’s what you need to know:
Key Points
Defining your event objectives:
When planning your online event, the first thing you need to determine is what your goals are. Business event objectives can typically be divided into four main categories. Let’s take a look at what these categories are, and how they apply to an era forced into the digital setting:
1. Communication or teaching: conveying information to an audience in a way that’s engaging
Relevancy: virtual communication is essential right now. The online environment provides a unique setting to communicate with others when they can’t be in the room.
2. Networking: giving people the opportunity to meet with each other.
Relevancy: facilitating connections remains crucial during a time without physical meetings.
3. Sales and Promotion: bringing clients and prospects together to make sales opportunities.
Relevancy: The economy has to keep going. Businesses have to find a way to operate in a new setting and keep making sales.
4. Branding: building brand awareness.
Relevancy: How brands present themselves matters more than ever. It’s necessary to learn how to promote your organization effectively in a virtual setting.
These fundamental event objectives remain just as relevant in the virtual environment. In fact, you can actually concentrate on achieving your event goals better in the online environment. It's true: with a virtual event, you don’t have to think about distractions like staging and sets, or any of the other complications that come with planning a traditional event.
Determining which event objectives to focus on is important in order to pick the most appropriate technology.
Picking the right technology for your online event:
Different software will have different strengths and weaknesses, depending on your event goals. You should first consider whether it’s a B2B or B2C event, and the level of complexity you want your event to be. There are several types of event apps to choose from, so make sure to fit the features of the technology to the objectives of your event.
What to consider when designing your online event:
There are three main areas to think about when creating the event and moving it to the right technology:
The live function: the ability to go live should be fundamental. Live events allow you to engage with your audience and redirect the conversation based on what people are experiencing.
Providing engagement: from polls to Q&As, allowing everyone to contribute to the discussion is a must. If organizers aren’t asking the audience to participate, then it’s just a podcast.
Video capability: it’s essential to see a face on the other end of your screen to maintain that human connection. Providing a human element to your event helps to convey leadership and expertise.
With an online event, you’re no longer confined to a room or figuring out the logistics of moving people around that room. Online meetings are an opportunity to challenge the old way of doing things and redesign the way we work.
What will the future of event planning look like with event apps?
When this particular time is over, and face-to-face meetings start taking place again, event organizers will have learned a lot from using these new types of technology. They will recognize their ability to manage, engage, and monetize an audience in a virtual setting. Virtual meetings will likely continue to increase even after we resume physical events. And certainly, hybrid events may become the new normal as people look to blend the physical element with their new skills in the virtual environment.
https://medium.com/@ConfCastTV/how-to-price-virtual-attendance-and-monetize-conference-videos-successful-strategies-and-cases-2ab3895ed3f0