Hosting engaging virtual events to promote your business requires a tremendous amount of planning on your part. You want to create an informative and memorable experience for all of your viewers. Don’t know where to start? We’re here to share all the tips and tricks to help you make it happen!
Hosting Platforms for Virtual Events
Before you can put on a virtual event, you’ll need to research what hosting platform would best suit your wants and needs, as each platform has its own set of pros and cons. Make sure to test out the various platforms before your event to determine the one that would be most appropriate and help you reach your event’s goals. Most virtual events are either a webinar or a social live stream. Check out the popular hosting sites of these different styles below.
Webinars
Social Live Streams
Once you’ve decided on the perfect hosting platform, it’s time to create an unforgettable virtual event. Here are seven tips to help you do just that:
Hosting Successful Virtual Events
1. Have a Game Plan
The first tip to ensuring that your virtual event goes off without a hitch is to have a game plan. Every event, whether offline or online, should have a strategy. What is the key goal or concept you want to get across to your audience? Answer this question and build your plan around what you come up with. For more guidance on your virtual event strategy, ponder the following questions as well.
- What kind of experience do you want your audience to have?
- What hosting platform do you want to utilize?
- Will your event be live, on-demand, or both?
- Will registration be required to view or participate in the event?
- Will people have access to the event once it’s over?
2. Select an Optimum Time
In order to have a memorable virtual event, you need to ensure that people will actually watch it. Keep in mind that you won’t have any viewers if you don’t schedule your event during an optimum time. Ultimately, selecting the right date and time for your event will be the make or break element. Take time zones into consideration when scheduling your virtual event. Where do the majority of your followers reside? What time would work best for them? If you have a global audience, it may serve you well to plan multiple sessions of your virtual event to reach as many people as possible.
You can even go straight to the source when choosing the date and time of your event by asking your followers what they would prefer. An Instagram Story is a great way to ask followers what time would work best for them as you can post polls for them to answer. Plus, you already know these are your engaged followers, the ones likely to attend your virtual event, as they are already keeping up with you on social media.
3. Promote the Event on Social Media
To have a successful virtual event, you’ll need to draw in more than just your top followers. The best way to recruit new followers is through social media promotion. You will want to market your virtual event before the big day. Your marketing strategy should draw people in by highlighting how your event can make their life better in one way or another. It could be anything from noteworthy speakers and general education to special offers or networking opportunities. Remember, you must know the audience you are looking to attract to your event and cater your marketing strategy to their wants or needs.
4. Get Sponsors Involved with Your Virtual Events
Obtaining sponsorship will take your virtual event to the next level, so it’s really important to ensure that you have some credible and like-minded sponsors onboard. Sponsorship is really the backbone of your virtual events. Not only will it draw in a larger audience to your event, but it will also allow you to enhance the experience for your viewers.
5. Foster Audience Participation
Another great way to pull off a memorable virtual event is to promote audience participation. Be sure to create multiple opportunities for engagement throughout your event. Schedule in times throughout your event where viewers can submit questions or make comments through a chat tool. Events are always more engaging and rewarding if there are interactive features throughout. Polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions are all great ways to interact with your audience during the event. If you do choose to have a live chat, it’s a great idea to have a moderator with you, ready to field questions, and keep the chat interesting.
6. Be Inclusive
To pull off a successful virtual event, you also need to be inclusive of your content. Be sure that your virtual event is as accessible as possible. Use precise language in both spoken and written words. If you’re utilizing presentations throughout your event, make sure they are visually pleasing and easy to see so that your viewers have the best possible experience.
7. Prepare for Glitches
The final tip is to expect the unexpected. When putting on a virtual event, there is always the chance that you will have to deal with technology-related glitches. Before the big event, make sure to test your Internet connection, computer, and any other programs you will be using. It’s also a good idea to have backups of visuals and presentations in case things go astray and have a script roughly planned out for ‘what-if’ situations. You may also want to have an easy-to-follow guide for viewers who may not be as tech-savvy as others. This will help them to participate easily and will save you from spending too much time explaining the system.
Consult with the Pros
Looking for an event agency in Dubai? We can help. For the last 26 years, The Event Production Company has helped thousands of businesses put on successful events across the globe. As virtual events have become more popular, our business has shifted to accommodate both in-person and online events. If you’ve enjoyed this article, contact us today for more guidance and support for your virtual event. Whether it’s planning a webinar, live stream, or online seminar, we can help you make it happen.
