In our previous article, “Online Events: 5 Steps to Success,” we explained what online events are, how they differ from in-person events, and the necessary steps to organize a successful event.
We began by discussing the importance of preparation, creating a script, and choosing the platform and format. Today, we will focus on the latter point: choosing the format of the online event.
Ultimately, we want to provide guidance on how to name your event.
4 PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS Before defining the type of format for your event, ask yourself these 4 questions: How many participants will attend the event? What is the level of knowledge of the participants about the event’s topic? What motivates participants to attend? What type of interaction do you want to establish with the participants?
ONLINE EVENTS: FORMATS Let’s review the three possible formats:
Webinar Conference Corporate Events
To select the most suitable event type for our purpose, let’s analyze the specifics of each format.
WEBINAR Compared to conferences or congresses, webinars have a shorter duration and are definitely in vogue. They often aim to lead the audience to longer, paid events, or, in the worst case, collect data.
They are excellent for creating interactions between speakers/organizers and participants.
Technologically, they allow the sharing of documents and other resources hosted on the hosts’ computers, provide chat, polls, and other widgets, as well as allow recording.
It is the right option to animate a workshop, seminar, or training action.
CONFERENCE Conferences or congresses can have multiple sessions and last for several days, and the number of participants depends on the type of platform used.
It is typically a more comprehensive and intercultural event, and remote simultaneous interpretation may be provided.
It has a more interactive and academic-scientific character. Chat is the most common means of interaction, but a time frame for debate/questions and answers can also be provided (as in in-person conferences).
It is the best format for debating transversal ideas (such as environmental issues), general assemblies, presentation of results, marketing plans for business groups and brands, etc.
CORPORATE EVENTS This format can adopt several names: exhibitions, product launches, networking, training, among others.
It is essentially about converting everything that was done in-person to the virtual world. Almost everything is possible: just have imagination and creativity! Virtual and augmented reality, gamification, personalized scenarios…
From simple meetings, brand activation events, product and service launches, inaugurations and commemorations, networking, and much more, the list is extensive.
CONCLUSIONS This article once again highlights the importance of the preparation phase and the questions that need to be asked before making any decisions.
If you still have doubts, Supreme Stage offers to provide all the necessary advice for free to define the most appropriate format, choose the platform or modules necessary for the success and optimization of your event.
Schedule a meeting with one of our consultants at customer.service@supremestage.com or by phone at (+351) 96 300 34 36!
