All activities in society are increasingly moving to the digital world, creating new trends and adopting new online habits, such as virtual events. The use of digital platforms and social media as a means of communication plays a fundamental role in our daily lives.
Virtual events are increasingly being used to complement or even replace in-person events, especially due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and confinement orders.
Virtual events allow personal and commercial plans to move forward without compromising the safety of everyone. The big question is: “What will the world of events look like after the pandemic?”
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL EVENT?
Virtual events are very similar to in-person events, with the difference being that they take place in a digital environment.
Virtual events can be streamed online through social media and also through specialized platforms for organizing and broadcasting virtual events.
Essentially, virtual events have the same fundamental components as in-person events, and everything is just a click away.
There are several types of virtual events that can have a large reach and produce positive results.
IN THE BUSINESS AND CORPORATE AREA, WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF VIRTUAL EVENTS?
Webinars or Virtual Events
Webinars allow participants to listen to or watch content being shared by speakers from wherever they are.
Businesses and independent professionals often charge an admission fee for the audience wishing to attend a webinar, although many are available for free. All webinars use video conferencing software, which allows the presenter to deliver their presentation live or via recorded video, as well as Q&A sessions, and the best part is that the content remains available for reference after the event.
In 2020, over 35% of webinar content was consumed after the events!
Virtual Meetings, Conferences, Conventions, and Congresses
Like these events held in person, virtual events involve complex and live agendas.
Some virtual conferences present content that involves several parallel sessions and may use tools to encourage audience engagement.
There is always the possibility of using pre-recorded content, which is a great advantage.
Virtual conferences allow participants to watch lectures in real-time, interact with other participants through text or video, view content after the event ends, and create their own personalized agendas.
On more advanced platforms, exhibition areas and networking areas are available, highlighting partners and sponsors.
Hybrid Events (Internal and External)
Hybrid events are events in which some participants are physically in a location, which can be a video recording studio, a hotel room, or another space prepared for video production, and can be department meetings, training sessions, company events, sales launches, etc.
For companies conducting business internationally, hybrid events facilitate communication between employees and company entities located in geographically dispersed locations.
Often, organizing an event to have all employees in one location is not only inconvenient but also incurs extraordinary costs and causes conflicts in the event’s programming and participants’ and speakers’ availability.
These types of events allow people who cannot physically attend an event to participate from home.
ADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL EVENTS AND PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE
Virtual events have great advantages for all parties involved (organizers and participants).
Advantages of Virtual Events:
Saves time and money – A virtual event removes some worries and extraordinary costs such as catering, venue rental, accommodation, travel costs, etc. saving time and money for both the company and participants;
Reliable and flexible – Virtual events eliminate various setbacks such as having to cancel the event due to weather issues, a speaker not being able to travel, or even availability conflicts, among other factors;
Global reach – A virtual event can reach a wider audience, covering a larger number of participants, let’s say… an unlimited number of participants who can be anywhere in the world;
Shows that the organization is up-to-date with the latest trends, following or leading the evolution;
The information conveyed is not ephemeral, it is recorded for future reference and consultation, which is a great advantage when it comes to training, for example. Easy to obtain feedback. Last but not least, the metric derived from the participants’ behavior is rigorous and valuable and innovative, as it has never been possible to access this type of information before.
Disadvantages / precautions to take with Virtual Events:
The lack of personal contact, of shaking hands, of looking someone in the eye is an unavoidable and irreplaceable disadvantage; The Internet access must be of good quality so as not to compromise the experience; The lack of production team experience can reflect in serious technical issues.
THE ELEMENTS OF VIRTUAL EVENTS
As there is no WOW factor in the location or other attractive factors as in in-person events, the reason why people participate in virtual events is solely for the content, “content is King”.
For this reason, sessions and presentations must be dynamic and powerful and contain points that participants value and identify with.
Virtual events are centered around engagement, interaction, information, and content for participants.
The quality of internet connection, video quality, platform capacity and quality, event dynamism, and activities are determining factors in the success of virtual events.
Essential Elements of Virtual Events:
Event registration;
Platform reliability and navigability;
Content for live presentations (livestream/direct);
Networking; Moderated Q&A;
Interactive live voting; Gamification;
Personal area with notes, contacts, favorites, and chat log;
Recorded content;
Interactive video conference 1 to 1 or in small groups;
Feedback surveys;
Chatting (Chats).
HOW TO ORGANIZE A VIRTUAL EVENT
The process of planning a virtual event is not much different from the work involved in planning any other type of event.
In an in-person event, participants would not be seated for more than two hours at a time, and the same goes for virtual events.
Despite how different virtual events may seem, they should be treated like an in-person event.
Some questions that the Virtual Event organizer should consider:
What is my cost map and how do I allocate it to the various event items? Will the content be recorded, live or both? Have you prepared a script of instructions for participants that explains how to access or participate in a lecture, participate in a session, and operate interaction tools with other participants? Is the event recorded? Will it be free or paid? What are the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of the event? How will you handle connectivity problems? Do you know what tests you should perform? After the event ends, when will the recording be available for consultation (at the end of the event)? What is the duration of each session? What is the correct timing for breaks, to encourage social interaction and networking, or even moments of entertainment?
Preparation of participants for the virtual event
As each virtual event is unique, it is necessary to create a script with instructions for participants that explains how to use the platform or website, how to access sessions, and other relevant details.
Another option is to hold a Q&A and platform testing session before the event.
Engagement of participants in the virtual event
Although lectures are watched individually, opportunities for networking are abundant – each participant can chat and interact with other participants, speakers, and content through live voting, Q&A sessions, video calls, chats, etc.
Social networks continue to be a great tool for content sharing, both by the organizing body and the participants.
Social media is a great way to promote the event before it happens, share news while it is happening, and post moments of the event, the speakers, etc., after it ends.
A great way to promote the event and at the same time make participants feel like they are part of a community is to ask participants to share photos of their favorite parts of the day, using a custom event hashtag.
Virtual sponsorship of the virtual event
It is possible in all events to develop advertising spaces.
In a virtual event, this space is digital and can be through banners, images, videos, etc. on the event platform, website, or social networks.
Digital advertising space has become one of the most popular marketing tools in the modern world.
10 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL EVENT!
Define the event’s objectives well;
Know the target audience well (needs and difficulties);
Change your events strategy (from in-person to virtual or hybrid);
Use the appropriate technology;
Reuse elements used for in-person events (website, social media);
Prepare participants in advance;
Focus on content;
Participant engagement and interaction should be a priority;
Capture and analyze event data;
Consider sponsor experiences;
Support speaker preparation.
SUMMARY…
Virtual events can provide informative and engaging experiences for any audience. They can complement an in-person event, as well as be used as stand-alone event tools.
Technological developments have allowed for significant advancements in virtual events over the last year, allowing participants to experience the event like never before.
For an organizer, it is crucial to define their event creation/organization strategy (objectives, platform, target audience, organization skills, participant preparation before the event, engagement and interaction, etc.); marketing and event promotion strategy, as well as analyzing event data (before, during, and after) to measure ROI (return on investment), resolve any technical issues, and improve the experience for all participants while determining the level of event success.
