When COVID-19 hit, businesses had to find a way to keep events running. Hosting a virtual event became the easiest way to network, be social, and stay safe all at the same time.
Things may be opening up as vaccines become more readily available, but you shouldn’t expect virtual event popularity to die down. The truth is that virtual events are here to stay.
Whether you’re planning a large corporate virtual event to take place of an in-person conference or a small team-building happy hour, it’s important for everyone to know how to host a virtual event. You’re going to need a lot more than a Zoom link and working camera to host a good virtual event.
If you’re ready to learn how the pros manage their virtual events, here are four must-follow tips that can help make your next remote gathering a success.
1. Determine Clear Goals
Every event should have a clear purpose. If you want to ensure that your event is a success, take time to think about what you want to get out of it.
Do you want to introduce more people to your brand? Are you looking for more networking opportunities? Is this a meet and greet to keep people social and top of mind?
“We need to hold something” is not a goal for an event. Think critically about what would make this event a success for you so you can think about virtual event ideas.
2. Encourage Engagement
One of the biggest hurdles that come with hosting virtual events is participation. It can be easy to get people to talk and interact with each other when they’re all in the same room. Things get a little more tricky when you’re doing everything online.
If you want to keep people engaged, give them different ways to be a part of what’s going on. Add a few live polls and quizzes to your virtual event. Organize different breakout “rooms” for people to have private conversations.
3. Find the Right Platform
You could simply email people a Zoom link if you want to hold a virtual event. However, if you really want to make this event a success, you should think about the virtual event platform you’re going to use.
If you’re looking for information on different platforms consider looking at sites like eventnation.com to read reviews. While you’re looking at what other people have to say about different platforms, be sure to think about certain features that could help you plan a great event.
Some platforms can give hosts the ability to “call on” people, present from different programs, or make creative backgrounds. You may also consider virtual event software that gives you in-depth analytics so you can tie event success to certain metrics.
4. Do a Dry Run
Are you planning an event that will have different speakers? The more people you’re working with, the more vulnerable you are to tech problems and mistakes.
If you want to ensure that things go well the day of the event, schedule some time for everyone to get together and test things out.
Make sure that people can connect with your platform of choice. Test people’s internet connection and make sure their videos and other visuals aids can be presented clearly.
Hosting a Virtual Event Made Easy
Hosting a virtual event may not be as simple as you thought, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be hard. When you focus on setting clear goals, give people more opportunities to critically think and interact, and find the right platform, managing virtual events is simple!
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