There are so many things to consider when planning a virtual event. From choosing the right platform to putting together the content to establishing engagement opportunities. Everything that is planned needs to be set up for success. Therefore, hosting a virtual event comes with a lot of responsibility and strategic planning before launch. As you focus on how you will make a profit and ensure your guests will be engaged throughout the event, you may stumble upon certain obstacles and uncertainty during the planning stages.
If this is your first time planning a virtual event, keep in mind that this will be different from a regular event. It's important to do your research and figure out every aspect of the event before making decisions. To make your planning process a little easier, we have come up with the top mistakes you might want to avoid when hosting your virtual event. Trust us, these tips will come in handy.
Mistakes happen and for the most part, they are a normal part of the planning process. Mistakes enable you to learn from your errors and do better next time. However, here are some common mistakes made in the past that you can look out for to ensure your event runs smoothly.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when planning your virtual event. Why? Because as much as we love technology, it can sometimes fail us when we need it the most. Make sure you do your due diligence when it comes to testing out all your equipment such as audio, visuals, speakers and gamification features. You need to also have your guest speakers test out their equipment. Everyone should feel prepared before the event is live.
It's a good idea to have a rehearsal of the event to ensure that everything will run smoothly on the actual day. Taking this necessary step will not only make sure you have a successful event but will also give you peace of mind knowing you did a complete run through. This is your opportunity to catch any issues and find anything that is out of place before the launch.
Every virtual event is unique. Depending on what you’re offering to your attendees, you need to choose the right platform for your event. This could mean taking some extra time to evaluate different platforms and find the one that truly suits all your needs. If you're trying to have a networking event, you need to make sure there are networking capabilities that come with the platform.
You also need to ensure the platform you choose can deliver everything from integrating social media, to clear audio and video streams and anything else related to your event. Have a look at our features and benefits to get an even better idea of the type of features you need to enhance your event.
People don’t have long attention spans. It’s important to keep this in mind to ensure that people don’t get bored and log off in the middle of your event. Remember, attendees will be logging on from their screens and they can switch off their devices whenever they want. Some helpful tips include keeping guest speaker sessions and other webinars to 20 minutes. Shorter presentations will have more engagement unless it needs to be long for educational purposes. Sessions should be timed and include an agenda for people to follow and stay on track with.
Networking is one of the main reasons many people attend big events and conferences. While in-person events are slowly coming back, virtual events are still a more accessible way to continue to network easily. You need to ensure that attendees will get the networking and engagement opportunities during the event. A few ways to do this is by incorporating breakout rooms, live Q/As, polls, social media and other participation opportunities. Encourage your audience to participate on social media. Have contents with leaderboards to get attendees engaged and want to compete with each other. The goal is to keep attendees immersed in the conference at all times.
Sponsors are not only valuable to you but are also valuable to your attendees! Take the time to choose the right sponsors for the event and get them involved in the early stages of the planning process. Not only will they help fund your event but they will also help in creating buzz and engagement around your event. For example, your sponsors could put together a swag bag for attendees that will get them excited about attending the event.
It’s important to do your research and pick the right sponsors for your event. Sponsors need to be related to your event to keep your audience's interest. Additionally, sponsors need provide value to you and your attendees even after the event is over, therefore picking sponsors that align with your brand is important.
We hope by acknowledging these mistakes you will be able to stay on top of your planning process to make sure that your event will run as smoothly as possible. You need to make sure your audience will feel like they really took away valuable insights and were able to network with their peers at the event.