How to Organize a Virtual Event?

In recent weeks, a significant part of the business sector has been forced into remote work. We have been urged to meet virtually, and digital means are becoming more important than ever. Thus, as with any time of change, there is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves with a new event format: The virtual event or online event.

But how do you organize a virtual event… Don’t worry because in this article we will teach you how to organize a virtual event and the keys to doing it successfully. Are you ready? Let’s get started…

Advantages of Hosting Virtual Events

Planning online events is becoming a necessity for companies, and this, far from being a drawback, has several benefits. Here are some of the most important:

Cost Reduction

The costs associated with organizing the event, such as development, travel, meals, etc., are reduced, allowing the company to save most of that capital to invest in other areas.

Increased Attendance Rate

Since these are digital events that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection and a computer or mobile phone, the attendance rate tends to be higher.

Access to Data and Measurable Results

Having real-time access to data about the people participating in the event is extremely valuable, as it allows us to gather a wealth of information for the company and efficiently measure the return on investment we are achieving.

As you can see, these are great advantages that make virtual events a good alternative to traditional meetings, fairs, and any other type of corporate event you can think of.

Steps to Organize a Virtual Event

Next, we will look at the fundamental keys to success when organizing a virtual event, such as choosing the ideal format for broadcasting it, clearly defining our target audience, understanding their resources, what language they speak, and details that, if well planned, will help ensure our event is successful and meets the objectives we have set.

If this is your first time organizing a virtual event, don’t worry! It’s not that different from preparing a physical event; after all, the actions you need to take are almost the same, just in a different environment. In traditional events, you would work in a physical setting by booking a venue, sending tickets… and in a virtual event, you perform those actions within the digital environment.

Let’s explain it very simply in just 4 steps:

1. Define the Format and Platform for the Event

Just like when organizing a traditional event in the physical world, we need to find the ideal format for our digital event. It could be an online talk or conference, a workshop, a virtual course, or a remote meeting.

Once we have chosen a format, we need to find the platform that best suits it. You can host a webinar that your attendees can save and review, a jam session with interactive presentations so your colleagues can participate in real-time, a streaming session with Q&A possibilities…

There are countless ways to do it, and finding the right one is key to ensuring that the information you want to convey reaches your audience. Unlike a traditional event, where people generally stay until the end, in a digital event, it is easier for attendees to disconnect. In other words, it’s easier for the audience to leave if they don’t find what they are looking for.

So, what’s the key? How can I ensure my audience feels satisfied and doesn’t leave? The digital world gives us the opportunity to offer a unique experience to our users, as we have a myriad of resources at our disposal to achieve this. Virtual reality, 3D animations, infographics, interactive graphics, or artificial intelligence are resources available to make your event as attractive and enriching as possible for your audience.

2. Know Your Target Audience and Adapt to Them

Every audience is different, and for your event to be successful, you must know yours perfectly. Understanding their behavior, preferences, and whether they have technological knowledge or not are data points that will help you organize your event in a way that resonates better with the audience you want to reach.

3. Event Promotion is a Key Success Factor

If no one knows about your event, it will obviously be a complete failure. Therefore, just as you would with a traditional meeting, you need to inform everyone who might be interested about when the event will take place, where, and why they should attend.

We have endless online possibilities for promotion and reaching a vast audience at a very low cost today. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about our company and what we do.

We can start by promoting on the social media platforms where our audience is present, sharing posts, etc. However, if we want greater attendance and to reach more people, we cannot stop there, as the reach on social media is quite limited for companies. From email marketing to campaigns on Facebook Ads or Google, these are some actions you can take in addition to posting on the social media platforms where your audience is located.

Leverage the potential of Instagram and create videos showcasing some previews of what the event will be like. For example, explain to your users how they can easily access it (especially if the audience is not tech-savvy).

4. Review All Details

After having a clear picture of your target audience, selecting the format and platform for the event, and promoting it on the appropriate channels, it’s important to double-check that everything is correct before launching it.

Ensure that the platform you will use has the necessary support and that there are no issues with connectivity or user experience, that the format you have chosen effectively conveys the message you want to share, and that it is appealing to users, so you can maintain their attention and avoid drop-off.

Conclusion

The success of your virtual event will partly depend on good planning, but remember that you will practically have success in your hands if you are creative and know how to use technology to your advantage to present innovations that impact and surprise.

Are you thinking of organizing an event? Contact us or visit Escaping.io to check out the catalog of online activities.