Online meetings are becoming more prevalent today, and not just because many of us are currently working from home. Virtual meetings and events enable remote teams and support global companies, providing unique opportunities to engage with customers and colleagues no matter where they are in the world.
But, like any in-person meeting or event, there are challenges that can prevent you from realizing maximum value for your efforts. To help you optimize your efforts, let’s look at everything you should know—and do—to run a successful online event.
What is a Virtual Event?
Virtual events run the gamut from webinars to all-hands meetings, product demos, panels, and interviews with key speakers and thought leaders in your industry. On a larger scale, a virtual event could be a conference, virtual trade show, or a meeting that brings together everybody in your company.
Hosting an online event allows you to build brand credibility, strengthen company culture, and expand your audience. And even though you’re not dealing with hordes of people coming through to register, elaborate setup and teardown, hotels, parking, and all that jazz, there are still some complexities to consider if you want your event to be a success.
Here’s a checklist to help you get organized and keep it together before, during, and after your online event.
Online Event Checklist for Success
- Strategize. Understanding who your audience is and what their challenges might be is the first order of business. Ask yourself, who will attend? How many people do you expect? What are their challenges, if any? For example, if you are hosting a global event, time zones, and language can be a barrier. Still, if you understand your audience segment, it will be easier to accommodate everybody.
- Don’t Neglect Your Branding. Even though you’re not setting up on the conference center floor, your visual branding is critical. Keep your visuals consistent with the rest of your marketing collateral, including fonts, colors, graphics, and overall style, so your attendees will be able to make the connection long after the event is wrapped.
- Mobile First! You can’t predict how or where your attendees will access your event, so be sure your feed is optimized for mobile devices. Platforms like Zoom and Skype offer mobile apps with full functionality and interactive features, but if you are showing slides or making a visual presentation, don’t include so much text that it’s not visible on a handheld device.
- The Price of Admission. If you are selling tickets for your event, there are a few ways you can do it. The simplest way is to have your attendees pre-register, after which they are given a unique code to access the online event. Do a little research to find a platform that suits your needs. Some live streaming companies have integrated payment processing and management options available.
- Do Some Recon. If this is your first online event, you might want to attend a few others just to see how it’s done (or not done, as the case may be). If you have colleagues who organize these types of events, ask for recommendations and any tips they might have to help you succeed.
- Get Help. Let’s face it. Not everybody is a technical whiz. Plus, you’ve got a lot on your plate organizing your event agenda. Every good leader is an expert delegator, meaning that you should think about hiring a production company who has some experience in executing the type of event you are conducting. Chances are, the value and peace of mind you’ll get will be well worth the expense.
Final Thoughts
Online events are a fun and innovative way to connect your team, boost your visibility, and reach a whole new audience you might not have considered. With the right planning and support, it’s sure to be a success.
Drop us a line to set up a meeting and learn more about how we can help make your online event a success.
