How to host a successful virtual event

BY ADELA BELIN

Virtual events have been an ongoing part of the online learning culture for a long time.

According to a study by Hubspot,62% of marketers leveraged virtual events in 2021, out of which 91% said they were a success and turned out to be their number 1 video marketing channel.

We’ve reached a digital age where a simple presentation with a moderator and speaker won’t work to keep the audience engaged.

With so many event hosting platforms, motivating audiences, and a high benchmark for quality- hosting a virtual event comes with many challenges.

This article will discuss some best practices to host a successful virtual event in 2021 that everyone will remember.

• Plan your event well in advance

To bridge the gap between an in-person and virtual event and make the event successful, planning is essential. You cannot expect to host a good event if you don’t know which direction to go. So, sit down with your team and plan your event.

Here are some questions to consider while planning:

• How many sessions do you want to conduct?
• How long will the event be?
• Where will it be hosted?
• What is the technology you need to succeed?
• How will the team function effectively?

All of this planning needs to be done before you can even think about taking the next few steps towards hosting the event. This will get you sorted in the head and give you a direction to proceed forward.

• Be clear on your event agenda

If you don’t know ‘why’ you want to conduct the event or what message you want to convey, it will be challenging to ensure your speakers and audience are on the same page.

For example, suppose you want to host a virtual event for freelancers to talk about the gig economy and become a highly profitable freelancer. In that case, you need to ensure everything aligns with this agenda.

Your marketing messaging, channels, speakers, sessions-everything needs to be on the same page for the event to leave a mark behind and be successful in its goal.

So, figure out your agenda for the event. Write down some guidelines for using that in your messaging while bringing speakers onboard and communicating the message to the audience.

This message needs to stand out if you want to boost your event attendance and ensure some key takeaways are attached to the event.

• Onboard the right speakers

Choosing the right speakers for your event is extremely important and can be a make or break factor for its success. Before you proceed to reach out to prospect speakers, you should explore their content.

See what kind of content they create and how they engage with their audience. This will tell you if they’re exciting and will be able to hook your audience. Also, it’ll let you know about their knowledge of the field and how much of an expert you’re inviting.

Once you’ve shortlisted your speakers and it’s time to invite them, try to build a relationship. Comment on their blog, listen to their podcast, engage on their social media- so you have some material about them when you pitch the event.

The more personalized your pitch, the better your chances are of hearing a response. After they respond, it would be best to get on a call and discuss everything to ensure you’re on the same page and the agenda is clear.

• Create an engagement strategy for the event

A virtual event is not just about a presentation and speaker; it should be as interactive as possible. If the attendees hear the speakers all day, it will be boring. There should be some activity for them.

This could be a question/answer session, networking, polls, quizzes, etc. These will keep the attendees engaged throughout the event, avoiding the chances of them bouncing off.

Create an engagement strategy for the event, which includes activities in every interval. Some can be during the sessions like polls, and others can be between breaks like networking. Keep a list of such activities ready so whenever you feel the audience is getting bored, or there’s a delay, you can keep them engaged.

It’s one of the essential factors of a successful event- so don’t overlook its importance.

• Have an event marketing plan in place

To ensure you have a good amount of people attending the event, marketing is essential. You need to start creating a buzz about the event since the day you start planning it to keep people updated and stay on top of their heads.

Make a pre, during, and post-marketing plan to keep the interest going on. Here’s how you should plan it:

• Pre-event phase

This phase should promote the agenda, get people to talk about it, activate social profiles, and send out a press release to intrigue people to follow the event. This will ultimately lead to buying tickets.

• During-event phase

This phase should focus on real-time updates of the event to keep everyone interested in what’s going on inside. These highlights would be beneficial if you plan a second edition of the event too.

• Post-event phase

This should mainly include testimonials about the event, experiences, some behind-the-scenes actions, significant highlights, etc. It’ll help you close the event on a good note and set the stage for the next edition.

Conclusion

Hosting a virtual event comes with its fair set of challenges, but if you prepare for them in advance- it can be a smooth ride. It’s one of the best ways to build a community, get connected with people across the world virtually, and provide a lot of value.

Focus on the planning phase and providing authentic, valuable content to the audience. Use these five tips to provide a high-quality event experience to your audience and make it successful.

Adela Belin is a content marketer and blogger at Writers Per Hour. She is passionate about sharing stories with the hope to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to their personal and professional growth. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.