Hosting a virtual conference or summit – this can also be referred to as an online conference – is an obvious fit for an expertise-based business that has already done face-to-face events or looking for new ways of approaching the online education and events world.
1. Adding strong context to your content
It is simple to just take a couple of presenters, schedule a webinar for them over a given period of time, and then decide that it is a virtual conference. This approach is not good because the sessions are loosely related, and the attendees can decide to cherry-pick, and this is going to result in very little learning taking place. This is not something you want to happen.
If you want to host a virtual conference UK where you deliver value and impact – and the attendees are going to be more likely to come back for what you offer next – then it is important to curate the experience in a way that brings out the value of the content the same way a well-curated exhibit in a museum affects the value of what is being displayed.
2. Making it easy for others to market
Those who have a stake in the virtual conference are going to be the best promoters. This includes sponsors, presenters, attendees, and exhibitors, just to name a few of them.
If you plan on doing this, first focus on the presenters and vendors. You can provide them with the images and specific language they can use in their e-mails and other social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.
You don’t have to encourage those attending to help with the marketing of the event, but it is something you should consider. You are not going to get a lot of return when you put effort with your audience, but there are some virtual events that have seen great results through this approach. Attendees share the events on their social media channels and email, which lets more and more people know about it. Consider this and see whether it can work for your virtual events.
3. Mixing in meaningful social
A common criticism people have when it comes to virtual events is that they don’t offer the same networking and interaction that you can expect during face-to-face events. While there are some qualities offered by face-to-face interaction that cannot be found in a virtual environment, putting some thought and effort into it is going to help you create a high quality of interaction online.
4. Using at least some live video
This means someone is live in real-time on the screen. Not just audio and slides or even recorded presentations.
There are great platforms like Zoom that have made it easier to stream videos and can become part of the live Web event. It has made it easy and less risky to hold an event online. Holding an event on these platforms is a good idea because the video is going to make the online event feel intimate and personal – this is going to improve attendee engagement.
5. Planning for strong customer support
When you provide clear and competent learner support, you are going to differentiate the event from the rest and you are going to appear professional. You have to provide good support if you are going to position the live event as a premium offering.