While you may focus less on leads acquired, you can build goals around session registration and feedback surveys. If you are taking your conference virtual, can you still create that 1:1 meeting with your sales rep to talk about account specifics in the days that follow? A virtual event is one where individuals experience the event and its content online rather than gathering in-person. According to Forbes, there will be a comeback for trade shows - we've already seen it. Place the events leading to inspiration in correct order. the steps. In both cases, you need to craft an event strategy to effectively promote the event, engage your attendees, create memorable moments for attendees, and prove event success. Virtual Events as Part of Your Meeting and Event Program. Even better, allow attendees to practice launching sessions or sending messages before the event starts.
Another reality is that, with virtual events, face-to-face engagement suffers. Virtual events, like in-person events, need good marketing. The next best option is to host events that are part in-person, part virtual. Meeting and event planners have been making the choice between in-person, virtual, and hybrid events for years and each type of event comes with its own set of pros and cons. Proving event ROI requires an analysis of costs and benefits. Are you thinking about your in-person and virtual events holistically? In the agenda, add links to the session recording or live broadcast. Place the events leading to inspiration in correct order. one. The only thing that's missing is the venue and the attendees on-site. Can you handle the bandwidth? Measuring engagement and capturing attendee data are the only way to prove event ROI and activate the buyer's journey. This year, Microsoft pivoted to virtual with their Build developer conference. In 2006, a helicopter carrying WWF staff members Dr. Chandra Gurung, Dr. Harka Gurung, Jennifer Headley, Yeshi Choden Lama, Matthew Preece, Dr. Jillian Bowling Schlaepfer and Mingma Sherpa as well as other conservation leaders crashed in Nepal, killing all 23 passengers on board. Hosting a virtual event requires the same care and attention as an in-person event. In closing, adding virtual events as a key digital strategy to your meeting and event program is a good idea.
The possibilities for virtual engagement are endless! Here are a few reasons to host a virtual event: - Accessibility: While the event is still being held in-person, virtual options allow you to accommodate attendees who are unable to attend in person. Attendee to attendee networking is not as viable and sales meetings have to happen after the fact, using data gathered virtually rather than leads gathered onsite. After the event, take time to understand if the event was successful based on your metrics and how to improve in the future. When technology is involved, there is going to be user error. Place the events leading to inspiration in correct order online. These events require higher levels of video production so that virtual attendees are provided a similar quality to in-person attendees. These events have typically been used to showcase product offerings in intimate settings like restaurants, in-person.
For organizations that span countries, even continents, internal hybrid events are used to share a message to the entire company when employees are not all gathered in the same place. Trade shows were obviously created as in-person experiences, and in that format work best. Nicholson and approximately two dozen other individuals –including Sir Peter Scott, a member of IUCN's executive board who had signed the Morges Manifesto and later became WWF's first vice. What happens if you have connectivity issues? Provide attendees with a guide on how to attend the event virtually. According to Google Trends, the world is pivoting to virtual more and more. Companies can charge attendees to join webinars using online payment services or can be offered for free. From meeting icebreakers to event app gamification, your attendees can enjoy more than the content you're providing – they can enjoy the complete event experience. Virtual events may feel different, but the more you treat them like an in-person event, the better. Articulate your event success metrics before the event begins. What are your KPIs for the event? Interactive video conferencing. Sessions can still involve live Q&A.
Having a plan, and the proper technology, in place will mean a pivot to digital can be an alternative you have full confidence in, and one you can trust to deliver the engaging, informative experiences to attendees that you work so hard to make happen. Keynotes, while viewed individually, can employ live polling to engage attendees. Consider providing dedicated networking time to encourage attendees to meet. Not only that, engaging attendees through virtual meetings is more difficult and requires creativity and event technology like mobile event apps to make an impact. The engagement tools provided in the form of event technology are still available. Nicholson was motivated in part by the financial difficulties facing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and felt that a new fundraising initiative might help IUCN and other conservation groups carry out their mission. When deciding whether or not to make your event virtual, consider what you hope to gain from the event and how well those goals can be reached virtually versus in-person. There may be times when you have to make a quick shift and your options are to cancel the event or to make it virtual. The planning process is very similar to that of any other event.
Virtual events rely on technology. Marketers and planners need to market content to the segments that get the best response. Do your attendees have all the materials they need to attend virtually? Costs are expressed as direct costs, indirect expenses, and opportunity costs. Why Host a Virtual Event? He drafted a plan in April 1961 that served as a basis for WWF's founding, which was then endorsed by the executive board of IUCN in a document known as the Morges Manifesto. Live presentation content. Webinars typically use video conferencing tools that allow Q&A, the ability to present live or a pre-recorded video, and be offered as on-demand after the fact.