The pandemic has changed the living of people in many ways. Be it educational space or work space for that matter. Virtual events came way too early than expected and it is now soaring in popularity. This change in the market dynamics has given rise to companies and software like Zoom, Avaya Spaces, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more.
The surge in virtual events in the past year has made it extremely important for all the event managers and marketers to understand how online conferences are setting new standards for Mass Communication, Content Delivery, Management & Collaboration by organizing online events with amplified audience interest and involvement.
What is an Online Event?
Virtual Events or Online Events are basically organized meet-ups that take place digitally rather than at any physical location. These events can range from small Q & A sessions to large scale conferences with thousands of attendees.
Some of the virtual events that take place are webinars, live streaming, conferences, meetings,
annual meets, etc. Now the concerning point for every host of these online events is the
engagement of the attendees throughout.
Online events generally offer live stream as well as recorded presentations but, In recent times it has been observed that people like to interact with fellow event attendees in a virtual environment.
Talking about businesses, when it comes to commercial space, online events can be organized for something as simple as a business webinar or something as substantial as a virtual business summit.
Tips to Make your Online Event Interesting
All events come with logistical challenges. So, Here’s a rundown of how to make your online
event interesting:
Strategy
Whether big or small, offline or online, every event should have a strategy. Start with a
key goal and concept, then take it from there. The earlier you can get planning, the
better.
Then comes the part where Event Organisers/Managers are expected to have a clear picture of their audience. If an organiser can answer the following questions then it can be said that the audience personification part is set and one can move to the next step:
Who will be attending?
What challenges and problems are they facing?
What are their goals?
What are their expectations?
What is their average attention span?
What can be a potential hook to retain attendees till the last minute of the event?
Understanding who your attendees are, what they’re struggling with, and what they want can surely create a robust base for a successful online event. You need to resonate with the psyche of your audience and this will answer your question of how you can make things interesting.
Right time
Regardless of the platform, choosing the right time and date is important. Be firm with
your research, before sending out 'Save the dates' to your audience.
Make sure no other events or holidays coincide with your event.
When fixing the time and date for the event, also think about the daily routine of your target audience. If you’re targeting the 9-to-5 audience having a corporate edge daily routine with a busy and stressful weekday morning is probably not going to work. But later in the week, when they need a mental break from their workload? Much better.
Event promotion
Create posts, designs, ads and engaging content to catch your network's attention. “Build
it and they will come” may be a fallacy, but “promote it and they will come,” isn’t. Take
full advantage of social media tools, create Instagram countdowns, make sure you cover
all the necessary details.
Be ready to overcome the Tech troubles
Physical events may have hitches but online events surely have glitches. Check your
internet connection, camera, mic. If possible, rehearse. Once you identify your
problems, you can come up with a solution.
Also remember, not all your clients are going to be Tech savvy.
Encourage involvement
If you create opportunities for involvement, your audience will get involved. Keep it more
engaging, ask questions, interact with as many attendees as possible because the sum of all these attributes will eventually make your event interesting for your audience. Every virtual
platform has features that can help in interaction. Plan for quiz sessions, polls, live-tweeting, etc.
Plan for games to Keep it Interesting
Try to keep an ice-breaking session while planning for some games that can be more
engaging. Attendees might get bored by listening to the speaker for a long time, these
gaming sessions can help them ease their mind making them more attentive.
Teambuilding Activities
It is a great way to restore morale in a team lacking motivation & even to reward teams
who have been working hard. Whilst the pandemic is preventing us from participating in
team building activities in person, there's a lot that can be done in the virtual events.
Virtual Coffee Breaks
Keep some spare coffee or tea time in between the events to let the attendees
rejuvenate, relax and come up fresh and active. This fosters the cognitive involvement of the audience. Having regular breaks in between event refreshes the mind and amplifies the attention span of the individual. Not just the Audience but it also helps organisers. As management gets time to look at info issues, fix deviations if there are any and checking if they are working as per planned action.
Conclusion
Following these steps can help you host a successful online event. It may at first feel boring or unmanageable, but it ain't as tough as it looks. So plan and execute; because it's well said, planning can really do wonders!
Online events are a fun and creative medium to reach out to your potential customers or target audience not just in India but all over the globe.
With foresaid virtual event tips, you can create an event using Strategic Thinking, Precise Planning, and incorporating general Marketing & Communication skills. You can also potentially maximize your success rate by exploring our other top marketing blogs to find one that’s just right for your event.
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