It’s no secret that COVID-19 has drastically changed the way things are around us. The biggest hit that many have had to deal with is canceling events. While not everything can be moved to being digital, most things can. From live streams to webinars, many companies are able to continue their events. While it might not be ideal for everyone, digital events reduce costs and carbon footprint. They also make the attendance accessible to a larger audience. Below are a few tips for a successful virtual event launch.
Create a game plan
When planning your virtual event, you need to start with a key goal and concept. You also need to think about what kind of experience you want to deliver if it will be free or require a fee to attend, how you plan to promote the event if you plan to require event registration, and many other aspects.
One of the biggest parts of planning a virtual event launch is if it will be live or pre-recorded. If it is a live event, then you will need to prepare for any technical issues that may arise during the event. Also, it’s important to consider if attendees will have access to any of the information once the event is over. While planning an event virtually is different than planning an in-person event, many of the same concepts need to be considered. A good way to have a successful virtual event is to have a detailed game plan to make sure you cover everything needed.
Choose the right time
Choosing the right date and time for your event is important, regardless of it being hosted virtually. You want to make sure that there are no competing events on the same day. Also, make sure there is no holiday that could interfere with attendance. Also, since hosting an event virtually allows you to have a larger audience, you need to take time zones into consideration. You don’t want to make some attendees miss half the event because it is too early or too late for them. However, if you can’t find any perfect time to host the event due to time zones, consider making the content accessible after the presentations so those who couldn’t make it can still get the information.
Promote the event
To better promote your event, you need to determine the key selling points that your event has to offer attendees. Whether it’s a noteworthy speaker or an opportunity to network, make sure the value is clear in your marketing. The easiest way to share details about a virtual event is by email and posting on social media. You can also plan to run ads, such as LinkedIn’s InMail ads to help spread the word.
Another easy way to promote and share the details of your virtual event launch is to create a Facebook event page. Depending on who you have speaking at your event if any speakers are also influencers you can have them promote the event on their social media platforms. Also, creating a hashtag for your event will help promote and drive conversations online about it.
Prepare for any technical issues
If in-person events have technical issues, then so will virtual events. Before the event starts, you need, and your speakers all need to test your internet connection. You should also prepare backups for presentations in case a file decides to act up before or mid-presentation. If possible, have all your speakers send their presentations to you days before the event. This way you can make sure that everything goes smoothly on the day of. The sooner you identify any problem, the sooner you can find solutions.
Also, you need to remember that not all attendees are tech-savvy. You should anticipate any troubles people may have by preparing easy-to-follow guides that you can send out the morning of or a FAQs page they can look at. Not everyone can provide resources to provide the support, so those are 2 easy ways to help your attendees in the case they run into any technical issues.