10 Expert Tips to make a virtual event stand out in 2021

Extreme times of global pandemic compelled every industry to find new and inventive ways to keep their companies running. Top event experts have demonstrated their leadership by delivering excellent simulated event solutions for companies, unions, charities, and other organizations. Many event organizers go virtual event now able to offer networking, education, and benefit to attendees in ways they have never seen before, even in the face of social distancing guidelines.

Every conference or event around the world either got canceled, postponed, or took place in a virtual space in 2020. Today, almost every business is either thinking or moving their event online to make the events stand out and embrace them with superlative success. If you don’t want to deliver a vapid event where participants just sit there and watch but do not understand the motive behind hosting that event- I guess we are in trouble! With that being said, if you are a newbie to the world of virtual events, looking out for the best virtual event solutions to encounter seamless virtual experience, and also want to make your event engaging and interactive, guess what? You have landed on the right page!

Here we have enlisted some top-notch expert advice to make your virtual event stand out in 2021!

What is a virtual event?

Virtual events are similar to physical events- what differentiates them is that virtual events are hosted online over a web-based solution in a rich digital space. The key difference between meeting physically and meeting virtually is that these online events take place on a simulated meeting platform where the organization can provide every value to the event prospects. These valuable insights can also be accessed by the audiences at their convenience in real-time.

There are various interactive event channels accessible to the user right now, each with its own set of features. Digital event management organizations in India and around the world are now organizing a broad range of virtual activities such as webinars, online discussions, Virtual conferences, and many more. With that being said, let’s get started with the top 10 tips delivered straight from the experts to organize a successful event online.

10 Expert Tips to make a virtual event stand out in 2021

1. Make it relevant & strategize effectively

The first and the most important point to consider before planning your event virtually is to make your event agenda relevant for your targeted audiences. This is pretty common advice but is worth stating; whether you are hosting a big event or small-scale event, creating a strategy is a must.

Gather and curate all the essential information regarding your potential attendees like their interests & taste as this can be the first step to success.

2. Choose a suitable virtual event platform

To leverage a successful event, picking the correct virtual event platform is a must as this will define how good your event stands out! Have a detailed insight about the platform before choosing one, ensure it has all the tools and equipment as per your requirements. Also, look for a platform that offers analytics and metrics in real-time and enables prospects to have conversations with each other seamlessly.

3. Select an ideal date and time for your event

Covid-19 brought major changes in all of our lives. In such difficult times, we greatly managed to run our business effectively online. Virtual events comes with endless possibilities but one careless step can completely turn the table around, making your event a fail. Challenges that you might face are- advertising your event with the wrong date or time, your event is clashing with your competitor’s event, or a nationwide holiday. All these can adversely affect the attendance at your event and we cannot afford that!

Keep time zones in mind if you’re organizing a large-scale event for global audiences. With global-sized gatherings, handling all participants becomes a daunting job. Choose a time that can accommodate the greatest number of people. Where necessary, have an on-demand platform for attendees who were unable to watch the Livestream.

4. Promote your event wisely

Poor marketing and advertisement of your event can bring minimum or no attendees at all. So, promote your event wisely on multi-social media channels, Identify the vital selling points of your virtual event and build a promotion strategy accordingly.

– By running a countdown on Instagram and Facebook stories, you can use your social media platforms to advertise the upcoming virtual gathering.

– Run advertisements effectively to hit the right demographic.

– Advertise the event’s website and social media accounts.

– Business with the assistance of the required collection of influencers.

– For enhancement, use SEO-friendly terms.

5. Build a stunning landing page

A microsite is a comparatively small website designed specifically for your event. Invitees will go to the microsite to get all of the details they need for the gathering, such as an agenda, speaker profiles, chat boxes, and more. Attendees can also browse the information they skipped during the live-action by accessing a microsite.

6. Run a quick tech test beforehand

Online events, as in-person events, may suffer from unforeseen technological glitches. You can hold a great simulated event if you plan ahead of time for technological difficulties.

Be sure to verify your internet connectivity before beginning your online event. Request your speakers do the same. Ascertain that everyone participating in the event has a secure internet connection.

Do a dry run if necessary. It will assist you in finding impediments that need to be tackled. Prepare a backup strategy. This may include pre-recorded speeches and videos to make the event run smoothly. Since not all participants are tech-savvy, build an easy-to-follow guide to help them manage the event.

7. Enhance engagements and interactions

Generate buzz and curate engagement while your event takes place. Enable attendees to clear all their queries right on the platform via event tools like live chat functionality. Integrate Q&A sessions to answer all the relevant questions asked by the attendees. Add fun and engaging activities like live polls, games, surveys, event-related quizzes & contests for an immersive event experience. You can also organize a chat room for attendees to have 1:1 or group communication during live events in real-time, just like physical events.

7. Offer giveaways and goodies

To ensure success, make the interactive activities as efficient and usable as possible. Make a point of using large fonts and oversaturated colors contrast at all zones.

Providing giveaways at a simulated event has proven to be an effective way to increase attendance. It aids in drawing attendees to the gathering. Provide attendees with virtual rewards such as complimentary coupons, savings cards, or a virtual goodie to earn.

8. Run a quick test with your keynote speaker

Rehearse with keynote speakers to ensure a fruitful online experience. Examine their audio and video reliability, and prepare them on how to keep their audience focused when performing. To remain connected, ask the keynote speakers to maintain eye contact with attendees while staring directly into the camera. Look at the video quality and sound quality ahead of time to ensure a good interactive event.

9. Make use of data analytics

Track the success metrics of your event using powerful analytic tools. it enables you to get hold of your event attendees that performed extremely well and which hotspots had the highest level of interaction. You will also get clarity of the parts of the event that did not go as planned and needs to be improved for future activities.

Over to you.

As organizing interactive activities becomes more common, keeping guests involved and entertained with online events is becoming increasingly important. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten tips you can use to make your virtual events stand out in 2021. I hope this article has addressed all of your online event-related questions!