Many people relied on the Internet as a means to connect with their loved ones during the height of the pandemic. In parallel, companies and offices also maximized online platforms to maintain professional relationships and collaborations. Since it’s rather impossible to hold events physically, shifting to virtual ways is a smarter decision.
However, when your organization has never held online events before, it can be challenging to prepare and arrange them for the first time. That’s why it’s crucial to earn some pointers to ensure that your virtual corporate event will be a success. From conferences and online meetings to webinars and breakout rooms, it’s essential to learn how to manage and organize such online events.
Here are some tips to consider when planning an online corporate event:
Set Your Strategies And Goals Right
Before going to the nitty-gritty part of holding a virtual event, it’s crucial to first take care of the most important things. In this case, you need to set your goals first and set the strategies right. Decide on which team members will make up the corporate event organization and designate each one according to their tasks. Meet altogether so that everyone will be on the same page before starting out with the planning.
For a virtual event to be successful, meticulous planning is essential. One of your goals is to ensure all your audience will continue to stay tuned to the event. Hence, you need to devise strategies that’ll achieve this goal. Furthermore, think of the other techniques that’ll meet all your objectives. Identify what interests your audience by doing your research, as well as learn how to engage them in the event. The first step to success is curating an event that appeals to the tastes and interests of your potential attendees.
Make Your Corporate Event Interesting
Your attendees expect something meaningful and valuable to them when they decide to join your event. Therefore, you need to meet those expectations and keep them satisfied. One great way to achieve this is to make your event aesthetically beautiful and high-quality at the same time. Add some gimmicks and keep your video and sound quality excellent. Check all the details, such as your visual presentations, video insertions, and pictures, and make sure they’re well-placed.
You can use third-party resources, like Mystery, that can give you ideas on how to engage your attendees through some magical online experiences. Remember to use all of your resources to make the event successful.
Decide On The Best Event Platform To Use
A virtual event will be successful if it uses the right platform. You can achieve this by not rushing the process and observing the different platforms available. Your platform must be capable of executing your vision the way you want it to. Set out a criteria list on what features and functions you need for your online platform.
For instance, you can choose a platform that offers metrics and analytics in real-time and lets attendees converse with one another. Your attendees must be able to engage with you and others during the event, depending on your event goals. Also, consider whether you want to make the platform available for sharing on your social media pages so you can expect to invite more attendees. Think of other features you need and choose a platform that can meet these needs.
Prioritize Your Audience
There’s no denying the fact that your audience is the holy grail of any corporate event, and the same thing goes for your virtual event. Understanding your virtual audience is the first step in developing a strategy. They’re the main reason and purpose for holding the event in the first place. Hence, it’s crucial that you invite the right target audience and find ways to keep them engaged throughout.
Engaging your audience is crucial. Make sure you encourage networking among your attendees by creating channels for them to communicate. Whatever your corporate event will be, insert enough time for your audience to participate and interact with one another actively. A Q&A session is a simple and effective way to accomplish this.
The questions can be gathered in various ways through Google forms, chat boxes, or a microsite. Another alternative is to encourage them to raise an inquiry even in the middle of the presentation. This ensures that their concerns are addressed, increasing their satisfaction. In addition, you could hold a poll or a survey during the session or ask a trivia question to keep the audience engaged.
Select The Most Ideal Time
Research your virtual event date and time beforehand. Whether your event is for internal employees only or you plan to invite external partners and clients, you need to decide on the best time to ensure a higher attendee rate. Check the day and ensure that there are no other essential occasions or holidays on that same date. Conflicts could lead to having lesser attendees for your event.
Keep time zones in mind when organizing a significant event with international attendees. You want to find the time and day that’ll work for everyone. One wise alternative is to provide an on-demand option, so those who won’t be able to attend the live event can be able to replay the video later.
Practice And Collaborate With Your Speakers
It’s essential to schedule a rehearsal so everyone involved can learn how to run the event. Practice is necessary to make sure that everything will go according to plan. This will also check the technicalities of the event, ensuring that the platforms, tools, and other resources are functioning without delays and errors. Practice with the presenters and speakers, so you can check how they keep the event interesting for the attendees.
It’s important for speakers to remain connected with the audience while they’re on screen. Having a dry run will allow them to be reminded of the right ways to present. By having a successful practice, everyone in the event planning team can brush up on tiny details to polish the entire event’s flow.
Conclusion
Thankfully, the virtual world has made it possible for all businesses to continue holding events for their employees, clients, and business partners. Despite being physically apart, virtual events can be held successfully. Online conferences and events can be held in a safe, reliable, and effective manner. As long as you follow the tips presented above, you can be confident in holding your virtual event successfully, anytime and anywhere.
