As the current pandemic causes the cancellation of more and more events, organisers and marketing personnel face a dilemma: how to hold a safe event that doesn’t put attendees at risk or break any COVID-19 safety guidelines? The answer, of course, is to move these events online, and that’s just what Delegate PLAY does as a virtual event platform.
How does an online event differ from an offline one? Most obviously, you can attend one in person, while the other is attended virtually. Aside from that, though, there are a few other minor differences and benefits. An online event takes place on a virtual events platform, not in a physical space. It is accessible by anyone, in any part of the world, who has permission to access it. Virtual events can include everything from a small webinar to entire conferences or exhibitions and are much safer to attend now and for the foreseeable future.
Many event and big conference planners are making the switch from offline to online events, and attending a digital event is a growing trend. A virtually hosted event can be just as successful as an offline one with the right planning and know-how. It’s never easy to shift from planning an offline event to an online one. These strategies can help maximise your chances of a successful event.
Set goals
Companies invest resources and time in trade shows and industry conferences for numerous reasons, but they all boil down to one main objective: to generate leads and sales. Converting your remote attendees into potential leads can be an even bigger challenge when you don’t have the face-to-face element of an in-person event, but it’s doable.
Some key elements of a successful virtual event include:
- Identifying the specific goals of the event so that you can measure your success
- Creating a compelling message that will entice people to attend and to visit the virtual booths
- Establishing a clear format of the activities so that your attendees will know what to expect
- Utilising videos to make your event compelling and an accurate projection of your brand
- Having a call to action designed to convert attendees to leads
Promote your virtual event
Whether you are planning a virtual conference, trade show, or some other event, you’ll need to promote it to attract attention and entice your potential attendees. Consider your audience first when promoting and marketing your online event. Think about the best ways to craft your message to spark their interest. Keep in mind that your audience receives tons of emails and other forms of online communication, so be sensitive about how you get the word out. It’s essential that your email stands out from the others so that it gets noticed. That means considering how your audience stands to benefit from your event and why they will and should care about it. Also, make sure that signing up for your event is simple and quick.
Choose the right virtual events platform
Delegate PLAY allows you to host interactive online events and build connections with your audience on a fully immersive virtual platform. Take advantage of our features, such as real-time audience participation and engagement tracking, custom virtual fairgrounds setup with event branding, unlimited content with no geographical constraints, and the ability to access events from any device. Delegate PLAY is ideal for virtual trade shows, job fairs, exhibitions, and even wedding festivals.
Pre-record your videos and presentations
An exceptional virtual experience should provide great content for the audience before, during, and after the event. You can offer additional materials by mixing in various forms of content, such as short, pre-recorded videos. Providing extra materials for your attendees to consume before an event can help prepare them to participate more actively during the event. Another strategy is to present more interactive videos during the live session and provide long-form videos on demand for your audience to come back to at their convenience after the event.
Manage your event speakers
It’s possible that your speakers may not be thrilled about your event shifting to an online format. However, a virtual event is better than a cancellation, and it’s an excellent opportunity for them to reach a larger audience. Give your speakers the option to prepare their own presentations, perhaps providing them with guidelines to ensure that their talks are relevant to the event’s theme. Again, you can also pre-record their presentations and give them the option to join your event in real-time or not. You want happy speakers – and besides, digital events are an opportunity to attract even more, so take advantage of this perk.
Planning a virtual event? Delegate PLAY is a fully immersive virtual environment that allows users to host online conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, and job fairs all under one platform. You can read more about it here.
We’d love to help make your virtual event a smashing success. For more information or a demo of Delegate PLAY, feel free to contact us via the form below. We promise to get in touch with you in a jiffy.
