Five Things to Consider When Taking Your Event Virtual

Since COVID-19, trade shows and conferences of every kind have been canceled or postponed due to enacted travel restrictions to help contain the virus. Some event planners have opted to move their event virtually to meet the needs of their audiences and clients. Even though nothing beats in-person, face-to-face contact when given a choice, planners would rather host a virtual event than nothing at all. 

However, not all venues, audiences, and planners have the infrastructure or technological acumen to transition easily to a full virtual site. What can be done if you don't have an existing relationship with a tech company or an IT provider, and what exactly should you start considering if you don't have the time or resources to set up everything needed for working the event remotely?

Five recommendations from IT experts for hosting your virtual event:

1. Consider Your Options - The words "virtual event" can mean a lot of different things. Below are some examples:

a.)    Webcasting: This is usually in the form of a presentation with a presenter sharing their computer screen on a presentation viewer, such as PowerPoint. The presenter can appear alongside their slide presentation deck and host live Q&A sessions with their audience.

b.)    Video Conferencing: This form of meeting is considered most when people think of meeting or hosting virtually. While this application can allow for PowerPoint presentations, video conferences are the most common when an event requires more participation from attendees. This type of event adds a more physical element to the non-physical meeting, which helps raise affinity and communication within the parties involved.

c.)    Hybrid Virtual Platforms: These types of events are broad-reaching and can encompass a mixture of platforms that combine all elements together. Hybrid platform events can range from live streaming, certification, lead nurturing, branding, sponsorships, analytics, social media, and more. If orchestrated synergistically and effectively, putting all of these elements together with teams of experts can offer a very powerful, convenient, and productive event.

2. Planning Your Vision and Goals - Before contacting a technology provider, a plan should be developed that caters to your industry and audience's needs. Once you determine the needs of an event, you should talk to an IT specialist to see what you can migrate to the virtual event and what you cannot. Additionally, it would be best if you communicated other logistics, such as transferring physical documents and functionalities over to digital formats. 

3. Choosing an Established Technology Provider - Time is of the essence when selecting a technology provider. If you don't have an IT professional "in-house" already, it can be challenging to find a good company you can trust to help you set up everything in time. 

Try and get referrals before deciding on a provider. If you don't have any references, make sure you go with a well-established company with a good track record that can demonstrate the examples of their tech-savvy abilities. "You want to work with a partner, not just a vendor, to help you navigate all these different components depending on your needs," says Sabrina George, vice president of marketing for Onstream Media, a provider of webcasting, webinars, and conferencing services. 

4. Talk to Your Peers - Sometimes, we tend to overlook those we know who could point us in the right direction. Reach out to those connections you have in your network and ask about their service provider, personal experience, and recommendations. Chances are you already have all the resources, infrastructure, and general plan already laid out - all you have to do is reach out to someone close to your industry and ask. 

5. Keep Looking Forward - If you didn't understand the importance of establishing an online community with loyal followers before the coronavirus, you most likely do now. Formats such as online training, certification programs, data services, research, peer learning, and online marketplaces keep events nimble when transitioning from face-to-face to a remote online environment. Additionally, virtual infrastructure can also augment a company's leverage, stability, and longevity. 

As we start to move everything back to normal amid COVID-19 slowly, we can rest assured that we have the technology, people, and resources to help us plan and host events. No matter what type of event planner you are, we should come to grips that online learning, virtual hosting, and video conferencing within business is not going away – even when this pandemic is over. On the contrary, this technology and infrastructure will only expand and become more pervasive as time goes, so it's essential to set up the right technology infrastructure for your company.

To read more on using technology for virtual events, click here.