There is no doubt that COVID-19 is wreaking havoc with the event industry. The CDC, WHO, and many governments are recommending that events of 10 people or more be canceled or postponed. As COVID-19 forces everyone into their homes and social isolation, event planners are left with the challenge of managing canceled and postponed programs.
Social distancing and self-quarantining, while major disruptions, are necessary; but they do not mean that we must implement a total shutdown. Customers, clients, and businesses still need information, knowledge, skills, and socialization. Now is the perfect time to consider virtual events. Event organizers and meeting planners need to quickly adapt and host virtual meetings, trade shows, and conferences.
Virtual events are not a new concept. Technologies are already available to facilitate such events, and many companies are offering purchase incentives. We still need to connect people, and this is a good time to elevate the conference and event industries through the use of streaming technologies. While not quite the same as in-person events, streaming programs can produce strong returns and results. Here are a few things to consider:
Great Reveal Opportunity
Use virtual events for all types of occasions, including company announcements, product launches, software updates, and training workshops, as well as sales and internal meetings. It’s a chance to produce year-round content for customers, clients, and employees. Repurpose material for marketing and sales to build your subscriber list. Collect information and provide content.
Reach a Wider, yet Targeted Audience
There are no boundaries to a virtual event. People may attend from anywhere in the world, and because attendees choose to participate, they may be more likely willing to provide specific registration information that you would otherwise not get via in-person lead capture. As a result, attendees become a valuable Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL). It’s also an opportunity to strengthen relationships with existing clients. Know your audience and their needs and produce content of interest. Select dates and times that work for most time zones and avoid scheduling your events during other countries’ national holidays.
Measure and Leverage
Make a dynamic landing and registration page and integrate captured information into your CRM. Analyze who attends your event, activities of interest, purchasing timeframe, budget, decision maker status, source tracking – where they heard about the event – and so much more.
Follow-up afterwards with an invite to join Facebook and LinkedIn groups to continue conversations and provide additional content. Engage with attendees on other social media, host AMAs and online Q&As, and remember to ask for feedback. Leverage from these relationships by providing relevant and useful content all year.
Virtual Meetings Versus Webinars
Virtual meetings can be personalized, interactive, and engaging:
- Main room – For general and panel sessions, providing the ability to ask questions, raise hands, and even assign attendees as panelists for parts of various discussions.
- Breakout rooms – Allow attendees to collaborate, share insights, and attend specific sessions.
- Networking rooms – Focus on networking and socializing. Provide music and entertainment. People can listen in, join a conversation, or just hang out.
- While streaming, engage attendees through live polls, discussion groups, instant feedback, and Q&As.
Webinars tend to be open for anyone to attend. Typically, there is one person or a few people talking to a larger audience with some interactions usually through Q&A. These events tend to be more one-dimensional.
Regardless of the type of event you choose, the logistics of streaming events are different. For virtual events, planners will not need to manage travel, room blocks, floor space, I&D, and F&B. Instead, planners will define event formats, choose location background, recommend a host(s), manage registration page design and lead integration, and collaborate on social media posts, just to name a few.
Additional areas to consider before hosting a virtual event:
Hosting: There are many hosting platforms available and the choice is a personal one. Familiarize yourself with the functionality of each and decide which platform works best for you based on specific event goals. Be sure to select a business-to-business platform that allows your company to maintain control of and own content rights.
The online video platform (OVD) should be secure, reliable,
and fast. Test it and speak with the hosting company’s support team to
determine if additional bandwidth or an upgrade that includes specific features
are needed.
Time: As you would for an in-person event,schedule adequate preparation
time. Do a practice run and make sure equipment works. Iron out potential
issues before they happen (registration blips, shorter presentations, bigger
bandwidth, alternate access points, etc.).
Don’t Go It Alone: Find a partner to share the cost, workload, and content development. Your partner could be a third-party vendor or an industry expert who could also help widen your reach.
Publicity: Implement a comprehensive marketing campaign that includes social media. Create an event hashtag along with landing and registration pages. Be clear about the why, where, when, and benefits of the event. What are key takeaways, tools, and CE credits? Capture data and rank leads for, and integrate with, your CRM.
The world is changing. We need to be ready. The likelihood that in-person events will change forever is high. Even when in-person events become an option once again, the virtual option will continue to grow in popularity. Virtual events are here to stay.
Grow Your Events stands ready to help you plan and execute virtual events and be ready for whatever the future holds. Get in touch.