No matter how hard you try, it’s always a challenge to improve engagement with your online and virtual events. It’s hard to gauge attendee interest sometimes. To ensure every virtual event or online meeting you plan is successful every time, these are tips and insights you need to see.
1. Start with the Right Virtual Platform
Don’t choose a virtual event platform without exploring all its features and tools. Each event you host will be unique, requiring unique engagement strategies. And you’ll want all the right customization resources at your fingertips to ensure success. Maybe you need lighting options, language translators, or captions. Create those must-have lists first and then begin exploring the various virtual event platforms to find the one that meets your needs.
2. Bring in the Entertainment
Don’t forget to incorporate a healthy mix of entertainment into your virtual event. Live performances, with bands, musicians, comedians, or even magicians, can bring more excitement back to the online engagement. You can also infuse gamification ideas into your event agenda to tap into some competitive spirit and provide prizes. The more fun you can make the event, the more in-tuned your audience will be.
3. Promote Interactive Sessions
Look for ways to incorporate interactive sessions into your virtual event. You can open up for Q&A, ask for audience feedback, and use polls during the event to gauge engagement. And for most guests, even if they themselves don’t raise their hands, they’ll be more present in the conversation because others are interacting.
4. Take or Initiate Breaks
When you’re online, you might presume attendees won’t need a break. But treat virtual events much like you would in-person engagements. If the event is scheduled over several hours, initiate breaks throughout. Maybe play a video in the interim or incorporate break music. And announce to your guests when those breaks will take place and resume prior to starting the meeting or event. They’ll know a pause is on the itinerary, and they’ll be more apt to stay engaged, knowing they can check their emails and make calls later during one of those breaks.
5. Prepare for Troubleshooting
Despite your best efforts to ensure every layer of your virtual event happens seamlessly, there is always the risk of connectivity issues. There might be software glitching or distracting guests. Before you launch your event, have someone dedicated to troubleshooting and moderating so when things do go awry, you’re prepared to tackle it immediately.
When you’re event planning virtual events, keep these tips and insights in mind to ensure success every time. And when you need more virtual event advice, you can always find incredibly useful event planning tips in our ongoing blog series. You can also act now to get on the waitlist for next year’s Event Planner Expo in NYC!
