Skip to content

How Do You Plan a Virtual Event: Tips and Best Practices

how do you plan a virtual event

Organizing an event it’s not an easy task to do. Moreover, it requires a lot of professionalism in preparation and planning if you want to have an outstanding and successful event. Historically speaking, virtual events have been around for 20 years, a period for which, with the help of social media and the latest happenings due to the coronavirus, they managed to gain extreme popularity, and they almost fully replaced the traditional events in the past year. But, how do you plan a virtual event?

Attending a virtual or social event from the comfort of your home, rather than face to face, can save you a lot of time and money and allow you to keep up with your plans and business. At the same time, everyone stays safe in times of a world pandemic like what we are facing now.

Everything has gone digital! Conferences, concerts, interviews, classes, shows. So, is your company ready to go digital too? – I bet it is!

Firstly, before I share with you how to set up virtual events for your group, I have listed below the three main types of virtual events:

Virtual Conferences – Organizing a virtual conference is a great way to attract attendees who are not able to attend in person. The virtual video conferences can include speakers, interactive audio and visual collaborations with the audience and also offer the attendees to download content and have direct interactions with the presenters as well. The most used platforms for virtual conferences are 6connex, HeySummit, Brella, VFairs, etc.

Webinars – This kind of virtual event is the simplest one and usually, each webinar has one or a few presenters that cover a specific topic. They are held in real-time but can also be recorded and viewed afterwards. Attendees can also participate by asking questions or by using the online chat systems. The webinar format can be used for hosting learning sessions, training, and sales events. Platforms that are used for this kind of event are Zoom, Livestorm, YouTube Livestream, Demio, Crowdcast, etc.

Live Streaming events –  This is the most engaging virtual video event, especially on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, Twitter, or Youtube Live. Due to the situation with Covid19, most of the companies organize their social events by live-streaming it. It allows them to maintain the safety of the attendees in these difficult times and at the same time to socialize and do business together.

Now, as you are ready to start preparing your virtual event, I have shared with you below ten tips on how to create a successful event. How do you plan a virtual event? – It’s very easy if you follow these steps.

  1. Make a plan – First, don’t stress, start with making a strategy, and write an event planning checklist. Think about your main goal and get started.
  2. Prepare the audience – You must think about the audience, how tech-savvy they are so that you can prepare them for joining your event. It is very helpful if you make a short guide for them with instructions on how to attend the event and on the other tools that you will use while streaming.
  3. Encourage engagement – Think of what kind of interests they have, so you can keep them attentive. Since they are only virtually present, you need to make sure that they will stay connected and remain fully engaged. Before you start preparing the event, you can either ask them about their interests on the subject or send a survey so that you know exactly what to prepare for them.
  4. Define the type of the virtual event you want to organize – I have already provided information about the types of events above. All you need to do is choose the right type of event that you will be producing based on your target audience and goals.
  5. Choose the platform – Once you choose the type of event, you have to decide which platform you are going to use. You can either use some of the above-suggested platforms or search the Internet for more.
  6. Market/promote your event – One of the most important things in organizing a virtual event is having a good marketing strategy in place. Promoting a virtual event oftentimes requires as much effort as promoting an in-person event. Leveraging all the possibilities that the social media platforms offer is a great way to achieve the desired results. Additionally, utilizing the power of digital PR, content marketing and email marketing is inevitable for bigger-size virtual events. 
  7. Find a venue – Even though it is a virtual event that you are organizing, that doesn’t mean that it needs to be held in your office. If you want your event to look professional, the best option would be to book a professional virtual studio with a stage as well as audio and video equipment with proper lighting and experienced crew. 
  8. Choose the time and date – You need to be careful when choosing the time and date of your virtual event. You can always check with the attendees on their preferences and find out what would be the best timing. If your event is international, make sure to choose an optimal time so that it is suitable for participants from different time zones. Moreover, avoiding overlaps with events that target similar audiences as yours is something that you should always consider.
  9. Find a good host – Your host is everything! He/She is the presenter of your event and combines all the presentations and tools that you would implement in it. Make sure you have a confident host who speaks clearly and is well prepared for live appearances and responds to the questions from the audience. However, you can also have two hosts that can interact with each other and the audience at the same time. 
  10. Hire the right video production company – In order to bring all the pieces together and to have the final product perfect and successful, help from a team of video and live streaming professionals is inevitable. We at Ignite Global Media can provide you with the necessary professionals, equipment, and know-how.

So, what are you waiting for? Start planning your virtual event!

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply