5 Tips for having a successful Virtual Event

90 Seconds
3 years ago・7 min read

Developing content and producing a Virtual Event can be challenging. We’ve drawn on insights from creating Virtual Events content for some of the biggest brands and here are 5 useful tips we would love to share with you.

Much like the rest of 2020, the rapid rise of Virtual Events was unexpected, yet 71% of marketers envision its continuity and impact, even beyond 2020.

Before we begin, here’s an introduction to Virtual Events and what it is all about.

As the name suggests, Virtual Events are events where attendees and organizers communicate and interact in a virtual environment. They rose to popularity when the pandemic ensued as firms and institutions pivoted their otherwise usual in-person events virtually.

Beyond its adaptability to the constraints of our current climate, there are several other advantages to hosting virtual events. For instance, 86% of virtual event attendees have reported higher or equal levels of engagement as compared to in-person events. For those skeptical about the engagement levels of virtual events, this can help put your minds at ease.

There are many examples of virtual events; virtual conferences, webinars, Annual General Meetings (AGMs) – the list goes on. The best part? Based on your audience and content needs, virtual events can be customized and produced accordingly.

Here are 5 handy tips to keep in mind when planning your next virtual event.

1. Not everything in a virtual event has to be live

We often assume that a virtual event would consist of only live stream video footage; as that would arguably be the most direct translation from an in-person event to a virtual event. In reality, the fact that it’s virtual just means that there are more elements for you to incorporate and include.

For one, you can easily combine both pre-recorded video content and live stream footage to produce a Hybrid Event. This helps save time and costs as you would either be repurposing your past recorded footage or pre-recording content before the actual event. In doing so, you can prepare the more complex or hard-to-obtain material beforehand. In addition, interspersing live content and pre-recorded components help establish a dynamic mix in your event flow. It also provides an engaging variation in pace.

Examples of pre-recorded video content would include pre-recorded client success stories or pre-recorded keynote speakers. Even a simple event sizzle reel to keep the audience entertained can be pre-recorded as well. Here, we produced a series of pre-recorded customer testimonial videos for Salesforce, featuring success stories in Asia.

2. Audience experience is key

The most important component of your virtual event would be your attendees. Hence, it is worthwhile for you to invest and ensure a hassle-free virtual event experience for them.

Event attendees might feel impeded in their capacity to contribute or engage if they feel overwhelmed by its technological aspects. As such, it would go a long way in setting your valued audience at ease with a proper guide. For instance, you can opt to produce and provide a pre-recorded tutorial video on how to navigate the chosen video host platform or how to ‘raise your hand’ virtually during live Q&A sessions.

Here, we produced a straightforward tutorial video for HP showcasing its mobile app functions and simple app navigations.

Most often overlook this planning aspect, so you can definitely set your event apart by providing a fuss-free experience. This ultimately contributes to the smooth execution and positive outlook of your virtual event as well.

Besides preparing them for your virtual event, you should look for ways to keep your audience well engaged as well. It is easy for event attendees to lose attention over a screen. However, ensuring continuous and intentional engagement between host and attendee is actually not as challenging as it sounds.

There are multiple ways to resolve this. For one, you could choose to stream your virtual event on a platform with highly interactive audience features such as ‘clapping’ or ‘raise your hand’ options. Otherwise, you can opt to develop engaging content such as an interactive quiz with various pre-recorded video outcomes. Attendees would then participate in these engaging activities during the event itself.

3. Pick the right hosting platform to match your needs

With so many streaming platforms made available today, choosing the most popular hosting platforms might seem like the best option.

However, for each virtual event you host, you might wish to offer your attendees different user engagement event elements. Based on this, various virtual events would require different technical settings and capabilities that not every platform might support.

For instance, if you wish to divide your attendees into multiple breakout rooms, you might prefer Zoom over Cisco WebEx Events as the latter does not support this preferred function. On the other hand, if you wish for your event attendees to take part in a poll, Cisco WebEx Events has the capability to support this service, while Zoom does not.

Professional events such as AGMs and town halls often share confidential information. In this case, you should definitely be well informed about your chosen platform’s security strength prior to the event.

With this in mind, it is recommended to conduct research prior to your event. This way, you will get a better idea of the various platforms’ offered features and decide which best supports your event needs. Following this train of thought, you should always vet and fully test your chosen hosting platform before the event as well. When developing your virtual events’ content with us, feel free to consult our friendly Production Service team for platform recommendations that best meet your preferences.

4. Customization is the core of every virtual event

There’s no ‘right or wrong’ when it comes to how a virtual event should look like. The beauty of virtual events lies in the ability to scale and customize your event’s content type however you wish it to be, following the goal and vision you have in mind. You can choose to keep it simple with easy-to-develop infographic slide assets or add on fancy post-production edits.

Don’t let geography hinder you as well. It is common to wish to feature, for instance, different regional offices in your firm’s global virtual conference. Holding multi-location shoots might sound tricky but 90 Seconds’ one-stop platform and global Creator Partner community simplify the job for you. This way, you can customize and scale your virtual event according to your preferred location choices.

5. Your event content doesn’t have to be a one-time use

Your virtual event has finally ended with a bang, and just when you think it’s all over, it actually isn’t!

After all, your virtual event is essentially a treasure trove of content for you to maximize and repurpose during post-production. From social media cuts to an event highlights video, feel free to repurpose every minute of your event’s recorded footage. Here, we produced a post-event highlights video for Moët Hennessy featuring food, drinks, and fun.

With these new content versions, the sky’s the limit. You can choose to engage your audience on social media platforms or send it out to event attendees to ensure top-of-mind awareness. Turning it into a branding video for internal or external communications is a good option as well. After all, with all the effort you’ve put in to ensure your event’s success, you should use its content for all its worth.

Curious to find out more? We’re here to help

Developing and producing a virtual event doesn’t have to be challenging, it could just be the best video strategy to adopt this new year.

Since 2012, 90 Seconds has created Virtual Events content for the world’s biggest brands such as Accenture and LinkedIn. With us, you can develop, produce, and stream quality brand content from anywhere in the world to your global audiences.

If developing content for a Virtual Event is on your to-do list, find out more about our content solutions here. With our extensive global Creator Partner community and dedicated in-house Production Service team, we will help build the best content solution for you according to your budget and audience needs.

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