adapt that kind of event for virtual ? |
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One of the biggest challenges has been helping people understand what a virtual event looks like , because it is very different . You need to be in a TV or radio mindset , because they really are productions . The worst thing we could do would be to try and replicate point blank the sorts of things you ’ d see at an in-person EMEC , because it doesn ’ t work .
One of the things we want to really dive into is what ’ s going wrong with virtual events . What is the science behind them ? Some events you could go to for hours , but others can suck the life out of you if they ’ re not done the right way . We ’ re going to go behind the scenes and find out what ’ s happening in your brain when you ’ re tuning out of an online event .
Another of the challenges you always have to face is the clock – time goes so quickly against you in these kinds of events . Working with presenters is always very important to make sure everyone ’ s watching the clock carefully .
How will you facilitate networking during the event ?
Well , I ’ m not going to give that away quite yet – we ’ re still working out
The theme of the event is ‘ Make your future ’. It ’ s very much based around the idea that we have to take control of where we are right now . |
some interesting ideas and I don ’ t want to give them away .
I do think people ’ s perceptions of networking are really interesting . And I think some of the existing platforms out there have unnecessary features which can get in the way of networking . I think there ’ s a big etiquette issue , too . It needs to feel like it ’ s being done in a way where people aren ’ t being pushed aside .
There are also plenty of people who say ‘ I don ’ t want to network with anyone ’, and will instead focus on appointments and meetings . My wife went to one online event where they suddenly asked everyone to put on their cameras and start chatting – we don ’ t want to ambush anyone like that .
Do you think that future editions of EMEC will incorporate a hybrid or virtual element ?
There are a lot of discussions at the moment about that . I think what ’ s obvious at the moment to associations
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Above : Delegates at MPI ’ s EMEC 2019 |
like MPI is that if they chose to ignore virtual events and just went straight back to in-person , they ’ d be shooting themselves in the foot .
There are some activations and products that can be launched purely virtually . Sometimes you don ’ t need an in-person event for that . I think it ’ ll always be a tool in the bag of event planners going forwards .
I ’ m sure you ’ ve been quite preoccupied with planning for EMEC , but are there any other projects you ’ ve been working on during lockdown ?
Absolutely . I ’ ve been taking lots of notes on virtual events throughout 2020 and 2021 , and I ’ m putting together some courses for organisers with key information on these topics . What sort of things do you need to think of as a speaker , as an event planner ? I think sometimes people forget how much time it takes to put together a really high-quality virtual event .
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