Tips for a great virtual event
US event organiser Unbridled hosted a webinar providing some top tips for hosting a standout virtual event . Stuart Wood breaks it down
US-based event organiser Unbridled recently hosted a webinar sharing some tips for staging high-quality virtual events .
‘ Elevate your virtual event : new insights and best practices for 2021 ’ was informed by a number of virtual events which the company hosted during 2020 . Chief among these was LPL Virtual Focus , a digital version of its financial services event , which attracted 10,000 attendees in August 2020 .
Unbridled ’ s chief solutions officer Tim Woodring ran through some key lessons they learned from taking the leap into virtual , while fielding questions from the digital audience . EW rounds up some of these tips below .
1 . Data can be more valuable than money
Unbridled made the decision not to charge for LPL Virtual Focus the first time around , as they were unsure how people would initially perceive the value of a virtual event . Allison Cooper , vice-president of conference experiences , says this was the correct decision in retrospect .
“ The data we gathered from opening the event to everyone was in many ways more valuable than the money we would have received from charging a small registration fee ,” she says . “ Getting accurate information about what your demographics are , and how people are digesting your content , is crucial .”
2 . Take people on a journey through the event
Woodring made the point that people ’ s attention spans are much shorter in a digital environment than in person , and that distraction is only ever one email or text away . To help guide people through LPL Virtual Focus , Unbridled broke the three-day event down into bite-sized pieces of content .
This content could be consumed at any time on the event ’ s platform , which was open across the three days . Attendees were funnelled into a two-hour chunk of ‘ main stage ’ content on each day , but were regularly encouraged to check out breakout rooms for more information on a topic that was touched on briefly .
3 . Navigation is key
In addition to breaking up content into digestible pieces , navigation around your virtual environment needs to be seamless . Dividing breakout rooms and extra content based on people ’ s business purposes was one tip recommended by Unbridled . They asked their attendees , ‘ what do you want to get out of this event ?’, and then pointed them towards content suited to them .
4 . Pace , variety , duration and flow
In order to keep virtual events fresh , an understanding of pace , variety , duration and flow is needed . Unbridled account manager Sabrina Osheroff says the company looked to cable TV for some pointers as to how they could keep their viewers ’ attention for extended periods of time .
5 . Purpose , then platform
There are a large number of platforms out there for virtual events , and growing by the day . Understanding the purpose of your event is important before picking one , as they are all suited to different needs . Some feature a heavier focus on networking , while others put emphasis on video content .
6 . Expect the best , but plan for the worst
Osheroff says that during one virtual event she hosted in 2020 , the main speaker was based in Dallas , Texas , during the widespread power outages which affected the state . “ We thought it could be a problem , and we had a plan in place to adjust the event schedule , move the speaker to the next day , and let everyone know ahead of time ,” she says . Having a backup plan in case of technical difficulties or unexpected gaps in programming is crucial for a seamless experience .
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