September, 2020
Feature 09
doing something else, binge watchers
who watch the whole thing
either live or possibly the recorded
sessions, and intentional schedulers
who will diarise the sessions
they want to attend in advance.
Your event design needs to
consider a balance of modular
content, with long enough time
blocks to encourage online conversation,
and allowing breaks so delegates
do not suffer from screen fatigue.
5. Live or pre-record
There seems to be a debate about
live content or pre-recorded,
we are recommending a mix.
An entirely pre-recorded event, while
lower risk, does not create the energy
of live responses, polls and questions.
However, a great keynote speaker
– and we’re finding you can sometimes
reach an enhanced level of
speaker when the ask is 30 minutes
from their spare room – may only be
available for a pre-record, although
ideally can come online for the live Q&A.
6. Talk to production early
Hybrid and online events are effectively
TV shows. The quality of
event production and broadcast
impacts how participants experience
it, and so it is vital to work with
your livestreaming and production
team early to ensure the programme
you have in mind is deliverable
from a production perspective.
Start early, and loop in your
production professionals to ensure
that any challenges are dealt with
up front. You’ll also want to consider
creating interstitials and idents for
slick crossovers between sessions.
Branded event studios, where those
speakers who are able to travel
can record high quality broadcast
content are part of all our futures.
7. A strong event host
Even more so than physical events,
online events need a strong MC to
greet and guide people through the
event, and we are finding that professionals
with broadcast TV experience
are skilled at bringing people along.
8. The all-important engagement
Enabling participants to engage with
each other, speakers and sponsors is one
of the ways that your live-online gathering
differentiates itself from a series of
linked webinars. We are looking at platforms
with live Q&A, question upvoting,
chat and polls at the side of the
broadcast stage, as well as 1:1 video chat
and random networking; just like when
you meet someone at the coffee station.
You could also create themed
roundtables and ‘coffee lounges’.
There is a vast range of activities
“Hybrid events
are effectively TV
shows. The quality of
production impacts
how participants
experience it”
that speak to participants ‘authentic
selves’: yoga and drink mixing
demos in breaks, competitions, gamification,
virtual goodie bags or online
scavenger hunts. The list is endless.
9. Sponsorship
Virtual sponsor booths, with short
video, 1:1 networking, and active lead
generation techniques such as downloading
white papers, can help sponsors
achieve the value they seek,
and you may want to enhance this
with session content or roundtables.
10. Don’t forget the tech
Once you have established your event
design, giving you a functionality wish
list, you can start selecting your online
event platform. Let the event drive the
tech. The market is fast-moving, and
there are new event platforms coming
online, so be prepared to compromise and
find one that meets the majority of your
needs. You will need to evaluate whether
you are looking for an all-in-one platform,
or whether you are open to integrating
video broadcast, Q&A or other elements.
With a lack of clarity from the
government on when physical events
might open up, virtual event design
seems a skill we’re needing to learn fast.