For humans, nothing can replace the comfort and joy of face-to-face interactions but the benefits and convenience of virtual events are also undeniable. Virtual meetings, conferences, webinars, tradeshows etc have become imperative for companies to build new connections and stay in touch with audiences and associates.
Whether you are pro event planner or a beginner in the event industry, virtual events can bring a lot of opportunities and ideas to expand your audience base. Read the ultimate guide to virtual events to find some great tips and tricks to run virtual events successfully.
Let’s begin with the definition of virtual events.
What is a virtual event?
A virtual event is an event that is held online through a virtual event platform. In such events, attendees experience the event content virtually without being physically present at the venue.
Virtual event example
Some of the most common examples of virtual events include the following:
- Webinars.
- Conferences.
- Virtual trade shows.
- Virtual career fairs.
- Online exhibitions.
- Online classes.
Why host a virtual event?
Hosting virtual events is beneficial for a company in many ways. Some of them are mentioned below:
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Audience reach
Virtual events remove geographical boundaries as attendees can join from any location. All they need is a high-speed internet connection to access the event content. It ensures that people across the world who are interested in your event content can join your virtual events.
Though virtual events are beneficial for all types and sizes of businesses they are mostly recommended to businesses with a global client base.
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Budget-friendly
Virtual events are mainly driven by technology for which you do not need to spend on a suitable venue, guest accommodation, transportation, catering services, etc. Things you need to conduct a virtual event include a laptop or mobile, a dedicated events website, a mic, and the right virtual events software. The best part is that the cost of all these things is much less than organizing full-fledged in-person events which makes virtual events a budget-friendly option for event planners.
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Flexibility
Virtual events are known for their flexibility as they offer the comfort of joining and conducting the events from anywhere. Besides this, the event content can also be downloaded for future use so that the attendees who miss it for some reason can view it anytime later as per their convenience.
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Eco-friendly
Virtual events require no venue, no transportation or food arrangements which make them a sustainable and eco-friendly event option. It also removes any chances of paper or food wastage.
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Engaging
A good virtual event platform like WP Event Manager’s Expo Networking plugin always offers ample amount of opportunities for attendees to engage. Starting from allowing attendees to interact with the speakers, arranging break-out sessions, Q&As, and polls to sharing reactions through emojis during live events, everything can be done in virtual event.
Now that you know about why you should host virtual events, let us share some useful tools that will help you conduct successful virtual events.
Virtual event tools
When it comes to virtual events, the first name that strikes in people’s minds is Zoom but let use clear the air for you. Zoom is undoubtedly a superior platform but it is especially designed for virtual classes, webinars, and conferences. When you want to organize a virtual exhibition or trade show, career fair, etc, you need other tools that are created specifically for such events.
Don’t worry if you are a first-timer, we are here to help. Here are some of the essential tools for virtual events that you must have:
- Events website: having a dedicated events website is necessary to conduct virtual events which works as a centralized place for all your virtual event-related data. WordPress users can easily add essential event management features to their website with a plugin like WP Event Manager. It is absolutely free and users only need to pay for the advanced features like a calendar, virtual event management system, registration, ticket sales and more.
- Event Registration System: whether you are organizing a virtual event or a hybrid or in-person one, an event registration system streamlines the entire registration system. A systematic registration process also contributes to a successful virtual event. We recommend the Registration addon of WP Event Manager that is designed to simplify the registration process through a customizable registration form.
- Plugins: feature-packed plugins can be a game changer for virtual events. If your website is based on WordPress, you have a lot of plugin options to choose from. As mentioned before WP Event Manager can be a very good choice for you in this regard. It offers a comprehensive WordPress event management solution with a huge array of premium add-ons.
You can consider the following addons from WP Event Manager for your virtual events:
- Expo Networking.
- Speakers and Schedule.
- Calendar.
- Registration.
- Sell Tickets.
Check out all its premium add-ons now!
- Equipment
Equipment that you need in your virtual events include:
- Laptop or computer.
- Camera.
- Speakers.
- High-speed internet connection.
- Microphone.
Make sure you arrange all of the above-mentioned equipment before the event date and check them all if they are working properly. It is always recommended you to keep an alternate piece of equipment so that if any one of them gets misplaced or damaged, at least the other one can save you.
How to host a virtual event
Follow the below-mentioned steps to host a virtual event:
- Set your goals: Before conducting a virtual event, you need to determine what you want to achieve through this event.
Ask yourself if you want to promote your products through it, or you want to launch a new product or just want to expand your audience reach with networking.
- Choose the right platform: It is better to rely on a WordPress plugin like WP Event Manager’s Expo Networking to host an obstacle-free virtual event.
- Focus on the event content: Plan super engaging event content to keep your attendees happy and encourage them to be a part of the next events as well. You can add the following things to make your virtual event engaging.
- Add polls.
- Q&A sessions.
- Let attendees interact with the speakers.
- Breakout sessions and more.
- Create effective marketing strategy: Create an effective marketing strategy to attract a maximum number of people to your event.
- Utilize social media channels.
- Run email marketing campaigns.
- Build an attractive landing page to gain audiences’ attention etc.
- Contact sponsors and speakers: Based on your industry specifics, get in touch with the right speakers and sponsors. If you want to explore ways to gain sponsorship for your upcoming events, read our previous blog on ‘How to Get Sponsors for an Event: A Detailed Guide’.
Follow the above-mentioned steps to create successful virtual events. Make sure you seek feedback from your audiences after the event day and check the analytics to measure the success.
Tips to host successful virtual events.
- Know your participants: Identify your target audiences and find out about their likes and dislikes.
- Find sponsors: Get in touch with sponsors who might be interested in your events.
- Use the right tools: Create a WordPress site, use WP Event Manager, and incorporate the necessary equipment.
- Invite speakers: Contact relevant speakers to your event who your audiences might be interested in listening to.
- Promote: Use email marketing, social media channels, and your website to promote your virtual events.
- Use social media platforms: Post regularly on social media channels to keep your audiences updated and engaged.
- Collect feedback: Do a survey after your event and ask attendees to add reviews and their suggestions to it.
We hope that the article will help you conduct virtual events successfully.
The post The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Events in 2024: Tips & Tricks appeared first on WP Event Manager.
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