Have you hosted or attended a virtual event lately? If you have, you are most certainly in the majority. From networking meetings and presentations to conferences, expos, sporting and national events – one of the ways we’ve adapted during lockdown is by taking our events online. Although we miss out in some areas, there are actually many benefits to virtual events, such as no limits on number of attendees, the cost-savings of not hiring a venue and location no longer being a barrier to attendance. We’ve helped brands and organisations of all sizes with this, so here are some of our best practices when it comes to hosting successful online events…
Promote, promote, promote!
Obviously one of the keys to success for any event is planning and promotion. This is perhaps even more crucial for online events as there is less chance for promotion through word-of-mouth. Because numbers aren’t limited by venue capacity or location, there is also more opportunity to appeal to a wider audience. Whether you will be promoting your event through social media, online advertising, email or direct mail (or a combination of all of these for even more impact), we can provide experienced advice and competitive quotes.
Get the tech right
Are you using the right platform for your attendees or delegates? What devices will they be using? Is your event mobile-friendly enough? Does it need an easy or secure login? If tech isn’t your thing, or you’ve got enough to worry about with promotion and content, we are happy to help and advise.
Look just as good – if not better
We don’t just mean getting out of your lockdown lounge-wear. Potentially even more people will be ‘attending’ your event if it’s online – especially if you are live-tweeting it, for example. We have created slides for successful pitches to global corporations as well as event branding, backdrops and banners for every type of occasion imaginable. We are experts at making sure branding is consistent across print, online, social media, email and, of course, the event itself and would love to advise or support you.
The gift cards and the swag bags…
…That your organizers didn’t have to sweat to buy you. Because they asked us! We love that some event organisers are sending delegates food gift cards for deliveries in lieu of a buffet lunch. What a brilliant way to not only make your event memorable, but to incentivize attendance and support the hospitality industry! And that’s not all. This article from Forbes is the result of a survey of over 2 million professionals on what they think makes virtual conferences better. Digital swag bags feature highly – with virtual wallpapers, animated stickers and online gift cards among the swag that should be included. We can help you with all of these things and more – the only limit is your ability to think outside the bag.
That’s entertainment!
The Forbes article above also advises prioritizing entertainment to keep people engaged and wanting to choose your event over others. They suggest approaching content as small vignettes or short speeches as well as including interactive quizzes and animations. We would love to help you create content designed to captivate!
Whether you run regular virtual events and are looking for support to make them a little better or this is your first foray into doing things online, we are here to advise and support in any way we can. Call us today on 0208 590 0922 or email us at info@marcomedia.co.uk We’re here for you throughout lockdown and beyond…