Virtual events are a great way for organizations to communicate with their audience and generate revenue avoiding the expense of travel and physical presence. Preparation for successful virtual events still requires careful planning, which is what this blog post is about. This article will introduce digital event management platform features that are important to have, and which will allow for a hassle-free preparation and smooth presentation of the event content.
1. Easy to use
Events management platform should be easy to use. Its interface should be intuitive to both exhibitors and attendees, and as clear as possible for anyone with no special technical skills. Event attendees must not experience any confusion about the use of the platform, so the interface hints and guidelines should be sufficient and provide smooth navigation.
2. Multiple Ways For Attendees To Participate
The platform should allow for multiple ways to participate in virtual events – have live chats available during presentations, offer functionality for polls that can be done right on the spot, technology that allows viewers who watch using a smartphone or a tablet to ask questions on screen, and so on. A successful virtual event will present multiple opportunities for involvement of its attendees’ in order to maximize their engagement.
3. Adequate Technical Support Before, During, And After The Event
Technical support may be even more important for virtual events than it is for in-person events because of the diversity of ways in which the event can be presented. Make sure that you use an events platform that supports presentation features that you are going to need, and that the platform’s customer support is available and responsive throughout the preparation stage and during the presentation.
4. Customized Branding
Some platforms offer customized branding, and it can be as simple or as complex as you’d like it to be. You can create and use custom images to display when people join the event, use different color schemes for different speakers or pre-record video clips that will play when people access the live stream, and so on.
5. On-Demand Video Replay Of The Event After It’s Over
One of the best ways to engage your audience is by giving them access to on-demand video or audio replay after the event. The content that doesn’t have a time limit attached to it allows viewers to watch the presentation at the time of their choosing and as much as they’d like. For virtual events it is important for platforms to offer multiple ways for attendees to participate in order to keep attendee engagement high throughout the event duration. Make sure you have attendee support available before, during, and after the virtual event, so that you can maintain communication with the audience regardless of when they watch the content. So, allow on-demand streaming of the recorded content, so that anyone who was unable attend or would like to review what was presented, is able to do so.
6. Opportunities for Q&A throughout the course of the event
Virtual events can also provide opportunities for Q&A – such as the opportunity to ask presenters questions or express opinions during the presentation. This is one of the ways of keeping attendees engaged and interested throughout an event, rather than letting them watch the presentation in a passive manner.
