Author: Lisa Bodine

Virtual events. Whether we’re active participants, hosting a virtual Vision Sharing™ session or leading clients through execution, our team understands the benefits of going virtual.

If you’re here because you’re questioning if you can execute a successful virtual event (you absolutely can!), looking for attendee engagement tips, or simply need advice on how to measure the success of your virtual event, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a breakdown of key pros and cons you need to know.

The Pros of Virtual Events

From being budget-friendly to making it more accessible for people to attend, there are plenty of advantages of hosting a virtual event.

Not to mention, it’s a great way to engage with people on a global level while also reaching a larger audience in general—all without the commute or fighting other attendees for the best parking spot.

What’s more, you can gain feedback in “real-time,” so to speak, by having attendees answer polls or surveys during the event sessions. This makes it easier for presenters to get feedback and provides an early indication of your event’s success (more to come on this).

The Cons of Virtual Events

While there may be plenty of perks when deviating to a digital setting—there are plenty of drawbacks.

From limited networking and interaction for attendees, to the challenge of keeping people engaged at their computer for an extended period, attendees truly miss out on the human connection of in-person events.

After all, who doesn’t love meeting other attendees and building new relationships? It’s one of the main reasons we all love to attend events.

While it’s true your staff and attendees likely save time and budget otherwise spent on travel, registration, itineraries, gifts and other items that come with an in-person event (we all know how long the detail-planning takes)—you may end up spending more money and time on alternative items such as mailing gift boxes, virtual experience components and the like.

We also have to mention the chance for technical difficulties. Poor connections, chat or poll issues, the possibility of user error with audio and/or video, can all leave attendees feeling like the experience was too distracting to gain value.

Fortunately, our team has helped execute countless virtual events (yes, even before 2020), and we’re prepared to help you navigate a tight ship for a virtual event that’s sure to “wow” your prospects and grow your business.

Where Do You Begin?

While a virtual event may cut time on printing name tags, hosting a successful virtual event doesn’t necessarily mean you will save time in the long run.

In our experience, successful virtual events can mean more time spent in the planning process than anywhere else.  

Go in knowing the planning of a virtual event will likely be more complex than an in-person event. 

Prep time for virtual events should begin much earlier than planning for an in-person event.

• What digital medium will you be using?
• Will it require a registration fee, or have limited attendance?
• Does your platform connect to a calendar reminder?
• Do you need a secure login?
• When do you start creating marketing materials to spread the word?

Case in point, there are countless details reaching beyond “when” and “where” for planning a virtual event.

Assemble your team. 

It takes a village of people working together behind the scenes before, day-of, and following a virtual event to ensure smooth operation. Make a list of everyone who will be involved.

Your moderator, a “gatekeeper” or host to check in on waiting rooms to ensure attendees have access, your speakers, your tech team (on stand-by during the event) and marketing department are just a few of the people who should be involved. 

We recommend a group chat (on a separate platform) during the event to alleviate any last minute technical or attendee issues that may arise.

Create an outline – or ‘Run of Show.’ 

Scratch that. Create multiple versions to get and stay organized. List out your speakers and their topics, as well as their time slots. Ensure there is a good flow of content as well as designated stretch breaks or networking times for attendees.

Be sure to outline the expectations you have for presentations and communicate to your attendees properly before, during and after each one.

Prepare for shorter talking points and shorter presentations. 

A virtual audience has a short attention span. Be prepared to break up the virtual event with survey tools at the ready, videos and other engaging features to keep your audience actively involved.

Plan for hiccups. 

Whether it’s technical difficulties or unfamiliarity with the virtual medium of choice, it’s important to have a back-up plan. Be sure to have all the attendees’ email addresses at the ready if something goes wrong. Or, if you’re concerned about attendee etiquette, prepare and share a Best Practices sheet prior to the event.

Practice, practice, practice. 

Ensure you and/or your speakers have a strong flow for the presentation. Practice until you are certain that your inflection and content delivery is interesting and engaging for your audience.

Trust us—if your virtual presentation is not seamless or engaging, your audience will notice. 

How Do You Make Virtual Events an “Experience”?

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of virtual events is how to make it a valuable experience for participants. That’s why it’s important to provide them with value every step of the way.

Ensure the content is valuable. 

Your attendees have chosen to attend your virtual event for a reason—now ensure you provide worthwhile content.

What new skills can they learn? What experiences will they hear presenters talk about? What additional eBook, video, template or network connection will you provide them as a take away? Will you provide gift cards or a DoorDash lunch as incentive to make them feel more present?

There are countless opportunities to provide value before, during and after your virtual event. Start brainstorming with your team to find exactly what your audience is hoping to gain.

Smaller chat rooms. 

Consider your breakout rooms during the event. Could they be smaller to give participants the opportunity to discuss key concepts from the presentations with other attendees?

Again, it goes back to planning from the beginning exactly what makes your event unique and how you can ensure value. (Side note, if you’re not sure how to create breakout rooms for virtual events, we can help!)

It’s all about the follow-up. 

Why do people love networking events? To network! Pick a few memorable moments from the presentations, maybe an insightful participant question or a book mentioned by a presenter.

You can then follow-up with attendees via email to provide them more details and additional information and value.

How Do You Measure Success?

While you can gain valuable insights during your virtual event with polls, breakout sessions and other interactive activities, we also recommend follow-up surveys to see what attendees liked, what they didn’t and what areas you can improve on.

(Side note, we don’t necessarily recommend a follow-up survey every time, especially if you had multiple polls set up during your presentation.)

A sales contact doesn’t always happen right away. We typically measure the success of virtual events for 6-12 months following, to see if there has been any attendees interaction.

What’s more, if the first event went well, chances are future virtual events will garner higher attendance rates. Establish early what your goals are, and how you know you’ve achieved them.

Did you want 120 new leads and secured them? Great! Did you close 12 new sales meetings in the last 3 months from attendees? Perfect! Go in with strong performance indicators to benchmark your success.

Maximizing Your Virtual Event Success

By planning ahead, assembling your team, understanding your digital medium, providing your attendees with value and having a plan to measure success, you’re well on your way to creating a successful virtual event that will secure prospects and support your business efforts.

Need help creating a virtual event? At Giant Voices, our experienced team can help you swiftly and effectively navigate hosting a virtual webinar, panel discussion or presentation for your business. Connect with us today to learn more.

Virtual meetings have become an essential part of our new normal. Seasoned remote workers are no strangers to virtual meetings, but for those of us who are used to face-to-face human interactions, deriving the same value from a virtual meeting (not to mention staying focused) can be more challenging than it seems.

For the foreseeable future, virtual meetings are the best or only option to collaborate. Use these five tips to avoid common pitfalls and make each meeting as productive as possible.

Stay on Track – Keep Virtual Meetings Running Smoothly

When you’re sitting in a conference room, it’s easy to see who’s in charge, but when you’re meeting online, it’s not quite so clear—especially if you’re collaborating across several companies or teams. Know that if you called the meeting, you’re likely in charge—and that comes with extra responsibilities.

First, create and share an agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting. When you’re meeting in person, it’s easier to pivot on the fly, but virtual meetings need a little more structure.

If you have specific requests or expectations, make those clear when you share the agenda. This gives attendees ample time to review and prepare. Having a clear outline of what you want to accomplish and sticking to it during the time allotted will help you ensure your meeting is productive.

Next, keep an eye on the clock—these meetings go fast. If it helps, designate a timekeeper who will help you keep the meeting progressing smoothly.

It is also important to watch out for tangents that could take your meeting off track—but be sure to table valuable but off-agenda topics for follow up or future meetings.

Be Courteous – We’re All in This Together

The first rule of virtual meetings is: do not talk unless it is your turn to speak. Try not to speak over your colleagues, and be sure to mute your microphone when you’re not talking. 

Remote work environments often come with potential distractions that can cause unintentional background noise, so it’s best to remain on mute until the conversation steers your way.

If you can’t talk and you can’t interrupt your coworkers, how can you get a word in edgewise? There are a few polite options. Capture the meeting facilitator’s attention with a hand wave and wait until you’re invited to speak.

Or, wait for a pause in the conversation and jump in. You can also chat in most platforms—note you have something to add, and then wait for others to stop speaking or the meeting facilitator to call on you.

When everyone practices general etiquette, the entire meeting will run more smoothly. Everyone will get a chance to add their input without stepping on others’ toes in the process.

Be Attentive to Minimize Distractions

Working from home often comes with multitasking—especially when you’re working from home during a pandemic. You’re likely sharing space with a spouse, partner or roommate, and you may have kids at home needing supervision (not to mention education) or pets that crave attention.

That’s enough distraction for anyone. Your team surely understands and is likely in a similar boat, but it’s best to minimize distractions during a virtual meeting whenever possible.

Try to retreat to a separate space for the duration of the call. Otherwise, do your best to keep your wards entertained while still actively participating in the meeting.

You’ll also have to battle the rest of your work responsibilities simultaneously. Avoid checking your email or your phone during the meeting. Silence all notifications and focus on the conversation.

One last tip: keep your eyes on whoever is speaking rather than watching yourself in the camera—it’ll help you stay engaged, and you’ll avoid missing valuable information, requests to speak or questions aimed at you. Don’t worry about your hair or the bad camera angle!

Lights, Camera, Action – Get Comfortable with Your Camera

We know we just told you not to look at yourself in the camera, which is why it is smart to do a quick video test before you join the meeting.

Make sure your camera has a clean lens, so your video feed is crisp and clear. If your job requires you to meet with high-profile clients, it may be worth investing in a high-resolution camera to ensure excellent video quality at every meeting.

Most people don’t love being on camera, but it’s a necessary element of modern business. These tips should help you feel more comfortable being in front of the camera regularly.

First, find a location with a clear backdrop. A plain wall or a spot with minimal décor is best. Try not to sit with a window behind you as the backlighting will make you appear dark.

Next, center the camera. Position head-on, from your shoulders and up, in the middle of the screen. It can be distracting to other attendees if they can only see part of your face or if you’re looking off to the side when people are talking.

Lastly, remember to sit up straight and look into the camera when you speak. Resist the temptation to look at yourself in the camera, instead address your fellow attendees just like you would during an in-person meeting.

Conclude Effectively

There is no shortage of new memes about the awkwardness of virtual meeting conclusions. The long goodbyes. The strange pauses as attendees look for the red button that’ll allow them to hang up. The lingering silent faces.

Avoid all this by having a strong wrap-up.

Provide a quick recap of what you covered during the meeting and any action items left on the table. Ask if anyone has any final questions. Outline any deliverables that arose during the meeting and the necessary next steps to keep the project moving forward. Announce the time for the next meeting or any expected follow-up calls or emails, and lastly, thank attendees for their participation. Then it’s time to click END.

Adding in this transition period will signal that the meeting is concluding while allowing attendees to make any last-minute notes, ask final questions and prepare to sign off.