EVENT HOSTING IN THE “NEW NORMAL”

So many of the summer events we were looking forward to are getting canceled or postponed until 2021. And while most of us would rather be at weddings, concerts, and trade shows in person, virtual events appear to be the solution in these unprecedented times. The good news is that there are lots of creative solutions to make your virtual event, engaging, professional, and memorable.

Find a way to create engagement.

Let’s face it: it is hard to stay alert and interested when you are passively watching a video, especially when you were looking forward to an exciting and dynamic live event. Luckily, there are ways to make your virtual event experience less passive. You can start by creating anticipation for the event with email reminders and a physical countdown page. These tools can help to generate the same kind of excitement surrounding a live event. Additionally, games, competitions, and dynamic presentation solutions can be used to create continued engagement and excitement throughout the event to help hold your audience’s attention.

Invest in quality content.

A high production value presentation can help to make your virtual event a success. Likely, much of the content material you had been preparing for your in-person event can be utilized in a virtual event as well. What will have to change is the delivery of that information. Many companies have been opting for prerecorded content. This is a great option as prerecorded content can be edited and enhanced to improve the performance of the speaker. It can also help to mitigate some of the technical difficulties that may arise in a live broadcast, such as connectivity issues. However, these days a live, virtual event can look pretty slick. With the software and tools available to us today, your live-streamed virtual event can look remarkably similar to a television broadcast. You can utilize graphics and a little movie magic to make your virtual event look polished and professional, even if the speakers are working out of their living rooms.

Create an immersive experience.

Live events exist in a particular space and time, which is part of what makes them powerful. Those feelings can be recreated through aspects of your virtual event to create an equally memorable experience. You can recreate familiar aspects of live events virtually. For example, creating a “lobby” waiting or transition area for your audience, complete with branding and schedule information reinvents the event “space” for the virtual world. You can also build in social integration to build a community around your event, even if everyone is at home.

With a little creativity, your virtual event can be just as dynamic and successful as it would have been in-person! If you need a little extra help navigating the virtual event space, Crux is here to help! Click here for more information.