10 Ideas for Your Next Virtual Event

Virtual events have taken up the majority of every company’s time nowadays. Even if you’ve never held a conference call in your life before COVID-19 shut everything down, now is the time to start planning to keep your business ahead of the game.

Here are 10 ideas for your next virtual event: 

• Be open to Q and A’s from your audience

  Get ready, to be honest with your viewers. If they want to know about your COVID-19 policies in place, be ready to answer them to the best of your ability. Sometimes, people will be new to your company’s ideas or platform. Answer those questions and make them know that your customers are your priority, new or old. Don’t let Q&A’s intimidate you, they are a great way to keep the conversation flowing and avoid awkward silences while engaging your audience.

• Make announcements live on camera

  If you’ve been working on a new project that has yet to be released to the public, a virtual event may be one of the best places to reveal it. Think of it as a cliffhanger. At the end of a chapter, you can tease your audience with snippets of your newest product or service, building anticipation until its official launch later on. 

• Stream on multiple platforms

  For those that are truly social media savvy, having videos of your virtual event posted to several sites is a great idea. The more places people can find your content, the more likely it is that they’ll engage with your company. 

  Tip: Did you know you can host a Zoom and also share the Zoom on YouTube Live at the same time?

• Keep it conversational

  It can be difficult to strike the balance between entertainment and professionalism, especially when you’re talking to your laptop. When in doubt, try to speak like you’re holding a conversation with someone. Ditch the fancy words and jargon. You’d rather have your audience understand what you’re saying than be confused. 

• Make a presentation out of it 

  Presentations can be a useful tool if you need a combination of images and text to get your point across. It also relieves some of the pressure on you since you don’t have to memorize all your talking points, but be sure to maintain eye contact just like in any other presentation you would give.

• Introduce partners or sponsorships

  Helping your audience out by giving them exclusive deals or partnerships not only ensures that you’ll gain more customers but also proves that your company is a serious competitor. Just be careful not to overdo, as too many sponsors can certainly get in the way of your original purpose. 

• Bring in the big names and faces

  People love seeing familiar faces in anything they do. If you can, bringing in a big name or celebrity can boost your viewers’ interest even if they just pop in briefly. Not to mention, the more viewers and participants you get, the higher your chances are of securing a new client. 

• Share tips and tricks you’ve found helpful

  Find out anything useful along your own career path? Some of your viewers may be thinking to themselves “How do I get to where they are?” and you have all the answers they need. Your virtual event can influence and even inspire people to follow in your footsteps. 

• Read viewers’ comments and respond to them 

  For virtual events with a live commenting feature, you want to check in every minute or so to catch up on what your viewers are saying. Doing a quick skim every so often makes sure that you engage with your audience in real time, which makes for a nice personal touch throughout your event. It can also help fill in any awkward silent moments.

• Treat it like any real, in-person event

  Although we may not be able to talk face-to-face anymore, the emotional connection can still be there. At the end of the day, your customers and clients are the priority. Be kind, courteous, and remember that the people on your screen are the same people you see in your store or office. 

With these tips in mind, you should be ready to host your next Instagram Live or Zoom Meeting. It can be daunting knowing where to start, especially when it seems like everyone’s got virtual events figured out already. If you follow these 10 tricks, your business will thrive. But, if you need a little extra hand, reach out to us at Emily Martin Events. We’re always happy to help you succeed on your next virtual event.