How to host a successful Virtual Event

With the global outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, the events industry passes through challenging times.  As health institutions deal with the outbreak, exhibitions and events are postponed or cancelled. This unprecedented situation forces many businesses to adapt accordingly and make temporary decisions to keep operating.

There is no doubt that face-to-face interactions will never go away, but there are times when going virtual appears to be a better alternative. In this article, we will go over different ways that can make your virtual event truly Stand Out!

Meaningful Social Interactions

It seems like one of the main criticisms of online events is that participants don’t have the same opportunities when it comes to networking and interaction, compared to face-to-face events. While this is partly true, the available technologies in today’s world are doing a great job to tackle this inconvenience.

As a result, organizers that decide to go the ‘virtual way’ can opt for easy to implement solutions to keep their audience engaged.  Innovative apps enable attendees to stay engaged right from their smartphones. Interactive content, such as live polls, reactions, chat rooms and quizzes are efficient ways to keep them entertained during and after an online event.

However, if you decide to provide your audience with virtual networking tools, keep in mind that social doesn’t just happen, or at least not initially. It is the organizers job to remind audiences that great interaction features are available. Therefore, try to send out newsletters at least a week in advance and include step by step instructions to avoid any concerns.

Streaming Solution and Gear

First, determine if your virtual event will take place in a physical place, or if it will be fully virtual. If you decide to stream it from a physical location, find a solution that integrates with quality stream providers. Usually, online events are streamed in three different ways: 1. Real-time stream 2. Stream with a short delay 3. Record and upload the stream at a later time. The first one seems to be the most popular, because people can interact and attend Q&A sessions.

Live streams can be quite simple if you prepare beforehand. With no room for mistake, using proper software and hardware is very important. Therefore, choose a streaming solution that is configured to withstand the volume of viewers you expect and that is somewhat popular on the market. Keeping aside the streaming aspect, the quality of your equipment can make a huge difference. If you plan to host multiple online events, investing in top-of-the-line gear is a must.

Choose the right Time and Date

Since your event will take place online, location and accessibility are not to be worried about anymore. However, the time and date are just as relevant as ever. Even if we all know that weekends are for events, there are still other things to consider. Is there another important event that might distract your audience? Does the event time coincide with a major sporting event? 

Do your research before setting up a time and date for a virtual event. You can even create a short survey and share it with your prospective audience. This way, you can assure that most of them won’t complain about this matter. Besides that, you should establish if your target audience is overseas or if it’s part of the same time zone, especially if you opt to host a live stream. Anyway, you can always upload the video after the show if time difference is a real concern, but keep in mind that live streams can keep audiences more engaged. 

Find a Venue when it’s Safe

Just because you host a virtual event, it doesn’t mean that you can simply run it from your office. Obviously, you can do that and it will save you a lot of money, but it’s not going to be as effective as if you were to host it in a real venue. However, during this time of uncertainty, your audience should understand that it’s safer to host events from home rather than hustling around to search for venues. Anyway, once the pandemic has passed, you should find a venue for your virtual events. No need for a spacious venue, just find one with the basics (a podium and audio/visual equipment).

Hopefully, we convinced you that hosting a virtual event is no rocket science and it can actually prove to be efficient. At Oveit, we are currently working on setting up a dedicated platform for virtual events. If you have time, try to complete this short questionnaire. It won’t take more than a few minutes and it will help us develop a solution based on your preferences. Stay tuned for more information and feel free to drop us a line!

April 21, 2020 Event management, Event tech, Events, Oveit Features, Technology, Uncategorized No comments yet

4 great reasons why people attend conferences

“That glorious vision of doing good is so often the sanguine mirage of so many good minds.” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

man on stage at a conference

What is the connection between attending conferences and one of the most appreciated novels ever written? Talking to a friend about Dickens’s novel I realized that I have my own personal story about two cities (better said about the people that live in those two cities). Two cities that, on the same day, will host two great events which Oveit proudly supports. On the 25th of October,  Gary Vaynerchuk and Steve Wozniak, 5500 miles apart, will help thousands of people find the courage to follow their dreams. And being involved in both events made me realize that, no matter the culture we belong to, when it comes to conferences we all have the same reasons for which attend them (and, more or less, the same expectations). In my personal experience, I noticed that people attend conferences for:

The chance of meeting their idols

As kids, most of us have athletes, movie stars or singers as idols. As we grow up and see the world from a different perspective we start to appreciate more the people who invested their time and energy to really make a difference. And some of the today’s leaders are entrepreneurs that influenced the world: Bill Gates, Gary Vaynerchuk, Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and many more. It’s reasonable to say that people will go the extra mile to meet their idols, so having a well-known leader on your speakers’ list will generate more interest for your event.

People attend conferences for networking

Conferences offer great networking opportunities, and many attend them just to find themselves surrounded by people with similar interests. A great way to encourage people to attend your conferences is to communicate the demographics of your past audiences (or if this is the first edition to make it clear to whom you address your conference). People hope to meet new customers, partners or even mentors at a conference, so let them know that this is possible.

Event badges will work as “icebreakers” within events, this is why we developed an app that allows #eventprofs print beautiful personalized badges – on the spot!

Hearing new ideas

If you think that the internet is full of new ideas…you’re right. But I can bet that every speaker has some great ideas that he keeps for special occasions, and speaking in front of hundreds (or even thousands) really sounds like special. Not to mention that the emotion of hearing it LIVE from your idol will make it very hard not to apply it; so conferences also work great in those moments when we lack not ideas but the motivation to apply them.

Investing in themselves

The only 100% secure investment is the one made in yourself. Today, more than ever, we live in a world where everything is possible and knowledge can break any barrier. Education offers us the chance of a better life (and the possibility to make the world a better place) and the Internet offers the opportunity of showing the world what we are capable of – with just a few clicks. People attend conferences because they see them as a great investment in themselves and self-investment is the key that will open any closed door. Create your event around powerful new information and your target audience will want to attend it.

These are some of the main reasons for which people attend conferences. But it’s important to remember that the overall experience will determine if people will come to your future events or not.

Apart from some cultural differences (that we all should accept and appreciate) we all want the same things when planning to attend a conference: to buy tickets with fewer clicks (remember that any extra step is a barrier that your possible attendee needs to overcome); to avoid queueing (cashless payments systems based on NFC really changed waiting times at big events; innovation (technology makes it easier for you to engage your attendees, making them feel important and appreciated – which they are); valuable information – the main reason for which people will attend your conference.

September 28, 2017 Access management, Business events, Events No comments yet

How to network like a Pro at Events in 5 Easy Steps

Meeting people and making new friends: the key to every successful event out there. But for some of us more introverted types there is this fear of events, especially business ones, as meeting and engaging new people can be tiresome. Have you ever gone to a big event where you were supposed to promote your business or perhaps attract an investor and you felt like a tiny fish in an ocean full of people? I’m sure you did. We did too. It’s not just huge events … the same feeling can occur even after a conference or a dinner, when it’s time for “networking”.

networking-events

First of all, you have to know that when it comes to networking, some people got the natural skills, some don’t. It’s as simple as that. But that doesn’t mean that people that are shy or introvert cannot be skilled networkers.

OK, now let’s assume you are one of the people who are not comfortable when it comes to attend an event and start networking. Here are five tricks that will help you improve your networking skills and achieve what you want when you go to an event to meet people.

1. Get the right information

First thing’s first. When you plan on attending a new event – you have to be informed. And when we say informed, we don’t mean to know information about the event. Well, that is useful too, but first of all you have to try and find out who is going to be there.

Who are the people you want to talk to, what do they do and how do they look? Do you know someone who will be attending the event? Someone that might introduce you to others you may want to meet?

Let’s assume that you are going to a conference where you want to meet an important investor.You know that he is coming to the event (so that’s the first piece of information that you must have) but you don’t know anything else about him, except his position. So now it’s time for research: Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, anything works. This way, you can find out important details about the person you want to meet. Besides professional information, you might even find details about his personal life, such as hobbies. All of this information will help you get to know the person better, feel a little bit more confident and provide you with some good conversation subjects in case you get the chance to do that. Also, every major event has a dedicated app for networking. You might want to use this before the event starts so you can set up some good meetings with people you want to meet, leading to better event networking skills.

2. You and yourself

Networking is all about you. The more confident you are, the better your event networking skills will be. It’s pretty hard to start chatting with someone who is shy, introvert and reluctant to interact.

So, plan your event, locate your “targets” and follow the dress code. That’s pretty important. I know that sounds a bit rough but fitting in is a good choice when attending events. The difference you want to achieve is in your speech and attitude. Rather be known for your character and personality than your funky choice of styling.

Prepare some clean-looking business cards and don’t be shy to share them. Choose the right people and engage them before giving them the card. Nobody will remember your card unless they are interested in you.

3. Where are the drinks?

If you go to conferences or large events, make sure you know the location of the bar or cafeteria. That’s where people are relaxed and approachable. Many are attending the event to do exactly what you want to do, so don’t be shy to sit at a table with other people.

The drinks, sandwiches and cakes are a good way to break the ice and start a conversation… or if you’re a smoker, always be prepared to light someone’s cigarette. Who knows, maybe that person will be just the guy you need. And the best advice is that you must always be prepared to meet the people.

As a personal example, when we were networking to find people interested in Oveit, we happened to meet a potential investor on the airplane, sitting right next to us, as we were coming back from a major event. You never know whom you’re going to meet or whom you are going to talk to, so it’s for the best you are ready for it at all times.

4. Get the right business cards

Considering you do everything right, by the time the event finishes, you will have a lot of business cards. You might want to sort them out as soon as possible. I found out that using a pen to scribble some extra details on the business cards can help a lot.

You might remember all the details of everyone on the business cards from the event, but what’s going to happen in a couple of days? Memory can sometimes be a pain, so it’s best to avoid the problems by jotting down extra information about the people on the cards. And it might help to use different pockets to place the cards. For example, you could put the very important business cards in the right pocket. Simple and easy to do.

5. Follow up

The hard work comes when you have to follow up. You attended the event, you’ve met the right people, maybe a lot of them… but so did they. So, now it’s time to follow up and approach each and every one of the people you are interested in. Make sure to write effective and short e-mails.

Remind the person about the circumstances you interacted and be sure to remind him or her the information that got him to give you his business card in the first place. If you want to ask that person for something, don’t do it now. Ask him for an advice and meet up later. It’s the best follow up you can have.

However, beyond all the advice and tips that you might read online there is one thing and one thing only that will help improve your networking skills: Practice. Yes, this is the most important trick of them all. Go out there, attend as many events as you can and work on your event networking skills. You might not make it the first time, you might go horribly wrong the second time, but if you learn from your mistakes and continue being tenacious, you will definitely succeed. After all, “an ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching”.

September 20, 2016 Event management, Events No comments yet