The popular saying ‘well begun is half done’ holds in this regard. The first step to hosting an event is great planning and strategizing. If you are not aware of the steps that you must follow to conduct a successful virtual event planning, this article will provide you with the 10 most effective steps to the successful planning of different types of virtual events.
Identify Your Goals and Target Audience
Thinking about hosting a virtual event? This has to be the first step of your planning process as this will form the base for all the steps you follow in the future. Firstly, identify the goals for hosting a virtual meeting. Secondly, identify your target audience. For instance, your goal might simply be to celebrate an event or to launch a new product.
Identifying your goals will help you identify your target audience and develop your marketing and promotion strategy accordingly. For instance, if you are planning to host a product launch event, your target audience would include all the people who could be interested in buying it. Make sure that the goals you set for your virtual event are specific, measurable, relevant, attainable, and time-based.
Develop a Clear Agenda
Once you are done with identifying the goals and target audience for your event, the next step is to develop an agenda for the event. You should set a clear agenda for the meeting make a list of all the activities and tasks that you need to accomplish as a part of the planning process. Moreover, having a clear agenda in mind will help you increase the event attendance.
Therefore, you should make sure that the agenda includes all the important details about the event like the event time, date, list of speakers, etc. You can also send this agenda to the attendees via email. This will help them understand the benefits of attending the event and induce them to participate.
Select the Best Virtual Event Platform
Selecting the right online event platform based on your needs helps you host a successful virtual event. Therefore you should look for an online event platform that provides the best virtual event management. Make sure that you are well aware of your needs and requirements before you go on hunting for the best virtual event platform.
You can also look for a virtual event platform that allows full customization of your event. This will help ensure that your event caters to the choices and preferences of your customers. Moreover, selecting a virtual event platform relevant to your needs will help you host a successful virtual event.
Use the Power of Social Media
We are sure you would agree that social media is the most powerful tool in terms of event promotion and marketing. You can make the most of it by creating dedicated social media pages for the event and posting content on them regularly.
You can also use the power of email marketing and send out emails to the target audience. This will help attract them to attend the event. You can also ask the guest speakers and sponsors to promote the event on their social media accounts. Moreover, you can ask them to conduct short video sessions to interact with the public and answer their questions.
Get Your Moderator Game Right
Onboarding an amazing moderator can go a long way in keeping the attendees engaged. Make sure the moderator you hire has a great personality and can crack a few jokes here and there to keep the attendees entertained. Good sense humour is one of the most important facets you must look for in a host, speaker, or moderator.
Moreover, you must also look for some popular guest speakers to include in your event. This will help attract more people to attend and therefore increase event attendance. Once you know the names of the moderators and guest speakers, you can include them in your event agenda.
Get Your Moderator Game Right
Onboarding an amazing moderator can go a long way in keeping the attendees engaged. Make sure the moderator you hire has a great personality and can crack a few jokes here and there to keep the attendees entertained. Good sense humour is one of the most important facets you must look for in a host, speaker, or moderator.
Moreover, you must also look for some popular guest speakers to include in your event. This will help attract more people to attend and therefore increase event attendance. Knowing the names of the moderator and the guest speakers will help you set the agenda. Moreover, make sure you look for an online event platform that provides you with advanced engagement features like AI matchmaking, live chat, live polls, gamification, Q&A sessions.
Conduct a Rehearsal
Conduct a rehearsal before the actual event. This will help you gain confidence and save yourself from any chaos at the last moment. Moreover, it will help you conduct all the necessary checks and ensure that everything is running smoothly. It will help boost the confidence levels of your team and be prepared. In addition to the above, you should also make sure that the event platform you choose provides 24×7 live technical support. This will help ensure that any technical glitch during the event is fixed immediately.
Post Event Follow-up
Rather than bidding farewell to your attendees after the virtual event, you should try to follow up with the attendees even after the event. You can do this through social media polls or send survey forms by email. It will help you find out what your customers like and make the necessary changes and amendments in the future.
Pre-Event Polls
Knowing the choices and preferences of your target audience can be of great help in catering to their needs and thus ensuring a successful virtual event. You can add new elements as per the preferences of your target audience and tailor your virtual event to meet their needs and requirements. Moreover, this is also a great way to increase attendance at your event.
Data Analytics and Reporting
Analytics is one of the most important aspects of any event. The data collected before, during, and after the event can help you analyze important metrics like time spent, views, likes, and shares.
Final Words
Hope this article helped you understand the steps that you must follow while planning your virtual event. Following the steps mentioned in this article will help you host a successful virtual event.