Sector Focus:Corporate Hospitality


Take your event online


n the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic, many meetings, events and conferences have been cancelled in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19. However, you don’t have to scrap your plans entirely – instead, consider organising and hosting a virtual event.


I


The benefits of virtual events Instead of meeting in crowded conference halls or meeting rooms, a virtual event will allow delegates to watch panel discussions, product demonstrations or keynote speeches from the safety of their own homes. This can bring significant cost savings, as you won’t need to hire event spaces, equipment or organise catering. You may also be able to reach a wider audience with a virtual event, as it will eliminate travel costs for your attendees and enable them to join from wherever they are in the world. With many people currently self-isolating and working from home, an interesting and engaging virtual event could be just what they are looking for to provide entertainment and opportunities to learn something new or interact with like-minded individuals. Lastly, virtual events are very measurable; organisers will


be able to track how many people log in and where they’re logging in from, view time, and which sessions are the most and least popular – all this translates to incredibly valuable data that can be analysed and used to improve a company’s event strategy in the future.


or after sessions will allow sponsors to get their message across, with clear calls to action for delegates who want more information. You can also give attendees the option to schedule one-to-one meetings with exhibitors if they wish to learn more about their business.


Format A great virtual event requires amazing content. It’s important that your event doesn’t leave delegates simply staring at a computer screen all day – plan to offer enough variety to keep everyone engaged. Virtual events can be live, pre-recorded or a mix of both. While pre-


‘It’s important


that your event doesn’t leave


Where to start? The first step in putting together a successful virtual event is to figure out what you want to achieve and what you want it to ‘look’ like, just as you would a physical event. Will delegates be able to walk through a virtual conference hall? How will delegates be able to network and communicate with each other


and event organisers? How will you demonstrate products and services? How will you keep


sponsors on-board and happy? Your next task should be to consider your attendees. What were they


going to get out of a physical event, and how can you make sure they still get a similar, or better, experience? Given recent circumstances, your attendees should understand that there


are bound to be changes to the original schedule and will understand that you may have to adapt the agenda – but you must ensure they receive the same value that they would if they were attending in person. Finally consider your sponsors and exhibitors. Product placements before


recorded content will allow for fewer technical difficulties, it also offers fewer opportunities for interaction. Attendees won’t be able to ask questions and get answers in real time. They will, however, be able to watch it at their leisure and pause whenever they need to. While live virtual events allow for much more interaction, they will require the services of a technical team to handle audio, video and live feeds and keep things running smoothly. A mix of both would allow for greater content quality control and create a more varied schedule.


delegates simply staring at a


computer screen all day’


Technical difficulties Do your best to avoid technical difficulties. Common problems can include delegates having issues with their firewall or logging in, buffering and sound issues or software troubles – but even small problems can reflect badly on the overall quality of your event. It is recommended that you employ the services of a


technical producer or production team to help you avoid falling into tech pitfalls and ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. It


would also be prudent to create a customer support team which can monitor your conference and serve as the first port of call if delegates have any questions or issues with the software. Make sure you pick a reliable virtual platform and facilitate training


sessions for your team members so they can familiarise themselves ahead of the event. Additionally, be sure to lead practice sessions with presenters and speakers who plan to host live sessions – this will ensure that they can use the platform correctly and also give them the opportunity to troubleshoot any issues ahead of the event. Finally, consider cyber security and data protection. Make sure the


platform offers a secure and encrypted site and, if possible, implement two-factor authentication for delegates when logging in.


Spring 2020 CHAMBERconnect 61


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