Little did we know when we entered 2020 that it would be disruptive for us in so many ways. Not only has the pandemic disrupted our everyday routine but it has also forced us to embrace a new normal. An implication of this has been a slumped economy, and certain sectors of the industry have suffered heavy losses in this quarter. With the uncertainty of the future looming in the background, brands that had once relied on face-to-face engagement and audience interaction are now searching for new ways to still stay connected with their audience base.
Virtual
Events have been rapidly on the rise and are becoming one of the essential
marketing tools through which brands and organisations are communicating with their
existing and potential target audience. Virtual events are scalable and provide
measurable benefits to brands and organizations. Be it traditional on-ground events or
virtual events on a digital platform, the base remains
the same and extensive planning is required to pull off a successful event. Virtual
Events need planning in order to accommodate the shift in the user experience that has
happened over a short period of time and attention has to given to the fact that we are
now replacing once valued in-person interaction with digital engagement.
You first need to understand and define your target audience who will be willing to
attend your Virtual Event. The more grasp you have of your target audience, the more you
can customise the event as per their expectations and needs. This way you make sure that
your event is relevant amongst the attendees and you reap ROI
from it. In order to understand the pulse of your target audience, their current
economic foothold etc, in-depth planning is required.
Content must be paid utmost importance whilst planning a virtual event. Unlike physical
events where there’s a lot of gimmick to keep the audience engaged, Virtual Events rely
on their content to keep the audience attention transfixed to the screen. It is
essential to create compelling content that has value for your audience. Getting
renowned speakers will be much easier given the circumstances and this will enhance the
quality of the content consumed by the participants. You can also get industry experts
who not only provide great insights into the industry but also engage the audience with
their views on how to overcome such a crisis and what the future holds for us.
Even though Virtual Events have been an option for sometime now, the general public
still considers it as a novelty and something that they will take time getting used to.
Hence it is important to actively promote your event and amplify its presence on social
media. The wiser the reach, the more people will sign up for your event.
Keep the end objective in mind while planning for a Virtual Event. Why are you hosting
one? If it is to generate revenue then virtual events provide scalable data. Hosting
polls, networking lounges and other gamified activities help in understanding how much
of the content has been consumed by the user and hence have to be planned accordingly.
A Virtual
Event cannot be a mundane session for your audience and hence interactive
engagement has to be well thought through. The goal of hosting one through precise
planning is to create a memorable experience for those who attend it and generate leads
for the organisers.
