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Thisbookisdedicatedtoallthedreamerswhoneverlettheworld puttheminabox!
IneedtothankSamGilbertforbeingthefirstpersonwhobelieved inmeat16.MarvinShare,whogavemeincredibleadvicewhen Iwasjuststartingmyjourneyasanadult,andLeePerlman,who thoughtmyfirststreamingideawasworthfunding.Perry Shelman,whobelievedinmeenoughtohelpchangemylifeforever, andDrewVanVooren,atruevisionary,whowastakenfromthis worldwaytoosoonandbelievedinmefromthemomentwemetand whomIhadtheprivilegeofcallingafriendandpartner.John Shlonsky,MattNord,RobertKaslow-Ramos,andApolloGlobal Management,whoentrustedmewiththekeystobuild,grow,and dominateatIntrado,andtheentireIntradoDigitalMediateam, whomIgotobedeverynighthopingIdidrightby.Gabriella Cyranski,whotirelesslyworkedonthisbookwithme;withouther wewouldnothavemadeourdeadline:youaresotalented,andit wasanhonortodothiswithyou!
Mostimportantlymyride-or-diepartnerforlife,mywife,Julie, andmyinspirations,RachelandZachary,whotaughtmewhat unconditionallovemeans.
Also,aspecialthankstoDanLotzof,KathleenAlcorn,ScottFarb, MalcolmLotzof,LisaDavis,ErikCarlson,SimonBall,Nancy Disman,JohnWhalen,SpiroYulis,DanRehal,MikeMcCauley, BobSpass,SteveManket,SylvieHarton,KeithBarrett,Jim Phalen,AngeloAlduino,AdamCohen,ChristinaGuthrie,and MichaelCampbell.
FOREWORD Ifyouarereadingthisbook,youareinterestedineitherrunning yourfirstvirtualeventortakingyourexistingvirtualeventstoa newlevel.Ineithercase,youhavecometotherightplace.
Thereisnoquestionthattodaywiththephysicaleventworld temporarilyceasingtoexistasaresultofregionallockdownsfrom COVID-19,theworldofvirtualeventsisthriving.However,virtual eventsthemselvesarenotnew.AsCEOofINXPO,nowpartof Intrado,theleadingonlineeventplatform,BenandIhavebeen deliveringvirtualeventssince2004.
IoriginallymetBen,whoatthetimewasCEOofStream57,the leadingvideostreamingplatform,inearly2005.Evenatthattimewe werebothpassionatebelieversthatvideodeliveredovertheInternet wasabouttodisrupttheeventbusiness.Benwasfocusedonvideo captureandstreamingwhilewewerefocusedonhowtoputafull eventonline.CombiningourvirtualeventplatformtogetherwithBen’s streamingservicesandtechnology,wehavedeliveredsomeoftheearliesthigh-performinginteractivevirtualeventsforsomeoftheworld’s largestorganizationsandhavebeendoingsoforover15years.
Sincethattime,BenandIhavecollaboratedonmultipleprojects culminatinginthesaleofourcompany,INXPO,toBen,whois currentlypresidentofIntradoDigitalMedia.MyrespectforBen’s understandingofthisspace,andhispassionfordisruptioninthis space,goeswithoutsaying.Benisalsotheconsummatetechnology leader.Hisfocusonpositivity,humility,andhonestymakeshima leaderthatpeopletrustandfollow,allowinghimtohavesuccessfully builtmultipletechnologycompanies.
Ifyouareinthemarkettohostavirtualevent,thereisnobetter sourceofinformationavailabletoyouthanthisbook.Itisbasedon manyyearsofpracticalhard-earnedexperience.Justbecauseanevent isonlinedoesnotmeanit’sanobrainertoproduce.Manycomponents
likeorganizingcontent,drivinganaudience,registration,anddriving outcomesarethesameinbothphysicalandvirtualevents.However, technologyplaysamuchlargerroleonthevirtualside.
Byreadingthisbookyouwillhaveamuchbetterappreciationfor alltheintricaciesofhostingasuccessfulvirtualevent.Yourknowledge levelwillincreasedramaticallywithouteverhavinghostedyourown virtualevent,courtesyofBen’shard-earnedexperiences.
–MalcolmLotzof
INTRODUCTION Ihavebeeninthedigitalmediaspacesince1999,andInow havethehonorofleading1,300globalprofessionalsatIntrado DigitalMedia,whereweareworkingwithover13,000clientsaround theworldhelpingthemdelivermission-criticalcommunications totheiremployees,customers,media,andinvestors.Ihavealways believedthatvirtualeventsaddtoanyphysicaleventandthatall organizationsshouldbetakingmostoftheireventshybrid;tomeit’s allaboutreachingyouraudiencewherevertheyare,andonanydevice theychoose.
So,let’sgetonethingstraight: Virtualeventsdonotcannibalize physicalevents; theworldiswhatcannibalizesphysicalevents.Ifyou createmeaningfulandengagingvirtualevents,they’regoingtodrive youraudiencetowanttobetherephysicallyiftheycan.
Ihavehadthehonortoworkwithsomeofthemostrecognizable brandsintheworldandsomeofthemosttalentedandcreativepeople. We’vehelpedanincrediblenumberoforganizationsmaketheleapinto theworldofvirtualevents.Throughoutthisbookwewillnotonlytell youaboutgoingvirtual,wewillgiveyouthetoolsandknow-howto helpmakeyourmoveintothisexcitingworldthatisneedednowmore thaneverbefore.Forthoseofyoualreadycreatingvirtualeventswe willgiveyousomeinsightonwhatworksanddoesn’twork,aswellas plentyofchecklists,bestpractices,andtips;considerthisbookyour virtualeventsplaybook!
Let’sstartwithmyjourneyintothisworldofstreaming,hybrid, andvirtualeventssoIcanshowyouwhyI’mtheguythatcansuccessfullyguideyouthrough your virtualeventjourney.
Myfirsthybrideventwasforamajordesigner’sfashionshowat GrandCentralTerminalinNewYork,wheretherewasphysicalaudienceandavirtualaudience.
Theaskfromthisclientwas:Howdoyoutaketheintimacyofa fashionshow,withmodelswalkingdownarunway,andmakeitexciting forthejournalists,buyers,andcustomerswhocouldnotmakeitto NYCforFashionWeekandsecurethehard-to-getticket?
Wewereabletodothisbygivingthevirtualaudiencethebest seatinthehouseandincrediblecameraangles,butthekeyelementwas givingthisaudiencemore,whichincludedabehind-the-sceneslookat whatgoesonbackstagetoputonafashionshow.Theywereableto actuallyaskadesignerquestionsbeforetheshow,andasalittlesneak peek,thevirtualattendeessawthenewfashionsafewmomentsbefore theactualliveattendeesdid.
Mysecondhybrideventthatweproducedwasforoneofthemost successfulrockbandsofalltime.Theiraskwas:Howdowenotonly makethevirtualaudiencefeelliketheyareattheconcert,butallow themtobethedirectoroftheirversionoftheshowwherevertheywere watchingtheconcert?
Thiseventwastakingplaceatthethen-namedGardenStateArt CenterinHolmdel,NewJersey,with10,000-plusscreamingfansatthe venueandtensofthousandswatchingviawebwhowenotonlygave theconcertexperiencetobutalsoallowedthemtogetinvolvedinthe show.Inshort,wegotcreativeandthisishowwedidit:
1.Wehadatypicalconcertfive-cameraproductionsetup,with acamerasetupforwideshotssoyoucouldseetheentire band.Therewasanothercamerasetupsoyoucouldsee theleadsinger,andanoverheadcamerasoyoucouldseethe wholebandfromabove.Lastly,wehadanadditionalcamera focusedontheaudienceandafinalmobilecamerasoyou couldgetvariouscloseupsonstage.
2.Togetcreativewedecidedtogivethevirtualaudiencecontroloftheircameraviewsandalsoaddedthreemorelipstickcameras(theyarecalledlipstickcamerasbecausethey arethesizeofalipstick)sowecouldputoneonthelead
singer’smicrophone,putonearoundtheneckofthedrummer,andthelastonthehatoftheleadguitarist.Whileyou werewatchingvirtuallyyoucouldeitherwatchamixedprogramfeedthatwedirectedoratanytimeyoucouldclickto theviewthatyouwanted.Givingthecontrolstotheaudiencegavethemtheabilitytonotonlywatchtheconcertbut seetheconcertthewaytheywantedto.
3.Wesetupapre-concertvirtualmeet-and-greetwiththe band,whereafewluckyvirtualattendeesgottoaskthe bandquestionsbeforetheconcert.
4.Wealsoenabledoneluckyvirtualattendeetorequestasong thatthebandwouldplayatthisconcert.
Endresult,thevirtualaudiencehadauniqueexperiencethatthey wouldnothavehadattheliveconcert.
Nowlet’sfast-forwardtotodayandthereasonsthathavebrought youtopickupthisbook.Wherewereyouwhentheworldchanged foreverandgotyoutothispoint?Thepointwherevirtualandhybrid eventsbecameanecessityinnotonlyyoureventstrategybutyouroverallbusinessstrategy.
Iwasjustgettingbackfromoursaleskickoffworldtour.We startedinNewYorkandthenwenttoChicago;LosAngeles;Toronto; London;France;Malmo,Sweden;andourlastlocationwasSydney, Australia.WeflewhomeonaThursday.OnthefollowingMonday Iwasaskedtojoinacallwithoneofthelargestonlineretailersin theworldfortheirEntrepreneurialFundevent,wheretheywere goingtogive$5millionininvestmentfundingtothewinners.They haddecidedtocanceltheirphysicaleventinChinabecauseofthe riskCOVID-19wasposingtotheworld.Inunder11businessdays wecreatedtheirfirst-evervirtualevent,wheretheyhadover45 presentersfromallovertheworldwhocouldnotmakethetripto China,orweredown-rightprohibitedfrommakingit.Littledidwe knowwhenwewerehelpingthemmovethisincredibleeventfroma physicaleventtovirtualeventthatthiswouldbethestartofaglobal
movementthatwouldtakeusfrominteractinginpersonwithbusiness associatesandfriendsatphysicaleventstoaworldofworkfromhome, videoconferences,and100%virtualevents.
Ihaven’tlookedbacksince,andIexpectvirtualwillremaina highlyvaluablechannelforourfutureandadriverofrevenueand profitgrowth,butsuccesswilldependondeliveringtrulyinnovative programsthateducateandinspireyouraudiencesanddelivermeaningfulandmeasurableROItocustomersandsponsors.
Thisbook,yourvirtualeventsplaybook,willgiveyoutheknowledgeyouneedtonavigatethisnewworldofvirtualeventsandtoplan andexecuteasuccessfulvirtualeventstrategy!Itappedintosomeof themostknowledgeableprofessionalsIknowintheworldofbroadcasttelevision,streaming,eventproduction,design,andmarketingand askedthemfortheirsecretsonhowtomaketheleapintovirtualevents. Ihaveincorporatedthesetipsintothisbook;Icannotthankthem enoughfortheinvaluableinput.Iamexcitedthatyoupickedthisbook tohelpyouonyourjourneyintotheincredibleworldofvirtualevents andrememberwhenreadingitthatthisisyourjourneyandyouhave toaddyourowncreativityandlookatthisadventureasablankcanvas tocreatesomethingmemorable.Icannotwaittoparticipateinoneof yourevents!
CHAPTER 1 UnderstandingVirtualand HybridEvents Thenatureofeventshaschangedforever.Companiesarereconsideringtheirin-personeventstrategiesandshiftingtovirtualor hybrideventsinstead.
AlittlefactthatIfoundinarecentsurveyconductedinearly 2020wasthat78%ofmarketingleaderssaidtheyexpectedtosignificantlyincreasetheirbudgetswhenitcametovirtualevents.Thatsays itall;theneedforvirtualeventscontinuestogrowsoifyouunderstand andmasterthem,you’llpositionyourselfasaforward-thinkingassetin yourorganization.
Youcan’tjusttakeaphysicalevent,makeitvirtual,andinstantly expecttheattendeestohaveanincredibleuserexperience,orexpect yourspeakerstobeabletomakeaneasytransitiontovirtualwhenthey won’tbeabletolookintotheeyesoftheattendees,knowiftheirjokes wentoverwell,orheartheirapplause.Butdon’tworry,bythetimeyou finishreadingthisbook,Ipromiseyouwillhavealltheinformationyou needtoproduceavirtualorhybridevent.
Inthischapter,you’llgetabasicunderstandingofvirtualand hybridevents,includingbenefitsandchallenges,andIwillalsoclear upsomecommonmythsandmisconceptionsabouttakingyourevents virtual.
GOING VIRTUAL Avirtualeventisameetingorconferencethateitherwasoriginally heldasaphysicaleventandmovedtobeonlineorwascreatedtoexist
onlyonline.Theonlywaythatyoucanaccessandattendtheeventis viatheinternetfromacomputer,laptop,mobiledevice,orOTT(over thetop)onaSmartTV.
Enterprisecompanieshavebeenpushedtocomeupwithnew andinnovativewaystoconnectwiththeircustomers,partners,and prospects.Foryears,largephysicaleventshavebeenagreatwayto networkwiththeseaudiencesandsharenewinnovations,products,and services.Today,organizationshavetoturnto100%virtualorhybrid eventstoextendthereachoftheircontent,attractmoreinterestin theircompany,andstayintouchwiththeirinvestors,members,partners,andemployees.Therapidlyevolvingeventtechnologyspacehas enabledcompaniestohavethousandsofadditionalpeopleengagewith avirtualeventandkeepthemcomingbacktoviewon-demandafterthe eventhasended.Soinsteadofbeingataphysicaleventtheyarenow participatingfromtheirhomeorofficefromanycorneroftheworld.
Amajorbenefitofthehiatusfromin-personeventdeliveryisthat ithasforcedin-personeventsteamstofinallyembracevirtualdelivery inwaysthatwouldnothavebeenpossibleifthey’dbeenfocusedon theproductioncycleofin-personevents.Outofthishiatushascome anintensefocusonhowtointegratedigitaldeliveryofcontent:either asvirtual-onlyor(inthefuture)asamixofstagedin-personandvirtual delivery.Thelatterwillbeimportantbecausewhenin-personevents doreturn,socialdistancingmeasureswillcontinuetoheavilyimpact thewayeventsarestaged,requiringlargerspacefootprintstostage them,whichwillimpactrevenueandmarginsandcanonlybeoffset bythethoughtfulintegrationofvirtualdeliverytoenhancereachand driveROIforsponsors.
LikemostofuswhowereforcedbyCOVID-19totransitionfrom in-personeventstovirtual-onlyandhybriddeliverymodels,you’re goingtolearnalotaboutthistransitionandthelimitationsoftraditionalprogramformatsbuiltaroundin-personattendees.Whatworks foranin-personeventdoesnotnecessarilytranslatetosuccessonline. You’llneedtoinnovateandlookatthingsdifferently,intermsofthe typesofcontent,thedurationofsessions,andspeakerandtopicselection.Someconsiderationsinthisnewvirtualeventsworldinclude:
• Pre-EventResearch: gatherquestionstohelpshapetheprograms,andleverageintegratedchannelmarketingtofoster meaningfulaudienceengagement.
• ContentIntegration: worktoaligncontentproducedatvirtualeventswithinyouryear-roundcontentstrategysoyou’re abletocontinuallynurtureaudiences.
• ValueofCuration: analyzewhatisthebestwaytocapture yourcontent.Youmayfindit’sbettertorecordsessionswith certainspeakerssoyoucanspendthetimeafterthecontent isrecordedtoeditandcreateamoredynamicpresentation. However,otherspeakersmaybebettercapturedlive.
NOTE “Asaninformationservicescompany,wehaverecentlyinvested significantlyinourvirtualeventsproductsandplatform,because weunderstoodthevalueandimportanceofthechannelindistributingcontenttoourmostengagedaudiences.Ananalysisof ouraudiencedatarevealedthatourvirtualattendeesareamong ourmostloyalandengagedaudiences,oftenspendinghours consumingandinteractingwithourbrandsandbrandedcontent,allthewhilegeneratinguniqueperspectivesandinsights onindustrytopics,products,ortrends.Infact,mostofourtop customershavegrownwithusthroughdeeperadoptionofour virtualeventsplatform.”
—JohnWhelan,CEOoftheCyberRiskAlliance
Youcanleveragethebrandtrustthatyou’veestablishedamong yourattendeesandcustomerstomigratethemtovirtualdeliveryin lieuofin-persondeliverywithoutimpactingrevenue.
Virtualeventattendeesarearichsourceofdatainsighttobuild programstodeepentherelationshipbetweenyourbrandandcustomers.Youcanalsousetheinsighttocultivatemarketandcustomer perspectives,whichcanallowyoutosignificantlyenhancethevalueof yourmarketingsolutions.
Havingestablishedthestrategicvalueofyourvirtualeventaudience,youcanmakethemthefocalpointofyourcontentandaudience growthstrategy,seekingtoexpandtherangeofcontentandprogrammingonyourvirtualeventplatform,andtopositioninteractionasa corecomponentofyourcustomer’sjourneys.
OPTINGFORA HYBRID EVENT A hybridevent isaphysicaleventthathasaportionortheentirecontentprogramavailableonline;bottomline,thereisalwaysaphysical elementtoahybridevent.
Theobviousandimmediateappealistheexpandedreachyouhave toengagealargeraudiencethatdoesn’tattendthephysicalevent.We knowfortheforeseeablefuture,eventswillbevirtualandevenwhen wegobacktophysicaleventsyouwillstillseeavirtual/hybridportion oftheprogramincluded;theworldhaschangedforever.Thinkofthe hybridelementofyoureventasyoureventinsurancepolicygoingforward.Itisyourcontinuityplaninthisunpredictableworldwenowlive in.WhenIfirstgotintotheworldofstreamingandvirtualevents,a lotofeventorganizerswouldbeworriedthatiftheyofferedtheirevent andprogrammingonline,thattheywouldhavefewerpeopleattendthe physicaleventbecauseattendeeswoulddecidetostayhomeandwatch onlineandtheywouldmakelessmoneyfromtheevent.
Iusedtotellclients,prospects,andanyonewhocouldhearmy voice,thatvirtualeventsdonotcannibalizephysicalevents.Infacta goodvirtualeventwillmakethevirtualattendeewanttoattendphysicallyanditwouldgiveyoutheabilitytogrowyouraudienceandkeep youreventgoingafterthephysicaleventended,butalotofeventplannerswerestilltooscaredabouttheriskofcannibalizationoftheirevent andcouldnotseethevalueofbringingtheireventsvirtual.Wellguess
what:it’snotthatvirtualeventsarecannibalizingyourphysicalevents, it’sthattheworldhasnowcannibalizedyourphysicalevent.
Manyforward-thinkingcompanieshaveandwillusehybrid eventstoincreasetheiraudienceacrossgeographicaldividesand furthertheireducationandcommunication.Despitefearsofdropping in-personattendance,datasuggeststhatphysicalface-to-faceparticipationincreaseswithhybridevents.Hybrideventsalsoextendthe reachandlifeofyourcontent,allowingcompaniestotapintonew markets,acquirenewattendees/users,andopenthedoorstomore businessopportunitiesandengagements.Aswethinkaboutgoingback tosomesortofphysicalevent,Ibelieveyoushouldaddavirtualor hybridelementtoanymeetingorconferenceyouareplanningnowor inthefuture;thetechnologyisfinallyheretoenableyoutoeasilydoit.
AsIlooktothefuture,Ibelievewewillstartwithsmallerphysical events,let’ssayaudiencesizesupto100orsopeoplemeetingsimultaneouslyinvariouscitiesaroundthecountryorevenaroundtheworld atthesametime,andyouwillbestreaming/broadcastingtoandfrom eachofthelocationsandtoavirtualaudience,allatthesametime.I believeevenwhenyouplanmeetingswiththousandsofattendees,you willhavesatellite/hybridaudiencesatvariousphysicallocationsanda virtualaudienceparticipatingfromhomeortheiroffices.
LEVERAGINGTHE POWEROF VIDEOAT HYBRID EVENTSTO ENHANCE AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION Ihavehadthehonorofworkingonalotoftrulyinnovativeand amazingvirtualandhybridevents,soIaskedaformerclient andcollaboratortogiveanexampleofoneofhishybridevents fromthepharmaceuticalindustry.Thisisahybrideventthat IhadtheprivilegeofworkingonwithSpiroYulis,CEOand FounderofSkyArx,apharmaceuticalandhealthcaremarketing andeventcompany.
(continued )
6TRANSITIONINGTO VIRTUALAND HYBRID EVENTS (continued )
Aglobaltop10pharmaceuticalcompanywaslaunchinga newrespiratoryproductandwantedtoincludevirtualevents aspartofitspromotionalstrategyforcommunicatingwith health-careprofessionals.Themarketingteamhadexperienced limitedsuccesswithtraditionalwebcastprogramsforother productlaunchesandwaslookingforamoreinnovative, engaging,andpersonalvirtualsolution.
Afterconsultingwiththeclientonavarietyofapproaches, theydecidedonthedeliveryofahybridsolutionbroadcastingto liveandvirtualaudiences.
Theprimaryspeakerfortheseries,aninternational thoughtleaderinrespiratorymedicine,presentedaspartofa livedinnerprograminfrontof75physiciansatarestaurantina majormarket.Hispresentationwasbroadcasttoaudiencesat15 otherlivedinnerprogramsacrosstheU.S.aswellashundreds ofat-homeviewers.
Wefeaturedalltheseremoteaudiencesacrossthecountry on-cameraaspartofthebroadcasttocreateasenseofconnectednessamongparticipantsandfosteramorepersonalandengaging question-and-answersession.Wealsoenabledaudiencesfrom theirhomesorofficestoparticipateandaskquestionsaswell.
Eachliveprogramsitewasstaffedbyasingle-camera broadcastcrewtocaptureaudienceactivitythatwasintegrated intothebroadcast.Theshowopeningincludeda“round robin”ofliveintroductionsofeachlocation,wherethelocal pharmaceuticalrepresentativeprogramhostsharedagreeting fromtheiraudiencewithsomelocalflare.Livefootagefromthe siteswaspepperedinthroughoutthebroadcast,withafunand livelysecondscreengamificationactivitymid-programtokeep theaudienceenergized.
Participantsfromallsiteswereinvitedtoaskthespeaker questionslive,oncamera,atintervalsduringthebroadcast,
(continued )
showinginsplit-screenwiththepresenter.Offeringareal-time, on-camera,verbalexchangewiththisnationalthoughtleader wasabigdrawforthem,andadifferentiatorfromtypical webcastswhereaudiencesarelimitedtotypingtheirquestions intotheperceived“greatabyss”ofawebcastplatform,onlyfor themtogounaddressedduring–andafter–theprogram.The “1:1”liveinteractionwiththespeakerandtheabilityforeachof thelivesitestoseeeachotheroncameraweredefinitekeysto success.
Thefinalparticipanttotal(liveandat-home)wasarecord forthiscompany’svirtualeventsintherespiratorycategory.
Results:
• Registrationfortheeventwas77%higherthanthatfor thecompany’spreviousproductlaunchwebcast.The programformatcreatedsignificantbuzzwithphysicians,whothenrecruitedcolleagues,includingsome frompracticespreviouslyflaggedasinaccessible.The programalsoopenedmanydoorsforthesalesteam.
• 64%moreparticipantsjoinedthiseventthanthismarketingteam’sprevioussatellitenationalbroadcast.
• Inapost-eventsurvey,82%ofparticipantsreportedthat thiswasthemostengaginghybridvirtualeventinwhich theyhadparticipated.Thereal-time“face-to-face” interactionwiththespeakerandafeelingofconnectednesswiththeotherlivesiteswerecitedasthetoptwo reasons.
• Thecompany’sleadershipteamwassopleasedwith theeventandresultingproductinquiriesthatthey replicatedthismodelacrossthreefollowingproduct launches.
ADDRESSING COMMON MISCONCEPTIONSAND MYTHS ABOUT VIRTUAL EVENTS WhenIstartedoutinthestreamingbusinessin1998,peoplestillhad faxmachines,high-speedinternetathomewasaluxuryanddidn’texist inmanylocations,andstreamingvideowasnotHDqualityandwas thesizeofpostagestampandthenaplayingcard.Whenyoustarted anewjobyouprobablygotadesktopasopposedtoalaptopcomputer.Oh,andtogiveyousomecontext,theiPadwasstill11years awayandtheiPhonewasstill9yearsaway.Alsojusttogivemoreperspective,JosephW.Lechleider,whoiscreditedforbeingoneofthe inventorsofhigh-speedinternet,wasprobablyneverthinkingabout sendingvideoovertheinternet;4Ginternetwasnotlaunchedinthe UnitedStatesuntil2010.With5Glaunchinggloballynow,theability toreceiveamazingqualitycontentanywhereintheworldisnowwell withinreach.
Intheearlydaysoftheinternet,onlineeventsandwebinarswere asmallpartoftheeventsbusinessand,quitehonestly,anafterthought foreventplannersandconferenceplanners.
Cutting-edgeadvancementsinvideo,audio,andintegrated communicationtechnologieshavemadeitpossibletodomuchmore online.Gonearethedayswhencompanieswereforcedtodealwith bulky,unintuitivewebinarprogramsthatproducedpoor-quality videoorchoppy,brokenaudio.Webcastingtechnologythatunites high-quality,crystal-clearaudioandvideo,PowerPoint,livechat,and Q&Aintoasinglestreamlinedinterfacehasremovedtechnological barriersforlargeandsmallbusinesses.Nowallyouneedisastrong internetconnectionandyoucandeliveraTV-stylebroadcastright fromyourhome.
Andwithalltheseadvancements,thereisstillalotofresistanceanduneasinessbecauseofthemisconceptionsaroundvirtual events.
Beforewegoanyfurtherinthebook,Iwanttotakeyouthrough allthemythsyou’regoingtohearandtellyouexactlywhytheyarenot basedinfact.
Myth#1:Myvirtualeventorhybrideventwill cannibalizemyphysicaleventattendance
Reality: Italkedaboutthisinearlierexamples,butI’dliketogiveyou another.Agoodfriendofmineputsitlikethis:everyyearthereareonly about70,000totalticketstotheSuperBowl.IfIdon’tgetaticket,does thatmeanI’mnotgoingtowatch?Ofcoursenot;I’llwatchbutitwill justbeadifferentexperience,andusuallyacheaperone.
Therealitydoesn’tsupportthecannibalizationmyth,butinstead itshowshowyoushouldbethinkingaboutthebiggerpicture.Ifyou onlyofferanoptiontoattendaphysicalevent,you’releavingouta largesegmentofyourprospectuniversethatwon’tgettoseeanyof thatcontentorengagewithanyofthoseattendees.You’remissingan opportunitytoextendyourreachtoaglobalaudiencethatyouwere neverinfrontofbefore.
Forthosedeterminedtoattendthephysicalevent,yourrepeat customers,theyfighteachyearforthetravelandbudgetapprovalto seecustomersandpartnersfacetoface,andthey’renotgoingtogive thatup.
Myth#2:Itcan’tbemonetized,andI’lllosemy sponsorandattendeerevenuestreams
Reality: Anygoodvirtualeventplatformwillhavetheoptionforyouto collectattendeeregistrationfees.Plusthereareanumberofcustomizableelementsthatcanbemonetizedforexhibitorsandsponsorstoprovidevisibility,thoughtleadershipopportunities,andcustommessaging throughouttheeventexperience.Ifit’scustomizable,it’smonetizable.
Myth#3:It’snotinteractive;peoplewilljustbe watchingpresentations
Reality: Thiscouldn’tbefurtherfromthetruth.Avirtualenvironmentoffersparticipantstheoptiontoparticipateinlivepollsduring asession.Basedonthosepollresultsthespeakercanpivotwithinthe
presentationtoputmoreemphasisonareasofthetopicattendeessaid theywanttohearabout.
Attendeescanalsotakeadvantageoflivechat,videochats,and Q&A.I’veseenchatthreadsgetreallylivelywithpeoplemaking connections,answeringquestionsforoneanother,andofferingtheir expertiseonthetopic.Andlastly,you’reabletoposequestionsdirectly tothespeakerandgetthoseansweredinrealtime.
Myth#4:Peoplewon’tstayaslongforavirtual sessionastheywouldforanin-personsession
Reality: It’sjustaseasytowalkoutofaphysicalsessionornoteven showuptothemeetingasitistoclickoutofavirtualevent.Iwould arguethattherearemoredistractionsataphysicalmeetingwheremost arelocatedincitieswithgreatclimatesandanabundanceofleisure activities.Whenyouclickoutofavirtualevent,you’rejustrightback whereyoustartedfrom,atyourdesk.
Plus,inavirtualenvironmentwecanmeasurehowlongpeople staywithinasessionwithmoreaccuracythanabadgeswipesowecan confidentlytellyouwhichsessionsarethemostpopular.
Myth#5:I’llonlygetlimitedreporting Reality: Thisoneisalwaysabitofashocktomebecausewithinavirtualenvironment,likeeverythingwedoonline,thereisalwaysactivity databeingcollected.Anyvirtualeventplatformthatyouchooseshould beabletoprovideyouwithenoughdataformarketingtodevelopa leadscoringmodel,forsponsorstoknowwhovisitedtheirboothsand whatassetsweredownloaded,andforyourexecutiveleadershiptobe confidentthattheexactaudiencetheytargetedactuallyattended.
Sonowthatyouknowwhatavirtualeventis,it’stimetointroduce youtosomeoftheinnovativetoolsyoucanuseinordertocreatea compellingvirtualevent.
