78% of marketing professionals have slashed their budget for attending in-person events in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced meeting planners to start switching to virtual events. Often, meeting planners have to transition a scheduled in-person event to a virtual conference.
Booking keynote speakers, contacting vendors, registering attendees, everything has to be re-worked for a virtual event. Not only that, but planners as well as attendees miss out on important networking opportunities.
The top 5 reasons for attending conferences:
- Networking Opportunities
- Learning Expert Opinions
- Sharing Ideas
- Marketing Channels
- Getting Complimentary Gifts
Switching to virtual events from in-person isn’t as easy as setting up a Zoom meeting. Reaping all of the benefits of a conference requires different solutions to meet the host’s and attendees’ goals.
This is your virtual event checklist, making sure that your attendees all show, and that no one misses out on a networking opportunity.
Virtual Event Checklist:
- 30 Minutes to an hour long.
- Pre-recorded as well as live-streamed content
- Physical Gifts
- Virtual Networking
- Collect Analytics
Fulfilling this list will easily convert your RSVPs for in-person events to virtual.
Attendees Prefer Virtual Meetings to Be Concise
A recent study shows that 30% of attendees prefer a virtual meeting to be 30 minutes long. Only 7% of attendees want their meeting to last longer than an hour.
Engaging presentations can hold audiences’ attention for 45 minutes. Any longer, and they will start to lose interest quickly.
Show the audience that the conference will be fast paced by posting an itinerary with short presentation lengths. This will guarantee that they are not a no-show after the transition from in-person to virtual.
A Mix of Pre-Recorded and Live Presentations Will Maximize Interest
Many companies have seen success with pre-recording keynote presentations. They have the added benefit of minimizing awkward moments and technical difficulties.
Pre-recorded presentations also make it simple to include motion graphics and music to liven up the experience.
However, live virtual keynote speeches are an essential feature for retaining attendance.
Hire a professional virtual keynote speaker to ensure that your event still feels “live.” These in-the-moment presentations create memories that last long after the virtual event is over.
Great public speakers struggle delivering speeches in front of a computer screen. Without the energy of a live audience, they have trouble reading the room.
Professional virtual keynote speakers have experience in making sure their technology works properly and that they can hold the audience’s attention in a virtual setting.
Complimentary Gifts are a Must for Virtual Events
Free materials are a win-win opportunity for hosts and attendees of conferences. Branded personal items, or ‘swag,’ and informational materials are a necessity.
Attendees appreciate the complimentary items, and use them daily or give them to friends and associates. This gets the brand out there in places that regular advertising can’t.
Better yet, make it interactive. Virtual wine tasting, and art workshops have been incredibly successful in 2020.
To truly add some value to the event, send out a trendy book or gift-card.
Provide Virtual Networking Opportunities
Attendees often say that networking is the primary reason that they attend conferences. Although, studies have found that 41% of networkers want to network more frequently, but simply don’t have the time. Use virtual conferences to create convenient networking opportunities.
Companies have seen success with setting up many chat-rooms for unrelated topics. These spark conversations and relationships that lead to business opportunities in the future.
Generate Leads at Virtual Meetings and Conferences
Data and analytics are the driving factors behind the digital marketing revolution.
However, most meeting planners completely forgo any lead-generation strategies when switching to virtual.
Take advantage of these opportunities by using digital lead capturing tools.
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