You want to organize your virtual event and you don't know where to start?
Imagina is here to guide you and guarantee a 100% successful virtual event!
In this article, you will find the best practices to implement so that your event gets the success it deserves.
#1 Define the theme of the event, the objectives and the target ?
Every virtual event must have its own identity and a clear theme. It is important to set the context so that your participants understand the purpose and function of the event. The event must absolutely meet the needs of the participants.
In order to set these three criteria, it is necessary to answer the following questions:
What experience do you want to offer your participants?
Who is the event aimed at?
Is it possible to access the event via an application? A web application? On a website?
How do you want the event to be broadcast? Do you offer a streaming solution?
Will there be a charge for access to the event? Free of charge? Open to the public? Invitation only?
#2 Define the date, time and platform on which the event will take place ⏱
To organise a virtual event, the date, time and type of platform are elements to be defined carefully. You must choose a date and a time according to the availability of your participants in order to multiply the attendance at the event. This is essential!
It is also important to propose a platform for your event that is accessible to all and to create a guide to facilitate access and understanding of the platform. Each participant must understand how to access the event platform and the different tools. Everyone should feel comfortable.
To do this, ask yourself these questions:
Is the planned date not in competition with another event of the same type?
What time zone and day of the week is your target audience most available?
#3 Define the necessary tools ⚙️
In order for your event to meet the needs of your attendees, you need to provide essential tools on the platform.
For example:
A virtual open door in a campus: propose a tool to ask questions live, have the possibility to make an appointment to meet the referents of the different specialities of your campus, an interactive map to present the premises, the presentation of the speakers...
Connected Congress: an online programme to follow the conferences, the list of exhibitors, a networking tool to make appointments with the professionals present, etc.
The setup of tools is an asset for your event, they facilitate interactivity with the participants and allow you to meet their needs.
#4 Organise the event programme and list your speakers ?
This is the time to organise the event's programme to optimise the time available and to be consistent during the different actions you propose.
Ask yourself these questions:
How long will the event last? 1 hour? 1 day? 2 days? 3 mornings?
Who do I need to run the conferences?
Which speakers are essential for the event?
Do I have contact details? Are they available on that date?
Tip: Prepare a checklist so you don't forget anything ?
#5 Tease the virtual event ?
Why wait. You need to get participants interested from the start!
Offering a teaser is a good technique to immerse participants in the world of the event, while keeping some mystery. It is a way of developing everyone's curiosity. A video? A post on your social networks with an irresistible visual? The arrival of a prestigious speaker? Everything is good for communicating, so go for it!
#6 Communicate on social networks and by email ??
Communication is a major element for the success of your event, multiplying the communication channels is an asset to work on the notoriety.
Facebook ? Instagram ? LinkedIn ? Twitter? A newsletter? A blog post? Let your imagination work, adopt an editorial line and a visual identity to make you stand out.
Don't forget to communicate important information about your event!
Tips:
Create your own # in the name of the event that can be used by participants to ask questions or post feedback
Think about instagram countdown and stories
#7 Test the material ?
On the big day, everything has to be up and running, so test the equipment as many times as possible.
Offer your speakers a little training so that everything is accessible and thus avoid technical problems at the moment, this could harm the success of your event, so stay vigilant!
#8 On the day, create interaction and engagement ?
To captivate participants with the different interventions, they need to feel at the heart of the project!
Interaction is a key element of success, for this purpose propose quizzes, live faqs, a word cloud... The objective is to meet the needs of the participants by making them have a good time.
#9 Thank your participants and speakers ?
You should never forget to thank all the people who attended your event and were a big part of its success. So why not prepare some thank you cards? A personalised gift? Now is the time to send them.
#10 Send a satisfaction survey ?
Once the event is over, you need to collect opinions on the events and above all data! Summarise the answers to the survey and draw up areas for improvement for the next edition of your event.
Remember to look at what was said on social networks, this is an excellent way of gathering feedback.
From the data collected, you need to sort out and select the people who are likely to be of interest to you in the future in order to contact them again.
And there you have it, the key steps to making your event a success. In any case, Imagina will be happy to assist you in setting up the dedicated platform for your virtual event. So see you soon, online ?
