Planning to host a conference soon but not sure how to turn it into a memorable experience? Don’t worry. These tips will help you ace the planning and execution, so during the conference, you can relax and see the event unfold.
Effective Tips to Plan Your Next Virtual Conference
Tip 1: Set Goals and Success Metrics for Your Virtual Conference
The most important thing you should do before planning your virtual conference is to figure out your agenda for the conference. You must have a purpose for your virtual conference. Set SMART Goals to keep a clear vision (Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Based). To think of the end result of a conference without any goal is hard. If you want to make your conference a success, define your goal(s) in a few words or lines.
Also, define what is the success criteria of your conference. Like, would you consider it a success when you achieve the expected number of registrations or when you have gained enough subscribers?
Tip 2: Select the Right Platform to Host your Virtual Conference
Virtual conference ideas start with a hosting platform where you host your virtual conference. Choosing a platform will require you to put a lot of factors into consideration like these:
- Live broadcasting and virtual networking are the top features that you must check are available in the virtual conference platform.
- Check the integrations of the virtual event platform with other tools. For example, if you want to allow your attendees to further buy something from you during the conference, payment app integrations will become a must-have for you.
- Technical support from the team should be quick and streamlined. In case anything about your virtual conference goes awry, you need a team where you can contact and get an immediate solution.
- Security of the virtual conference room is again an important factor to note. The conference room link should be protected, and access given to attendees should be controlled. Conferences are closed events with a specific type of audience, so the platform should be secure so that no random user can enter the virtual conference room.
Tip 3: Pick the Right Date and Time for your Virtual Conference
While planning a virtual conference, the date and time of the event are of great relevance. You need to think from your audiences’ perspective to know when will be the best day and time for them to attend your conference. Usually, weekends are the most preferred times for hosting a virtual event, but it could be an exception in your case.
Most people register for conferences but don’t attend them due to their other commitments. It mostly happens in free conferences. The better time you choose, the better the attendance rate you will see at your conference.
Tip 4: Choose the Right Person as Your Moderator
Moderators of the conference are important in taking the conversations during the conference in the right direction, so your moderator should be someone who can keep the audience hooked to the event. You should probably add on team someone hands-on with moderating virtual events. A person who can swiftly moderate the audience from one topic to another will be a good choice.
Tip 5: Ensure the Programme is Engaging for the Audience
One of the key concerns of hosts while organizing any virtual event is ‘how to keep the audience engaged till the end.’ You must create a detailed plan on the schedule of your virtual conference. Plan every minute-to-minute detail so that there is no scope for your audience to feel bored. Involve engaging programs like contests, live Q/As, polls, direct audience chat features, etc. These engagement activities can convert your virtual conference into a platform for networking opportunities for your audience.
To make your conference interesting and to encourage live interaction, you can add a social wall to your virtual conference. It is a unique idea to get the attention of your audience hooked from the very first minute till the end of the conference.
Tip 6: Plan your Budgeting and Marketing
If you need to incur costs on hosting the virtual conference, then budgeting becomes a key aspect of the planning phase. Your virtual platform fees, marketing costs, etc., all should be covered in your budget. Another thing you need to plan is your marketing strategy. Marketing plays a vital role in spreading awareness about your event and getting registrations. For your marketing, you can use social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and even email marketing to reach your target audience.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, we can say that to provide an exceptional experience to your audience, it is important to plan every minute detail of the virtual conference. In the virtual space, you need to focus on engagement to build a connection between your audience, guests, and hosts.
While planning, keep these important tips we have discussed in mind and get started.
