Virtual Events: Back to Basics

Your communication strategy is more important than the platform.

Have you noticed that we’ve been hosting and attending events exclusively online since March 2020? Now, as the year from hell comes to an end and we slide into the dark winter months, we have been given no choice but to double down and plan — inevitably — for a future of (at least a few more months of) virtual conferencing. Sorry, that sounds incredibly depressing. It doesn’t have to be!

In spite of my previous paragraph, I think virtual events have improved remarkably since March. I’m seeing shorter programs, better use of tech, and a wider variety of platforms. I’m also seeing fewer powerpoint screen shares and more engaging collaborative online tools.

One thing I’ve learned is that no matter what platform(s) you chose, registered attendees want to access the content they signed up for without hassle, and they want to participate in an event that is intuitive and engaging. Despite these simple needs, I’ve also noticed that virtual events have started to incorporate multiple tools and platforms into their agenda, even though the apps don’t integrate well (or at all). Online events are becoming more complex as event planners gain a stronger foothold in the virtual landscape. I think this is cool, for the record, but it can also distract us from some of the important things. We need to take a step back and re-focus on how we design and communicate our events.

Put yourself in the position of a registered guest. Think about what that poor, tired soul might need or want in order to have a memorable and effortless virtual event experience. Here are some benchmarks I use in my work, to make the experience as straightforward as possible.

1. DEFINE YOUR GOALS. Before you do anything you should sit down (preferably with some smart colleagues) and write out your goals. What do you want to accomplish? What new ideas do you want your guests to take away after the event ends? Are you trying to connect people or fundraise or both? Do you want to position your brand as a thought leader or is this more of a working session? Are you trying to sell something? What is your idea of a successful event? What is your idea of an unsuccessful event and how can you avoid it? Put this on paper, share it with your team, and sign off on it. This will be your guide moving forward. Tools I like to use for this initial planning piece are Miro or Notion.
2. PICK A GREAT NAME. This is your first impression, whether you are hosting a sewing workshop or a week-long conference for neuroscientists. The name is important because it’s how people will remember you and talk about you. A good name will spark interest and draw in the curious ones. If your event is a series, make sure it has a title that sticks, followed by subtitles that change with each event in the series. If your event name is good it will also make you seem cool. And if you are intending to repeat this event, then a good name will help you gain notoriety (ahem… the content also has to be good, please do not forget).
3. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY. You must now rely solely on your audience to READ THINGS if you want them to clearly understand your event. This will be primarily through the emails you send. Build a detailed schedule of the emails you plan to send and make sure the content you are scheduling aligns with your event goals. Always repeat the key information (date, time, link). Repetition is important. You will be very surprised to learn that after sending 15 highly strategic emails over a 5 week period (each with the same link), how many folks will ping you at the last minute saying WHERE’S THE EVENT LINK YOU NEVER SENT IT TO ME. Be prepared for this. Asana is an organizational tool that can help with planning and tracking campaigns. I also like using Air Table.
4. INVEST IN GOOD DESIGN. You don’t have to be a world class designer to make something nice, especially now with all of the online design tools available. But if you put some thought into how you design your communications, your information will be much easier to remember. There is no excuse for poor design. For some help designing things like email campaigns and event landing pages check out Flodesk, Canva, Splashthat, and Noun Project.
5. BUILD A HOME BASE. You have now set clear event goals, built a strong campaign, you named the thing, and you designed a unique brand, bravo! Now your event needs a digital home. The landing page is where the look and the messaging joins together harmoniously. Make it simple but make it nice. You want to feature a registration link, a very clearly written description of your event, and your event program (as much as you know so far, keep updating it regularly, including your very diverse speaker list). Remember, home is where the heart is. In the past I’ve used Wix, Splashthat, Squarespace, and Notion but there are a million options out there.

What feels like ten years ago, back in April 2020 I wrote about some platforms that were popular at the time, Zoom of course, Livestorm, Brella, Hopin, Splashthat, Streamyard, and Crowdcast. They are all still thriving, and more platforms have piled on like Gather.town, Rume Video, Remo, Big Marker, Socio, Attendify, Sophya.ai, Wire (secure video chat), Swapcard (which looks just like Brella), Demio, and Heysummit. I also explained some simple ways to make your event more compelling.

In addition to the platforms you choose, your clear messaging and design must tie it all together. People are busy and tired, and they need things to be simple and inspiring. There is some real struggle going on out there today so your event better be interesting. Be thoughtful about your content, who you invite to the stage, and what you say to people. Be inclusive and be creative. It’s not hard, but it takes some thought.

When the unrelenting spread of COVID-19 gets under control (hopefully soon), virtual events will stick around. It’s important that we don’t burn ourselves out but continue to learn and build, and with thoughtful virtual events that can be achieved.

PS: I had too many links in this post and Medium wouldn’t publish it, so I put a copy here, with links to all the platforms and tools mentioned above.