Best Practices For Evaluating Virtual Event Platforms

In this age of uncertainty, we have all learned that we must be adaptable. If you’re looking into virtual event platforms (VEPs), then you’re already open to new ideas and showing your flexibility. You know that you don’t need to cancel your events. Maybe you understand that this new world of evolving event experiences is actually really exciting!

There are new opportunities for deeper engagement, personalized and curated experiences, and participant analysis*. Additionally, you can increase your reach, as your audience can be located nearly anywhere plus there is less time and expense associated with transportation, housing, meals, and entertainment.

* sample of analytics report (information differs based on platform)

BECOME CLEAR ON WHY YOU PRODUCE EVENTS

Why is your audience attending?

Connection – this is a critical reason why we put on events in the first place. So how do you create and maintain connection with an online audience? You find the right event platform and make sure you can implement it properly. To do this, you must ask questions and take the time to have in depth and truthful answers. This process can be overwhelming, but the clarity will lead you to the best solution.

Always remember – engagement, experience, and purpose/outcome – and ask yourself:

  1. Why do you have events in the first place?
  2. What are the core elements of the events?
  3. How are the events accomplished?

How is the in-person emotion, power, and magic maintained when you move to a virtual space? Firstly, begin with the end by reminding yourself why people attend. What do they need to get out of the experience? What is the outcome for the audience? These answers will lead you to finding the right platform.

Once these answers are acutely explored, you can move on to discovering what virtual event platform you need. Whether you’re a nonprofit, association, or corporation, events are happening. People are gathering and interacting … it’s just different.

UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTALS OF VIRTUAL EVENT PLATFORMS

Does the platform match the use?

So, what is a virtual event platform and what does it do? You may or may not need one and they aren’t all the same. Let us share with you what we found out about platforms and how we incorporate them into the event experience we create for our clients.

General Sessions

The most basic feature of any platform. The ability to host content to a scalable audience either live or pre-recorded.

  • Make certain the platform has the ability to host multiple presenters if necessary.
  • Know if you will need your audience size to shift depending on attendance.
  • Consider the platform’s ability to host content that is either live or pre-recorded.

Breakout Sessions

A feature of some platforms to enable smaller groups to gather and focus on specific topics with a presenter or moderators.

  • Perhaps you need the VEP to provide security for sensitive information.
  • If you need the content recorded, make sure this is an option.
  • Consider your needs for white boards or remote desktop.
  • Weigh the VEP’s ability to manage participants’ activities.
  • Evaluate your need for interactive one-on-one dialogue versus group chat.

Exhibit Floor

A specialized platform component for participant interaction with sponsors, manufacturers, or demonstrations.

  • Enjoy the options of custom branding and, depending on the platform, completely customizable booths that mimic your “brick and mortar” experience.
  • You might need your booths remotely staffed during event hours. If not, a chat bot is useful and leads to more engagement.
  • You can ensure the same materials you expect in-person are available virtually by linking to videos, PDF documents, and the exhibitors’ site.

Auction

Fundraising is an important component of certain events. While there are auction apps, our research did not find any VEPs with native auction functionality and required an out-of-platform solution. BetterUnite was the only auction-specific app we found with integrated video streaming.

  • Look for integrated audio and video, as it provides a much greater experience and results in higher participation (and more bids/donations). Some auction platforms suggest using a public streaming service, but those are stand-alone applications and often cause significant delays.
  • Pricing varies, but several auction platforms are free to set up and only associate cost based on bids/donations. Be sure you understand pricing before committing.
  • Consider opening your silent auction well in advance of your event to build anticipation and ensure participants are familiar with the platform.

Pro Tip: A somewhat unique idea for corporate events is adding a silent auction and donating the proceeds to charity. It makes everyone feel good about their company, builds an all-for-one culture, and helps the community.

Additional Criteria and Findings

Customization:

Not all VEPs are customizable (Zoom is a good example), but not all events require a lot of customization either. It’s important to determine whether a fully-branded experience will improve the viewer journey.

Scalability:

We’ve found that the most expensive VEPs don’t limit the number of participants (within reason). It’s important to understand limits of the lower cost platforms and what options you’ll have if you exceed them.

Interactivity:

Most VEPs include at least basic interactivity but it’s important to decide early in the process how much your participants will expect. Some events are intended to be viewed without much interactivity (think sports broadcasts) while others require group chat, 1:1 chat, Q&A, polling, and more.

Other Considerations [For Virtual and Hybrid Events]

  • How will you manage registration?
  • Will you be charging for attendance?
  • Are you going to teach or train? If so, how is testing or certification managed?
  • Does the event need to be archived? If so, for how long?
  • What kind or viewer participation is desired?
  • Will there be live entertainment?
  • What additional audiovisual will be required?
  • What is required for viewer analytics?

Ask yourself as many questions as possible. The more you and your event team understand what you’re trying to accomplish for your participants and how you want to use the VEP to replace your in-person experience, the better the solution that can be developed (and the more effective you will be with your time and resources).

PLAN AHEAD – A VEP IS NOT A MAGIC BULLET

Once you’ve settled on the platform, there is still a lot of work to be done! Keep in mind that the platform is a tool and not the total solution. All platforms, no matter which one you chose, require a great deal of planning, content generation, time, collaboration and money.

Outside of the technical requirements for the platform, all events should also consider:

Content

Preparation

Cost

  • Platform costs vary greatly from free to tens of thousands in development alone. Your technical production partner should be able to help you decide which is best.
  • There are creative ways to offset some additional platform costs. Consider co-branding and sponsorship opportunities.
  • Consider the added reach you’ll get by making content accessible to more people for a longer period of time. Perhaps charge for the most beneficial presentations.

Pro Tip: These considerations are true for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.

Keep in mind that we are in a changing world and virtual event platforms are evolving quickly to respond. Be mindful of all the different components and the opportunities of going virtual, in-person, or hybrid. With proper planning and execution, a virtual event platform can upscale your business and create meaningful experiences even beyond our current situation. In fact, we believe that the hybrid event will be the standard going forward.

For further information on the do’s and don’ts of virtual event planning, click here.


At Encompass, we have unique backgrounds that situate us perfectly to produce high end and complex offerings. We’ve worked in broadcast television, touring entertainment, live sporting events, and countless convention facilities across the country.

We have technical design experience and a disciplined process in place that allows us to easily scale events and shift from in-person to virtual without angst. There isn’t much that’s beyond our scope and we love the intensity of putting on events!

If you’re a planner working to create an event, seeking help with virtual event technology, or simply want to learn more … we can help! Sign up below to receive our updates (we promise to keep your contact information secure and won’t “overshare”).

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