As summer months come to a close, planning for 2022 events is starting to heat up. Creative agencies and event production partners are being finalized, event spaces are getting booked, and agenda creation is well underway. However, with COVID cases continuing to fluctuate on a monthly, or even weekly, basis, many are wondering – will my in-person event need to become a virtual one? Better yet, how can I prepare for both scenarios?
Nobody wants to find themselves scrambling if their event needs to move from an in-person one to a virtual one at the last minute – but thoroughly planning for both event types take up a great deal of your time and energy!
Because of this, we’ve put together our tips and tricks for preparing for an in-person event that can quickly and efficiently pivot to a virtual one.
Event registration
There are a wide variety of registration platforms, each with their own capabilities, structures, and intended uses. One of the best ways to save yourself time and money is to select a registration platform that is designed for both in-person and virtual experiences.
Over the past 18+ months, we’ve become increasingly reliant upon, and comfortable with, new event technology – and that trend is here to stay. Whether we’re in a live environment or watching an event from a computer screen, we’re asking attendees to interact with meetings differently. Rather than requesting that phones be put away, we’re asking attendees to use them for Q&A, polling, sharing documents, viewing their agendas, and more.
Selecting a registration system and platform that has these capabilities will not only streamline your in-person event, but allow you to easily switch to a virtual platform, utilizing the same registration system, technology, and capabilities as the live event you were planning.
A flexible schedule
Agendas for in-person and virtual events are inherently different. For in-person events, longer sessions spread out over 1-3 days is considered the standard, where virtual events are more successful when they feature shorter sessions spread out over a greater number of days.
Keep this in mind when creating your in-person agenda to avoid large agenda or time commitment changes for both presenters and attendees should your event become virtual. Leave plenty of breaks in the schedule where in-person attendees could have informal networking sessions, small group meetings, or additional breakout sessions.
If attendees ultimately need to attend virtually, these informal networking sessions and meetings can become pre or post show touch points, allowing virtual attendees to reset mentally without reducing the content, messaging, or number of large general sessions.
Understanding your contracts & vendor capabilities
This should apply to any dotted line you sign – especially in a time with so much uncertainty!
Whether you’re working with a creative agency, production partner, or directly with an event venue, it is crucial that you understand the policies and capabilities of anybody you engage with for an event.
Some production partners may only have in-person event capabilities, making them unable to help you pivot to a virtual event should the need arise, and offering less flexibility with the use of your payments.
However, other companies (like Encompass) offer both live and virtual services, meaning they’ll be able to help you transition from an in-person event to a virtual one without requiring you to engage multiple additional partners.
It is also important to understand the payment schedule and payment structure of your event partners. While some groups require large, non-refundable deposits early in the planning process to secure event space, show labor, and equipment, others (such as Encompass), base their payment schedule on when they are spending the capital needed for the show. Understanding these contract differences will help you to determine when important decisions need to be made by, saving you time, money, and energy down the road.
Have an open mind
As 2021 events come to a close, everybody is antsy to be meeting in-person, once again. However, should that not be possible, it’s important to have an open mind, remain flexible, and commit to having an incredible event, no matter the medium.
Want to learn more about creating an engaging virtual (or hybrid!) event? Check out our blog about trends that made big waves in the virtual and hybrid arenas.
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”).