This year turned the events industry upside down and our team has fielded a lot of important questions that we’re sure other people want to ask. Here are the Top 10 questions we were asked about virtual events in 2020 …
Q1: My team has a message they need to share but we’re not virtual event experts. Since our AV company only does ballroom gigs, who should we turn to?
A. You might be surprised! Most AV companies have some streaming experience and recently ramped up their offering. Reach out to your technical production partner and ask about their current capabilities.
Q2: How does the cost of a virtual event compare to traditional in-person events?
A: It depends on the scale of your event and the expectations of your audience. We have completely remote solutions starting around $1,000 but have also produced multi-day, platform-based events with low six-figure price tags. There are a ton of options and your technical production partner should be able to balance budget and outcomes.
Pro Tip: Virtual events have widened your reach so consider sponsorship opportunities to help offset cost and/or increase revenue.
Blog: Three Ways to Attract Sponsors to Your Virtual Event
Q3: The webinars I’ve participated in have been boring and my team is Zoomed out. What options are there for maintaining audience engagement and making virtual events more entertaining?
A: Zoom is a widely-accepted platform for web conferencing and webinars, and inherently, it’s neither boring nor exciting. Your content and how it’s delivered keeps your audience engaged. There are a variety of different platforms that offer specific features to maintain engagement, but it’s the combination of the right platform (Encompass is agnostic but has some favorites we recommend) and well-produced programming (yep, a TV term since that’s what you’re really competing with!) that allow your events to be entertaining and engaging.
Blog: Differentiating Your Virtual Event
Blog: Avoiding Screen Fatigue During Your Next Virtual Event
Blog: Creative Ideas to Improve Virtual and Hybrid Event Engagement
Blog: Television Tips to Make Your Online Events More Impactful
Q4: What type of content can I create and what would I do with it?
A: We love to incorporate several types of content into your overall virtual event plan. A typical approach with our client partners would include …
- Promotional Clip(s). These are for your website and social media or internal communications to announce the event, encourage early registration, build anticipation, and reinforce your brand.
- Thank You Clip. If registration is required, this is emailed once participants complete that process. This can include log-in details, an agenda, and a little more information than your promotional clips(s) already shared.
- Town Hall or Keynote Presentations. Streamed on public platforms, direct on your website, or a custom event platform. We recommend pre-recording these even if they appear to be live during the actual event. This enables revisions and minimizes the potential of connectivity issues.
- Regional Meetings or Breakouts. Streamed on public platforms or a custom event platform. These can be pre-recorded or live based on expected interactivity.
Pro Tip: Consider pre-recording the presentations which allows the presenters to answer live questions during the actual event. - Sponsor Lounge or Expo Floor. Streamed on public platforms or embedded in a custom event platform. Visitors can watch video clips, download promotional materials, and live chat with you and/or other participants (some platforms even include video conferencing for a face-to-face experience).
- Follow Up Clip. These are usually delivered via email. If you send post-event surveys, this is a great way to drive higher response rates.
- Repurposing Content. This can be done on your social channels, website, and/or a custom virtual event platform. Everything that you present can be repurposed for smaller seminars, additional training, monetized offerings, marketing, etc.
Q5: This seems so complicated. Why shouldn’t I just wait until restrictions are lifted for in-person events?
A: There are several reasons not to wait …
- Your audience wants to hear from you. They need to know what you’re doing and how they can help.
- You need to remain relevant. Your clients, employees, and partners are inundated with messaging from your competition … you don’t want to get left behind!
- It’s not as complicated as you might think and you’re likely to see immediate results.
Blog: Why Now is the Time to Have Your First Virtual Event
Blog: Three Reasons Nonprofits Should Still Be Planning Events in 2020
Q6: My annual sales meeting was scheduled for next month but the host city is still disallowing gatherings and some of my staff is uncomfortable traveling. How long does it take to customize a virtual event platform and generate content?
A: There’s a lot of work required but it’s totally possible. Here’s an example of how we’d approach your quick-turn event …
6 Weeks Until Event
- Promoting your event is probably the top priority. We recommend an announcement that the event is coming soon plus at least one registration promo.
- Customizing the platform to perfectly represent your brand can take a little time so getting your creative team in touch with the development team should happen ASAP.
2-5 Weeks Until the Event
- Pre-recording content is another high priority. Since your executives and VIPs are likely to be featured, you want them to look and sound great. If your budget allows, consider hiring a professional crew to set up at your facility or find a studio locally (or near a major airport). Less critical presentations often take place from home or work locations.
1 Week Until the Event
- Rehearsals ensure a seamless experience for your presenters and the crew supporting them. You should plan at least one full rehearsal for every live presentation … more for the emcee and other key presenters.
Starting earlier is always better but a good working relationship between your team and their technical production partner can expedite the process dramatically.
Blog: Best Practices for Evaluating Virtual Event Platforms
Blog: Three Ways to Make Virtual Events Better than a Zoom Call
Q7: I want to have a virtual event but my participants are scattered across the country. I don’t want to share a generic Zoom call. What can I do?
A: Most production partners can bring in remote participants almost as easily as if they were in-person. Some even offer Remote Presenter Kits (RPKs) which are professional, pre-configured systems that ship to the remote participants’ location ensuring higher quality audio and video. Location isn’t a barrier anymore!
Blog: How to Use a Remote Presenter Kit from Encompass Event Group
Blog: Tips and Tricks for Remote Presenters
Q8: We were scheduled to be an exhibitor at an in-person tradeshow but they’ve gone virtual. Can our sales team still participate?
A: Yes! It’s likely the tradeshow has virtual exhibits that accommodate branding, uploaded videos and documentation, live chat … sometimes even 1:1 video conferencing. By using elements from your in-person plans, developing content is often easier than you’d think.
Q9: Where does a virtual event actually take place?
A: Since virtual events are delivered directly to participants’ devices, they can be anywhere. Although the quality is better from a studio or traditional venue (ballroom, arena, etc.), we’ve produced several events entirely remotely. It’s totally based on your expectations and budget.
Blog: What to Look for When Evaluating a Studio
Blog: THE CUBE … Encompass’s Purpose-Built Broadcast Production Studio
Q10: I like the idea of a virtual event but how do I get started?
A: If you have a preferred technical production partner, reach out to them and see how they’re supporting virtual events. If not, we’d love to learn more about your organization and suggest solutions to move you forward.
You might have noticed that a lot of our recent blogs have been based on these questions. Be sure to check out the links for a deeper dive into each topic. If you have questions that weren’t addressed, please get in touch with our team. We love discussing industry trends and best practices … heck, you might inspire an upcoming blog!
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”).