How to Hold a Successful Virtual Event Create your virtual event (even with a low budget and not much time)

By Evelyne Kuo, Head of Event Curation at UW CommLead’s COVID Consultancy

Introduction

Tips for holding a virtual event Before the event During the event After the event

Choosing a platform for conferences and meetings Zoom Google Meet

Microsoft Teams Slack Skype

Choosing a livestream platform

Periscope (Twitter)

Choosing a webinar platform Zoom Webinar

YouTube Vimeo Livestream WEBINARJAM GoTo Webinar

AnyMeeting EasyWebinar Webex Adobe Connect

BigMaker GetResponse

Demio

Resources

Introduction

COVID-19 impacted us not only in our daily lives but also in our workplaces: We’re working from home and not able to interact in person. Hence, staying connected and engaged has become more important than before, and virtual events are a great way to do that. This guide explains how to hold virtual conferences or webinars, where to publish registration info, and where to engage with the audience. You’ll also find suggested platforms for meetings or webinars.

Tips for holding a virtual event

Before the event 1. What are your selling points?

Make sure those value statements are clear when communicating to your audience.

2. Structure your event Is it a single event or a series? Choosing a topic and deciding a theme prior to all the preparation can save you time. Structure how you would like to present the event first.

3. Choose the right platform

Think about how many people will be joining the event, whether you’re using slides, if you’re launching a poll during the event and other factors can influence which platform you choose. You’ll also need to choose a software or platform for the meetings. We will talk about options in the latter section. As for event registration, if you don’t have a specific registration page on your website for this, you can use platforms such as:

- Eventbrite - TicketTailor

- Eventzilla - Splash - ThunderTix - Weemss

4. Date & event time length

Pick a date. You can use Google Analytics to track the traffic and check which day and time have more reach, impression, or engagement on your website. On top of that, considering all of us are in different time zones, what time best fits everyone’s schedule? People get tired more easily on virtual platforms than in-person meetings. The event duration between 60 - 90 mins is ideal. The virtual conference shouldn’t be longer than 90 minutes.

5. Frequency of the events Having events regularly allows you to stay active and provides a stable schedule for the audience. The frequency can vary. It depends on how many events you are going to hold. You can hold an event every day, 2 events a week, or once a month.

6. Provide clear and well-communicated information Vague communication can cause unnecessary confusion and waste time. Add a short description of the event, agenda, and space for attendees to ask questions prior to the event. It’s more transparent and helps the audience have a clearer picture of how the event will be structured.

7. Meeting guidelines & FAQ Is there anything you’d like the audience to be aware of in advance such as dress code, asking them to stay on-mute, or keeping the cameras on at all times? Including this information before the event can help the audience be well-prepared. Remember that not all users will be as tech savvy as others so it’s good to have FAQ’s or an easy to follow guide for accessing your event. You can use a step-by-step guide, simple graphic or screenshots to assist your audience to join the

meeting. We’d also encourage you to include your contact info at the end of the guide in case they need further assistance. This is one of the examples that teaches the audience how to join Microsoft Teams meetings.

8. Communication with your speakers Before the event, introduce the speakers on your registration page, website, or any social channels. This is a courtesy to the speaker and helps frame the event for the audience. Also, encourage speakers to arrive 15-30 mins before the event. This allows the team to troubleshoot technical, visual, or audio problems beforehand. Speakers, the moderator, and the guests can also familiarize themselves with the virtual environment and feel at ease before the event.

9. Moderator & Tech Support It is difficult for the speaker and monitor to talk at the same time. Have at least one moderator for each event to help facilitate the discussion. It is also a good idea to have someone available to tackle technological, audio, or visual issues if they arise.

10. Promote your events

Promoting your event can increase more viewership and reach. Promote it before it’s too late! Start promoting your event one to three months prior to the event. Promoting the event more frequently two weeks before the event can usually increase more registration and participation. You can share it on your website, social media, and emails.

● Instagram: Utilize customized hashtags for your events and set a countdown on your stories.

● Facebook: Utilize customized hashtags for your events and set up the event page on your Facebook.

During the event 1. Is it being recorded?

According to Washington Wiretapping Law, if we want to record the event, we need all parties to the communication consent. Notify the audience in advance if the meeting will be recorded or not. Notifying them can also provide the recording for future reference.

2. Accessibility Make your event as accessible as possible. Remember that it’s possible that not everyone is able to hear, see, or tell the color differences. Keep in mind that:

- Provide captions and visuals where possible for audio - Make sure the audio quality is clear and there’s no background noise. - Avoid vague color contrast for your presentations - Provide descriptions for visuals where necessary - Clear language, large fonts, clear color contrast

3. Interaction & Engagement

A virtual conference can be distracting, as everyone can use their phones or check their email without other people noticing. Designing an interactive event can always be more appealing and attention-grabbing to the audience. You can use breakout room functions1 or ask audience questions and ask them to reply in the chatbox, launch a poll, or design interactive activities during the meetings. Breakout rooms allow you to divide your audience into several smaller groups and you can design a question, a task or just a space for them to check-in with each

1 How to create breakout rooms in Zoom

other and talk. In this virtual setting, it gets exhausting at some points for the audience to stare at the screen without interactions. So it’d be great to also put them into the breakout rooms for them to engage with other attendees. Besides in-meeting interactions, you can also consider using social media like Twitter or other interactive platforms to ask questions to the audience. You can design an interactive question to encourage them to tweet the event or share it on TikTok or Instagram so that other people can potentially join the event as well. However, social media can get very distracting to some extent, so keep in mind that when designing your activity based on social media, you may want to limit the time to 5-10 mins in case they start ‘going’ to somewhere else. Interaction platforms:

- ThoughtExchange - for audience to ask questions - Kahoot! - an interactive platform to answer questions - Mural - a digital workspace for visual collaboration-

In terms of curating Q&A session, there are a few options for you to consider:

- Ask the audience to type their questions and have an additional person to moderate and help ask the questions for them

- Take requests and suggestions - Shoutout names as people tune in

4. Overdeliver and leave a good impression

Sharing something useful at the end of the conference that you didn’t mention before can surprise the audience. Providing extra tips and dropping interesting little nuggets throughout the conference can potentially leave a good impression and it can also keep your viewership numbers up.

After the event 1. Recap

Including this will help the event be more accessible for the audience. After the event, share the recordings, slides, and other resources with your audience. Keep it short and sweet. A short takeaway with bullet points is recommended. It also gives you a chance to use the content as branded resources to encourage further engagement and open the door for further conversation with potential new clients.

Don’t forget to announce in the event description and during the event that resources will be provided as a takeaway.

2. Follow-ups Besides sharing your documents, is there anything else you’d like them to do such as responding to your call-to-action? Sending them a follow-up after the event can potentially increase engagement.

3. Evaluation Hearing from the audience after the event can help you improve events in the future. Sending attendees a post-event survey can provide better insight into what improvements could be made. For the post-event survey, you can use Google forms, Google survey, SurveyMonkey, SurveyCake, and so forth.

Choosing a platform for conferences and meetings Common platforms for virtual events include:

1. Zoom

It’s free, but has more advanced features with paid plans. It starts at $100/month and the maximum capacity is 500 participants.

2. Google Meet

It’s free and the maximum capacity is 250 participants.

3. Microsoft Teams

Example: Bill & Melinda Gates’ event It’s free, but has more advanced features with paid plans. It can host up to 250 participants

4. Slack

It’s more for internal use. The participants need to be on the channel to have access to the meeting.

5. Skype

It’s free and has more options than Google Hangouts.

Choosing a livestream platform

1. Periscope (Twitter) 2. Instagram Live 3. Facebook Live 4. YouTube Live

Choosing a webinar platform

The biggest difference between a webinar and a regular conference is the number of participants. Normally, conference platforms allow up to 50 participants, while webinar platforms can have up to 10,000 participants.

1. Zoom Webinar

Example: Zoom Webinar introduction Pros

● HD video and audio ● User-friendly interface ● Cloud recording is available ● Options for screen share ● Chatbox function (public & private) ● Password & authenticated users to secure the meeting

Cons

● Zoom bombing ● There are still some audio issues ● Data security issues

Price

2. YouTube

Example: The Greater Seattle Bureau Of Fearless Ideas’ fundraising Pros

● More engagement & reach ● Mobile-friendly live streaming

Cons

● Low quality ● Security issue ● Lack of tools ● Difficult to share

Price: Free

3. Vimeo Livestream

Example: Aeronautical proficiency training’s Avoiding Pilot Deviations

Pros ● Unlimited storage ● You can stream to Youtube or Facebook ● It has a private link function ● You can embed webinar to your website

Cons

● No free trial

Price

4. WEBINARJAM

Example: How To Sell Yourself In a Job Interview Pros

● Password-protected meetings ● Easy-to-use interface ● Can stream directly to YouTube ● Social media integration

Cons

● It’s pricer than other platforms

Price

5. GoTo Webinar

Example: a short video guide about how to use GoTo Webinar Pros

● HD video quality ● 24/7 customer service ● In-built polls and surveys

Cons

● The price is higher than a regular webinar platforms Price

6. AnyMeeting

Example: AnyMeeting 2020 Release - Partner Webinar Pros

● Up to six live speakers and up to 1,000 participants ● In-built Q&A sessions, chats, and polls ● Can follow up with attendees via emails

Cons

● May be slightly pricer ● No broadcasting from mobile devices

Price

7. EasyWebinar

Example: EasyWebinar demo Pros

● HD video quality ● Screen-sharing function ● WordPress integration

Cons ● It is billed annually

Price

8. Webex

Example: Webex demo video Pros

● Cloud-based platform ● Built-in polls, Q&A session, and surveys ● Allows up to 40,000 participants ● Integrated with SalesForce

Cons

● May be more suitable for in-house teams Price

9. Adobe Connect

Example: A short introduction about Adobe Connect Pros

● It has varieties of templates ● Helps create a unique registration page

Cons ● The price is higher than the regular ones

Price

10. BigMaker

Example: BigMaker demo Pros

● It can hold up to 10,000 participants ● It has polls, Q&A session, and survey functions ● Accepts 135+ currencies

Price

11. GetResponse

Example: GetResponse demo Pros

● Can customize webinar URL ● Chatbox function

Cons

● Doesn’t have phone support for customer support ● Pricing is complicated

Price

12. Demio

Example - Demio demo Pros

● Easy to use ● HD streaming ● 24/7 customer service ● In-built marketing tools

Price

Resources

Best Practices for holding a virtual event Developing a Digital Event Engagement strategy Create an engaging online event experience Host a successful virtual event: Tips and Best Practices Inclusive Design for Social Media Engagement Social Media Accessibility Checklist How to Run a Successful Virtual Event Live Multi-Camera Professional - Richard McLean For more details, please visit this page to learn more about the differences between these platforms. Learn more about UW Communication Leadership’s COVID Consultancy. About the Author

Evelyne Kuo designs and leads virtual events, consults with clients and shares best practices for hosting digital gatherings. She also has digital advertising and multicultural marketing experience. Evelyne is a video production assistant for the University of Washington School of Nursing and a full-time student in the Master of Communication of Digital Media program.