Even before the national lockdowns began, Meeting Rooms was championing the virtual conference as a way to promote products or share live events with people who may otherwise not be able to make it.
A lot of companies got on board with it for internal events such as sharing news with employees but they were reluctant to change the format of their external conferences, until now.
If the last twelve months have taught us anything it is that many business leaders have changed their minds on the benefit of home working, and many are now dab hands at attending live events using video conference software.
We hold our hand up though, live events do require different planning skills in order to run smoothly and look professional – so here are some of Meeting Room’s top tips:
#1 Plan ahead
You should plan for your virtual event in the same rigorous way you plan for your live event – including choosing an exciting theme and timely agenda to attract attendees, preparing speakers in advance, and communicating clearly with all stakeholders. It is important to remember that virtual events lend themselves well to content sharing and community building, so remember to add things such as presentations and recordings afterward.
#2 Have detailed briefs for speakers presenting from home
Your speakers’ briefs should include things such as advice on how to look and speak the best over video, what to show in the background, how to test audio and visual settings, and what to think about when it comes to lighting. You should also ask speakers to minimise distractions by turning their phones to silent and asking family members not to interrupt.
#3 Have a run through before the event
Having a dress rehearsal, so to speak, is a great way to ensure things run smoothly on the day. Not only will it allow everyone involved to get used to the video conferencing software, but it will also allow speakers to work out if there are any issues in their presentations that they need to deal with beforehand.
#4 Make sure you have thought of everything
Awesome event planners will tell you that the reason they are so awesome is that they have a list of things they need to do, and they check it off when it is completed. You should also make sure that everyone presenting at your virtual conference joins the meeting 30 minutes before kick-off time, to make sure any technical issues are resolved, questions are answered and the game plan is at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
Conference season will soon be upon us again, and so it wouldn’t hurt for you to become virtual event savvy as we still don’t know when the world will be normal enough again for us to have large in-person events – or whether these will indeed stay in the past. So, if you haven’t already checked out Meeting Rooms free video conferencing software, there is no time like the present.