Ever since the pandemic changed how we work and deliver events, virtual events have become a necessity.
With the plethora of technology available, running an engaging and successful virtual event can be quite easy.
A few years ago, I managed a parents in education event run over the course of a week. It was held at a large conference venue in my city. Recognising that not all parents could attend the sessions in person, we ran concurrent virtual events via live stream. This proved very successful and popular with parents, and I want to share a few of the lessons in this article.
Firstly, a solid plan and running sheet is essential to ensure everyone knows what they are doing on the day. It also helps everyone to stay on track with timings so the sessions don’t run late.
Engaging an audio visual specialist is a good idea to ensure a professional presentation that includes clear audio and good lighting. Live streaming technology can be temperamental, so it’s always best to trust these things to experts.
We did a test run on the day with the audio visual team and made sure that everything was live streaming perfectly. We live streamed to YouTube and had the sessions available as replays for a limited time following the event.
Transcripts were also essential to ensure inclusiveness, as we had some parents with a disability.
To encourage engagement, we had a live question and answer platform during each presentation. This was via Sli.do and myself and other staff monitored these questions, grouping them into themes. At the end of the session, our facilitator read out many of these questions and the speaker answered them live. We also ran polls throughout the sessions and showed the results live using a split screen alongside the speaker.
Lastly, we had a roving microphone in the live audience. Our facilitator took questions from the floor and our speakers shared their thoughts.
We surveyed our virtual and live audience following the event using online survey software. This helped us learn what worked well and what we could do differently next time.
Virtual events take as much, if not more, planning as an in person event. There are many ways to be creative and make these events immersive and engaging. I recommend researching and testing the different technologies to find a solution that meets the needs of your audience and your event.
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