In the modern age, the way we conduct meetings and events has changed dramatically. Many of us don’t have to travel as far as we once did to get to face-to-face meetings, and that doesn’t mean you can’t hold a successful meeting or event in a virtual space.
This guide will show you how to use online tools such as web conferencing services, chat tools, video conferencing platforms, and social media to plan your next virtual event from start to finish.
How Businesses Benefit From Meeting Online
In today’s world, companies don’t always have physical places they can meet in—whether it be because they are spread out across different states or countries or because they simply need more space than a small office would provide.
Plus, meeting online gives employees (or other people invited to attend) freedom from having to take time off of work. If you want your company’s next conference call or video chat meeting to go well, you need an online platform to handle it all efficiently.
Luckily there are plenty of options! We’ve rounded up five virtual event platforms that can benefit your business; compare them and choose one that works best for you.
How to Set Up a Meeting or Event Online
Have you recently been given a project to plan an event but have never done so before? If so, you’re likely going through some mix of excitement and trepidation.
Virtual events are becoming increasingly common in today’s business environment, but they can be tricky undertakings. Even if you’ve worked on traditional face-to-face events before, additional considerations are involved with virtual events—and lots of helpful technology that can make planning easier.
Here’s how to set up a meeting or event online—step by step.
Identify your goals: Before you begin any virtual event, it’s important to identify your goals.
What do you hope to accomplish?
How will success be measured?
Why is having a virtual event even necessary in your particular situation? Having specific answers to these questions will help guide your decisions as you move forward with planning.
What To Do Before, During, and After an Online Meeting
There are two key pieces of advice when it comes to online meetings. Before taking part in a virtual meeting, make sure you have a solid virtual meeting strategy.
That means having clear goals, ensuring your technology is set up correctly, selecting participants carefully, and planning on how you’ll follow up afterward.
During an online meeting (or after), be careful not to overload your audience with too much information all at once. Don’t be afraid to end a meeting before everyone has had their say; let them know if they have other topics they want to cover that they can write down and bring up during another time or meeting. Finally, don’t forget about post-meeting follow-up!
when you use any virtual event software, make sure you save recordings so people can access them later. Also, consider sending out any handouts or slideshows from your meeting via email so that others who couldn’t attend will still get to see what was discussed.
It’s also important to keep track of action items from a virtual meeting, so there aren’t any loose ends left hanging.
Software Used For Hosting Online Events
As you might expect, one can use quite a few different pieces of software for hosting online events.
Some of these will work better than others depending on your specific needs (e.g., your budget, live chat integration, ability to organize attendees into groups, etc.). one should explore popular software options before setting up an event.
Most of these platforms offer different tiers with different capabilities so be sure to explore your options thoroughly before deciding which one(s) are right for you.
You can even use multiple platforms if necessary. The point here is not to make things more complicated than they need to be.
Just because you have more options doesn’t mean you should pick a bunch of different tools without fully understanding how each one works! If it helps, just remember that none of these tools matter when it comes down to it—the only thing that matters is whether or not your event was successful!
So try out as many as possible until you find something that fits your needs and budget perfectly. And don’t forget about free alternatives such as Google Hangouts and Skype meetings if you’re working on a tight budget!
Proven Ways to Make Your Online Event Go Viral
Meeting planners love using virtual event software to make their meetings or events a success. It can add some pizzazz to otherwise mundane meetings, help you host an effective virtual trade show, make your live webinars interesting enough that people want to share them with others, and even help you organize a successful fundraising campaign.
But if you want your event to get as much exposure as possible, there are some things you can do ahead of time that will have your virtual meeting go viral.
Here’s how… How to Make Your Virtual Event Interactive and Engaging: An online event can be highly engaging without being complicated.
As long as you use virtual event software that makes it easy for participants to connect via text, voice chat, video chat, polls and surveys, etc., keeping everyone engaged throughout your virtual meeting or virtual conference is really quite simple.
If you need more information on how exactly you should plan out all of these interactive elements during your virtual conference or virtual seminar. Hence they’re successful; check out our free guide, How To Make Your Virtual Event Interactive And Engaging.
This will give you all the information you need to create engaging events online to draw crowds back again and again!
Virtual meetings and events are here to stay. And while they may present some challenges, there are many platforms and tools available to help you succeed. By following the tips in this guide, you can ensure that your next virtual meeting or event is a success.