A VIEW INTO VIRTUAL VALUE: MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NEXT EVENT

Virtual events are booming. A trend likely to continue even post-pandemic. But as a relative newcomer to the marketing mix, there’s no standard playbook for making them effective. To learn what works best, we talked to dozens of clients, partners and event planning experts. Here are the key takeaways.

It is no surprise that demand for virtual events exploded last year as brands sought new ways to deliver interactive digital content to keep customers engaged and reach them where they were. Videos and live-streaming content now account for 75% of internet traffic, a number projected to keep growing in 2021. With the isolation of social distancing and remote work making people crave live connection more than ever, Matter continues to execute live and virtual events for its clients - over a dozen in the past year, across industries such as B2B tech, consumer brands, healthcare, education and nonprofit.

Goldilocks was wrong when it comes to event length

Virtual events can range from week-long trade shows to one-hour webinars, each effective in their own right. We consulted our clients and partners to see which length they found most effective:


Short (half-day or less) events out-performed significantly, as almost everyone cited them as being highly effective.


Long (multiple day) events were polarizing. More than half of our network said they were effective, but nearly a third said they were not effective at all.


Medium (half-day to full-day) events received the least praise as most found them only moderately effective or not effective at all.



If your event is longer than a half day, include plenty of breaks and experiment with “fun segments” that aren’t related to the educational content. Examples include having a live DJ play during breaks, trivia, a virtual escape room or cooking demo. Schedule these segments in the middle of the afternoon before your final sessions. This will keep your audience engaged and clear-minded for the final sessions. Create your program so that attendees get to choose their path. Besides offering the standard general sessions and multiple tracks, carve out a 90-minute chunk of time where they can either visit exhibitors, participate in round table discussions, watch pre-recorded sessions or take a break. They choose their own adventure."

- Lauren Cramer, Chief Event Planner at Turn-Key Events


Email and digital marketing drive attendance

To ensure your production is not lost in the digital shuffle, the promotion of a virtual event requires as much thought and planning as the event itself. Email is far and away the most effective driver of attendance for virtual events, followed by social media, digital advertising and public relations.


Email is the single most effective way to drive event registrations.


More than half of virtual event organizers use social media to drive registrations.


The average promotional period lasts 3-4 weeks for a small event, with large events needing more than 6 weeks.



Promote! Promote! Promote! If your attendees only get one event reminder a week before it starts, you'll probably have a disappointing turnout. A thoughtful cadence of promotion across all your appropriate channels is your opportunity to tease - as well as set expectations - for the event. And don’t be shy to promote even as late as the day of the event. I’ve seen a significant number of last-minute attendees and registrants with this strategy, and I’ve personally registered the same day for webinars. The point is, meet your audience where they are in the moment. It's easy for even those day-old invites to get lost in the mix."

- Tim Bradley, Executive Producer and Vice President at Matter


Determine what needs to be live

While there is nothing like the real thing, it is important to determine what aspects of your virtual event actually need to be live, and why. Most virtual events contain a fair amount of pre-recorded content, mixed in with live and sometimes interactive elements.


Most virtual events are not 100% live.


Pre-recorded content can be more compelling and engaging due to the high production value.


Live video can boost audience participation - consider a live Q&A following or even during a pre-recorded presentation segment.



These days, pre-recorded content yields higher quality while broadcasting in real time comes with higher risk. But going live enables two things: context and authenticity - and each can be integral to an event's success. With the speed of today’s news cycle, it can be critical to address things that arise in the period between filming and showtime. And with heightened consumer demand for interactivity, a real back-and-forth between audience and speakers can be a game changer."

- Ari Glantz, Director, Development & Strategic Initiatives at New England Venture Capital Association


Get the tech right

Tech learning curves and usability are by far the biggest challenges in running virtual events. Are your speakers comfortable enough with webinar tech to present effectively? Can their home or office WiFi support them live? What virtual engagement features can stand in for in-person activities? How and where will an audience be watching?

Just under half of our clients and partners said that tech usability was challenging for their attendees. This is gradually trending down as audiences become more accustomed to webinar platforms.


We have seen clear patterns in device use during client events.

Half of our clients and partners said that the biggest challenge of setting up a virtual event (for their teams) was the technological learning curve. This is also trending down with platform upgrades and hands-on time with webinar software.



Technology can certainly be a challenge for both your attendees and speakers. Consider an introduction video for attendees when they enter the virtual platform that explains how to use the application. Communicate early and often providing guidance on the platform before the event takes place. Even if speakers are recording their presentation, have tech checks so they understand how to use the technology. This will result in higher-quality pre-recorded content. Having a production team not only brings your event to another level, it often eases the stress presenters feel because the team handles the responsibilities of recording, controlling slide decks, etc."

- Lauren Cramer, Chief Event Planner at Turn-Key Events


Virtual vs. in-person comes down to priorities

The webinar format has evolved beyond the 90s-era “talking head report.” Live virtual events can incorporate Q&A sessions, viewer polls and even virtual games. But does the virtual event have the same impact as an in-person event? When comparing virtual events to in-person with our clients and partners, we found:


Virtual events have the potential to reach a much larger audience than an in-person event. No plane ticket required!


It is hard to beat the connections you make at an in-person event. Our clients and partners found virtual events to generate fewer leads.


Virtual events have potentially lower costs than in-person events, leading to a higher return on investment.




There’s no question that registration and attendance numbers are higher with virtual events than in-person, however the no-show rates of attendees is also significantly higher. If your event is educational in nature and you previously had fees associated with attending the live event, you should charge something for the virtual event. This makes the attendee feel like there’s some skin in the game and they’ll be more committed to attending. Create opportunities for attendees to participate in chat rooms and talk with one another. Slack is a great app to include as part of your virtual conference because you can keep conversations going and create like-minded groups that live after the event ends. To keep your audience engaged, your production value has to be greater than a simple WebEx or Zoom meeting. Think about things that create movement within your event – knowing when to focus solely on presenters, slides or both. Subtle changes help keep the attendees focused."

- Lauren Cramer, Chief Event Planner at Turn-Key Events


CONTACT US

Matter

978.499.9250 | info@matternow.com | matternow.com

Turn-Key Events 

978.509.9533 | info@tkevents.net | TKEvents.net