How To Host A Virtual Event in 8 Easy Steps
How To Host A Virtual Event: 8 Great Steps
2020 was the official year of canceled events. This included everything from festivals to family functions.
As the world pivoted to virtual, we soon learned that there are great perks to hosting an event online.
If you are wondering how to plan and host a virtual event, the following steps will get you set for online success.
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60 Minutes Is The Sweet Spot
DJ Will Gill hosts a virtual corporate event for international clients in Singapore, Zurich, and locally in the US. For the highest level of engagement and entertainment, a virtual event should be 60 minutes max. I have an online contact form for that asks for guest count, time zone, and expected event time. More than half of new inquiries list two to sometimes 6 hours! Considering the busy schedules of adults and children, I suggest a one-hour duration for corporate school parties.
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Plan a virtual event with interaction and engagement.
DJ Will Gill hosts a virtual event using an engaging raffle wheel The most successfully planned virtual events are a two-way affair. This means both the presenters and the guests are involved in contributions to the online event experience.
User submissions like Q&A’s, polls, and live chat are awesome ways to see who’s in tune with the program. Using the spotlight feature on Zoom helps engage people and makes them feel included in virtual events. At major corporate functions, forming smaller groups with breakout sessions is effective for increasing engagement and personal interactions.
Add some variety to your virtual event plan. This can include music, video, speeches, acts, trivia, and other quick games. Try not to make it just a visual meeting online.
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Don’t avoid the elephant in the room.
DJ Will Gill and a Steve Harvey cameo at a hosted virtual corporate event for Cyvatar We are in a pandemic. There are countless cons to what has happened to our planet. Trying to pass off a virtual event as better than an in-person live event is a social faux pas. Go into planning your virtual event calling it what it is: an online virtual event.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the theme of an online party has to be about masks and sanitizer. That is to say, don’t try and oversell an online event as the event of the millennium.
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Host your virtual event on a popular platform.
DJ WIll Gill hosts a virtual conference including Zoom polls and trivia for South Korean clients 2020 saw a boom in virtual event platforms. While most people use Zoom and Instagram Live for online events, other exciting platforms exist but require technical skills. This includes Wondershare, Streamyard, and Vmix.
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Use The 7 Minute Psychology.
DJ Will Gill’s notable 7-minute guide for online events appeared in The Wall Street Journal. The trick to a successful virtual event is to keep each segment, act, and event under 7 minutes. This is where you will lose the busiest of a virtual user’s attention.
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Incentivize Users.
DJ Will Gill hosts an interactive virtual event using Kahoot trivia This is an underrated statement. If you plan to keep virtual event users most engaged, you will want some sort of reward for staying on screen.
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Prepare your guest speakers.
DJ Will Gill hosts a virtual Zoom event with guest speakers If your virtual event features guest speakers, keep them on a tight schedule. Prep them with pre-determined questions, keep their topics brief and to the point. Q&A sessions work best where the guests have submitted their questions in advance. Less improvisation is more.
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Deploy a virtual tech team.
DJ Will Gill at a hosted virtual event using virtual techs to monitor the guest list When I plan virtual events for clients, I always have at least 2 virtual techs working behind the scenes. This includes a team of individuals running spotlight, chat box monitoring, and screen sharing. This allows me as the virtual event emcee to stay focused and engaged in real-time with the guests.
In Conclusion
You want an interactive and engaging event. Keep the virtual event to 60 minutes with segments no longer than 7 minutes. This goes for virtual corporate events and online DJ parties. Make sure everyone from vendor to toastmaster is prepped, well-rehearsed, and on time.
If there are prizes to be had, expect a high turnout with guests on the call for longer durations. Need example timelines or virtual event ideas, feel free to contact me here.
Hybrid Events
In 2021, in-person events may still be a thing of the future. Until then, corporate events via video conferencing will be the norm. Many event marketing firms are locked into virtual experiences thanks to platforms like Wondershare and Vmix.
Festivals are slated to continue to be live-streamed. Team building events during the pandemic are best left to virtual platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangout.
Team members looking for the best way to host a virtual event should first update their event technology. This includes the use of green screens, proper lighting, and microphones. Not to mention, updating to the latest software Zoom will be key.
If you’re looking to do an event online, your initial move should be to hire a virtual event specialist. Until we can get back to public events, this next phase of digital and physical events will be the hybrid event.
A hybrid event means a few key people are there in person, but most guests join online. The first of this kind in 2020 was hybrid weddings.
DJ WILL GILL Performing At a Hybrid Event
Hybrid weddings allowed guests from everywhere and of all ages to attend, making them a big hit during the pandemic. Breakout rooms worked well because they let wedding couples visit each one like they were visiting different tables at their wedding.
Not to mention, pre-recorded speeches could be aired for guests whose time zones didn’t fit the actual virtual event time. Wedding couples can use the Zoom mobile app to record their special day from various angles.
We learned in 2020 that fun virtual events are a thing. While we don’t hope this to last a long time, let’s at least have a good time. This article is all about how to host a Zoom party. For more tips, check out DJ Will Gill and all of his virtual events on his social media page.
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