While everyone speaks of digitization, and the impacts of technology have been felt in almost every part of human life, virtual meeting is still not well-groomed into our culture.
Internet communication is well-developed, especially with social media, and chat messengers.
But for the virtual or online event, most participants are still not satisfied with the experiences, hence the organizers still swing back to physical meetings.
However, if you would like to organize an internet meeting, or any virtual event, there are some guidelines to follow, Chaktty said.
Planning and Implementing Online Events
1. DEFINE GOALS
The first tip applies in principle to all types of events, because at the beginning of every event there is the question of which goals should be achieved.
Is it a commercial event? Should knowledge be imparted or is entertainment in the foreground?
Would you like to interact live with your audience? Should the event be recorded and viewed later? And don’t forget: Is the event open to the public or only accessible to a closed group?
Which goals you pursue is not even that important, but rather that you have a goal at all and that you consistently orientate yourself towards it.
Or as Christian Morgenstern put it: “If you don’t know the goal, you won’t find the way.”
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FORMAT
After you have defined the goals and framework conditions, it is a matter of finding the right format, according to Tecpally.
We essentially distinguish between three types of events:
The classic “face-to-face event”, as it was the standard a few months ago: the event takes place at a defined location, begins at a certain time, and also ends at some point.
So the audience has to be in the right place at the right time. However, we do not want to deal with this type of event in detail here.
There are however advantages and disadvantages of online events you can find in our previous publication.
Online event
Your event is purely virtual, i.e. without a live audience on site.
First of all, it is irrelevant whether you broadcast live or your audience sees you with a time delay.
The location doesn’t matter for the time being. We’ll go into more detail on that in the next chapter.
Hybrid event
Possibly the new standard: An event with a live audience on site is simultaneously broadcast on the Internet in order to perfectly combine the advantages of live and online events.
Depending on the setup, time-delayed viewing on demand is also possible.
Until recently, only online events were possible, but as the easing of restrictions progresses, large events with a live audience will also be possible again, says the business pally analyst.
We are convinced that hybrid events will establish themselves and will not disappear even after Corona.
3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLACE
Even virtual events ultimately take place somewhere in a physical place in the real world.
Everything is possible, from a simple live stream from the home office to complex live production from a permanently equipped studio.
The decision criteria are not so different than at a normal life event.
In the Techpally principle, there are only two options: you take your event to a location that is designed for it and has the necessary technology, or you bring the event and everything it needs to you.
The biggest difference to a normal event is that the audience will not be present.
The size of the room is no longer dependent on the audience, but only on the type and content of your event.
In any case, a live stream is only possible with fast internet. Nowadays, all event locations such as exhibition halls, seminar hotels, and public multi-purpose halls have the necessary upload speed.
Even most churches are equipped with a suitable connection and thanks to 5G even a live stream from the forest is conceivable.
Take advantage of this freedom and sometimes look for an unusual place.
For example, a beautiful roof terrace with a wonderful view of the whole city or the cozy coffee lounge in your office.
How about the elegant foyer at the company headquarters or a stream directly from your department?
Or the nice hall in the restaurant around the corner instead of the big exhibition hall in the next town.
Of course, the seminar hotel, in which you have always held your congresses in recent years, is all the more pleased at the moment if you also rent a room there for your online event.
4. TEST, TEST, TEST!
This point is quickly explained: streaming technology is quite complex and not nearly as reliable as one might think, according to Techpaly.
Even the smallest glitches can lead to complete breakdowns. But short picture dropouts or an out-of-sync sound also make the event a negative experience for your audience.
You should therefore always allow enough lead time to rehearse the entire process and put the technology through its paces. Also, consider the higher personnel and technology costs.