What is a virtual event?

Are you thinking about going digital for your next conference or trade show? Then planning a virtual event might be the ideal solution for you. With plenty of opportunities for inclusivity, accessibility and engagement, virtual events are rapidly growing in popularity across just about every industry.

Read on to find out what benefits virtual events hold and how you can make them work for you, from small webinars to industry-wide annual events. We’ve covered all you need to know to make your next digital event a success:

What is a virtual event?

Alongside ‘remote working’ and ‘online learning’, virtual events became one of the biggest buzzwords in 2019 and 2020. As an effective way for industries to continue to host events, network, and connect with others, online virtual events have taken over from in-person events in a big way.

While the world is now returning to a less socially distanced state, the benefits and flexibility of hybrid events and virtual conferences make them a viable and exciting way to shake up the status quo. Whether you’re planning to host an industry-side virtual event or you’re looking to host an online event for a smaller group, going digital can open doors to new and innovative things.

At its most basic, a virtual event is an in-person event that takes out the need to travel or attend a specific location. With many virtual events adapting to these changing requirements while maintaining similar schedules for seminars, talks and scheduling, it’s easier than ever for people all over the world to get involved and excited about what you have to offer.

Virtual and hybrid events bring a whole new dimension to the world of business events and industry conferences. With greater opportunity for attendees to join in on online events, the virtual space has provided an excellent alternative to physical event spaces – particularly in industries where attendees are far-flung to any corner of the planet.

What are the benefits of virtual events?

Why go for a virtual event over an in-person conference? It all depends on the specific goals and requirements you have in mind. But if you’re unsure whether a virtual event is a suitable pick for your needs as an event organiser, here are just some of the benefits that going digital might offer:

Accessibility for all

One of the most significant benefits of going virtual on your event is accessibility. Not only can people from anywhere in the world attend your event, but there are no limitations in relation to the ability to travel, disability, or any of the other issues involved with in-person events. As long as they have an internet connection, anyone is included with no exceptions.

Tighter scheduling with no movement time required: If you’re planning an event with multiple working parts, figuring out scheduling can be a nightmare of its own. You need to factor in just about everything from run-overs to technical issues to keep things on schedule. The benefit of a virtual event is that your scheduling can be tighter without accounting for movement time between seminars or on-site technical issues.

Recording allows for easy viewing

While many in-person events are now filmed, this isn’t quite as immediately accessible as the best virtual event can offer. You can even create pre-recorded content for certain portions of your event, whether it’s your introductory session or essential information, allowing your attendees to consult that content whenever they want to.

Less costly venue hire

While you may still want to hire a venue or studio for a virtual event, and a hybrid event will require a dedicated space in-person and virtually, you can still potentially save significant costs by downsizing your operation. Without the need to have space for hundreds or thousands of attendees, you can cut costs and insurance down a substantial amount for your upcoming event plans.

Flexibility for global attendees

If you’d like to allow attendees from all over the planet to attend, hybrid and virtual events are the way to do so. By making your conference or event entirely remote, you cut out the burden of travel and accommodation for many of your would-be attendees. This flexibility also allows for attendance outside of typical business hours without losing out on significant chunks of time in the process.

Reduced responsibility for food and drink

When you host an event in person, part of your responsibility is to ensure that your attendee experience is positive and that their needs are catered for.

While engagement and flexibility are vital staples to virtual events, you also benefit from not needing to handle catering companies. Or managing access to food and drink as an extra expense. This can help save costs and reduce the headache of organising all the little details of your planned event.

Easier transitions from session to session

Transitions can be a dead zone for the average event, and they are often the time when you lose guests or fail to capture interest if there’s no easy way for them to choose what they do next.

The benefit of a virtual live event running multiple sessions or seminars is the ease of transition. Whether you have individual sessions listed on your website or easy links to jump between, it’s far easier for guests to get invested in what they are interested in then and there.

Less travel time helps improve attendance

If you’d like to keep attendance levels high, making your event as easy to access as possible is a great place to start. By hosting an online event, you can engage with your audience without them going out of their way to reach you. This helps to boost the number of attendees. Going online also allows individuals with busy schedules or a lack of time to travel to take advantage of your conference or event.

More opportunities for engagement

Engagement is key to keeping attendees interested in what you’re doing or saying. While opportunities for engagement in larger events are limited, virtual events add a sense of closeness that a large-scale conference can’t capture.

Real-time Q&As, live chat, and the ability to easily ask questions ahead of time through a form or website can help get attendees involved and active.

Effective social media integration

Social media is a powerful tool across just about any industry. But particularly for events and virtual conferences with a more social aspect, harnessing the best tools available can make a huge difference.

Live virtual events hosted online can easily be shared across social media, allowing engagement on multiple levels and raising your profile in your industry in the process. For a public event, the power of social media is practically integral to success today.

New networking prospects for attendees

Networking is one of the biggest incentives of conferences and events for many attendees. Industry-specific virtual events or even global in-company conferences provide plenty of opportunities to get to know people.

A virtual event helps to widen that net. By diversifying attendees, there’s ample chance for everyone to network beyond their social circle – which in turn can benefit them and their businesses.

Launching a successful virtual event

If a virtual event sounds like the perfect option for your upcoming plans, the next step is making sure your virtual event is a success. Here are a few of the things you can do to ensure you get the most out of your live online conference:

Using the right technology

The right technology will play a significant role in whether your virtual event is successful or not. You’ll want to use the best equipment available to you to ensure the best possible outcome for your attendees.

That means professional-grade cameras, high-quality audio recording and a consistent and robust internet connection throughout your event. Whether you’re encouraging speakers to host seminars from their own homes or you’re hiring a studio for that specific purpose, having the best technology possible for your virtual event can make a huge difference.

Investing in a quality set

If you choose to host through a studio or smaller event space for a hybrid virtual event approach, you’ll also want to invest in the proper set and event dressing. Enhancing your professionalism and provide the right impression to your attendees, both virtually and in person. Working with a professional virtual event management company can ensure your event looks great and is technically sound for your audience.

Practice makes perfect

It may be tempting to wing your digital event, but a practice run can make all the difference, much like in-person conferences. This can allow you to check the strength of connections, figure out the timings to improve efficiency and catch any issues before they arise during the event itself. A little practice can go a long way towards ensuring your event Is successful.

Scheduling every second

Deadtime is even more of a problem in virtual events than it is for in-person ones. You want to ensure you keep your attendees engaged and provide clear windows for when things are happening and different virtual meetings are starting. Scheduling tightly throughout the day can help this happen and reduces the risk of you losing guests due to downtime between activities, talks, or seminars.

Not scrimping on digital advertising

It would be a failure not to make the most of digital advertising for a digital event. While trade events and industry conferences may do well off of basic advertising and word of mouth, you may want to attract more of a global audience to your online event than you would a landlocked one. Advertising via email and on social media to gain instant attendees is key to the success of your virtual event.

Utilising multiple social avenues

Encouraging engagement in your attendees is about more than just trying to make your event passively entertaining. To provide the best chances of success, making use of social avenues. From online quizzes to question times to creating their custom schedule. Helping you raise that engagement keeps attendees interested in what you’re saying or doing. The more optional interaction you can offer, the better.

Focusing on quality over quantity

Just because your event is virtual, it doesn’t mean you need to increase the amount of content you’re creating. While some options are nice for attendees, you’ll want to focus on providing a quality experience to everyone that signs up for your event. That means focusing on the quality of output, the value of the seminars you’re adding, and whether your guests will be interested in everything you have to offer.

Providing easy digital access

Ease of access is crucial for any digital event organiser. Whether you’re using a free online video conferencing tool or hosting your event streaming directly through your own website, you want to make it as easy as possible for attendees to join in and get involved. If you need them to download anything or add any apps to their phone for the event, it’s best to let them know far in advance to ensure everyone is ready to go.

Offering clear instruction for attendees

Even without the potential for technical difficulties, not every attendee will be as tech-savvy as the next. If you’re going fully digital, it’s vital to offer support and service to ensure everyone can access your live streams and online events. This may mean creating a tutorial ahead of time or simply having a tech support team on hand to quickly support anyone struggling with making your digital event work for them.

What sort of business would host a virtual event?

With millions of businesses worldwide going entirely online and remote in the past couple of years, there’s far less of a barrier than there was before to hosting virtual events. Many businesses and industries can benefit from hybrid or digital trade shows, conferences, and other events.

Events in which all messages and seminars can easily be carried out online most benefit from a virtual event. For example, sales conferences for multinational brands or academic conferences have less of a need for in-person interaction. Equally, awards shows can be carried out virtually with little or no changes to their scheduling.

Plenty of event types, from general business conferences to software trade shows and in-company events, can benefit from a move to virtual conferencing.

Other events, such as trade shows, may benefit from live events to view equipment and machinery in person before making purchases or investments. It all depends on what attendees want to get them the event and how you can deliver it to the best. If your business functions best from face-to-face communication, then a hybrid approach may work for you.

The most important factor to consider is whether your attendees would most benefit from a virtual event or whether the positives of an in-person event weigh in their favour. One of the most significant differences in a virtual event is that you aren’t required to attend in person.

This makes it a beneficial option for global events with attendees from all over the planet and a good option while lockdowns still exist in other parts of the world.

How can Eclipse help you with your virtual event?

As a leading creative event management company in London, Eclipse has extensive experience and knowledge of how to take create high-end virtual events. Our skilled team understands the challenges and risks your business faces in moving from the framework of the traditional event.

With our support and help, we can ensure the best possible result for your event: engaged attendees, positive interactions, and excellent reviews at the end of the day. There are plenty of types of virtual events that we can support you with.

We support businesses in creating hybrid and digital events in numerous ways. From providing event production for live events in studios and venues to delivering creative design solutions for your graphics and animations, we ensure your event platform looks as professional as possible from start to finish.

Our expertise in virtual events technology allows us to advise on the best cameras, microphones and recording systems to suit the scale and demands of your online events and breakout sessions. At the same time, our network of venues and studios ensures you’re set up and ready on event day with no snags or problems insight.

Whether you’re looking to create a permanent video conferencing and event conference set in your business premises or you’re looking for something temporary, our team are here to make it happen. From local virtual events within your business to international conferences, we’re equipped to help make your next virtual event platform the best yet.

Contact Eclipse today to make your next virtual event one to remember

Making your digital event memorable means ticking all the boxes and doing all the right things. From attendee engagement to the quality of your pre-recorded content, working with a professional can help make your event look incredible.

Whether you’re new to virtual events or you want to improve upon your professionalism and content, Eclipse can help make your next event one to remember. Get in touch with our team today to discuss how we can transform your event planning with high-production, professional-grade event services. From your very first advertisement to finishing your on-brand set design, we’re here every step of the way.