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In 2020, more conferences are moving to the virtual world due to the global pandemic.
If you’re planning to host an upcoming virtual conference, then you might be wondering about the dos and don’ts to get through it. A virtual conference is a new experience for most people, which could cause some stress.
Don’t fret! A virtual conference can be easy and fun as long as you follow the proper planning and hosting steps.
Be sure to keep reading for our guide on the best tips you’ll need for how to host a virtual conference.
Decide Why You’re Hosting a Conference
One of the first tips to host a virtual conference is to decide why you’re doing it and what your goals are.
You might also be wondering what is a virtual conference? A virtual conference is a way for businesses to promote themselves, network with one another, and learn a thing or two about the industry.
If you’re thinking about hosting a virtual conference, then you need to decide why and make sure that it is relevant. Many companies are facing the struggles of doing things online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Your conference could help teach businesses how to market their products and services during this time.
Setting goals that you want to achieve for your virtual conference is vital. You can see why you want to host the conference and figure out how to accomplish them through your planning.
Create a Visual Brand
Visual branding is one of the biggest virtual conference trends. You’ll find that everything needs to look aesthetically pleasing on the internet. Visual branding includes all the marketing and elements that go into your virtual conference.
Make sure that you find a way to set your conference’s branding apart from your day to day branding. Doing this will make sure that it stands out on your social media or anywhere else that you advertise.
Something else that you will want to consider when thinking about visual branding is your virtual display. When you’re planning a conference, there is going to be a lot that you have to think about doing. Yet, you don’t want your own display to fall on the backburner.
Be sure to click here and learn more about how a virtual display can help you to generate more leads at your virtual conference.
Plan a Schedule for the Conference
One of the best benefits of a virtual conference is that you can have a lot of flexibility when it comes to planning a schedule. There isn’t a need to think about transportation time or even where people will eat lunch.
Yet, you will still want your virtual conference’s schedule to be engaging and entertaining for your audience.
Starting with an introduction that will hook your guests is essential to make sure that they will pay attention and stay engaged.
You should have a variety of different sessions throughout your conference. You could try Q&As, discussion panels, guest speakers, or even solo sessions to help keep people inspired throughout the conference.
Decide on a Hosting Platform
Another big decision that comes along with hosting a virtual conference is that you must decide on which hosting platform is going to work for you and your attendees.
There are so many different options for hosting virtual conferences such as Hopin, ClickMeeting, BigMaker, Zoom, and so many more. You’ll have to go through and see what will work for you.
Plus, you can even have the option to let people replay the virtual conference at a later date.
Market Your Conference
Like any conference, you need to make sure that you’re marketing and promoting so that you have attendees that will show up. You can use social media, word of mouth, content marketing, email marketing, and influencer marketing to help spread the word about your upcoming virtual conference.
A branded hashtag is also a great way to get people to help you with promotion. Plus, when it’s the day of the conference, they can post photos and talk about it there too!
Make sure that you’re using your visual branding when marketing for your virtual conference. Your visual branding will also help to bring more awareness and have people start to recognize the conference.
Don’t forget to remind people when the event is happening the day of! Many people might sign up for your virtual event and then forget that they did. Be sure to keep marketing your event until the very last moment!
Anticipate Technical Problems
We all know that in the virtual world, problems are bound to happen. Having a plan to quickly resolve all problems is vital for a virtual conference.
Make sure that you always have a backup plan and a way to get in touch with your team and attendees if need be.
You should also know that your guests might not always be as technically savvy as you would like. Some of them might not know how to use the video conferencing software and could need help.
Making sure that there is a “mute all” button can save the day when more attendees join that aren’t sure how to mute themselves.
Make sure that you’re ready on the day of the conference to act like IT or have a dedicated person on standby. Doing this will make it so you’re not overwhelmed when problems do arise.
Learn How to Host a Virtual Conference
Using these tips, you can learn how to host a virtual conference in no time.
Virtual conferences need lots of organization and communication during the planning and hosting processes. You’ll have to make sure that you’re very dedicated and have enough time to pull everything off.
Once you figure out all the details, then you’ll find that planning a virtual conference can be fun.
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