Transitioning your in-person conference to a virtual one offers myriad benefits beyond the convenience and cost savings. The conference hosting will cost less, planning and organizing will take less time, and you eliminate the travel and accommodation costs. Furthermore, the added convenience of virtual conferences for participants means you’re much more likely to have a higher number of registrants, which means more leads and revenue potential.
We thought it would be advantageous to go over three areas that your conference must address in order to make the transition to virtual successful — aside from the stellar setups and service provided by Baldwin Audio/Visual Solutions of course!
1. The perceived disconnect
There is the perception that attendees at virtual conferences won’t be as engaged and are limited in what they can do by comparison to one attended in-person. Although it is true that you want your attendees positively interacting with the experience, you’re also the one in control of how engaging your content is! You can captivate your audience by:
- Choosing engaging speakers, creating intriguing panel discussions, as well as using a variety of presentation formats and media types to entertain in addition to interest people
- Providing attendees with live chat during events so they can respond to presentations, and setting up breakout sessions so the conversation can continue afterward
- Including networking resources and sessions geared towards attendee interaction (e.g. coffee lounge or happy hour) in addition to the chat capabilities during events
2. Technology troubles
Even if you have registrants ready and willing to engage online, that doesn’t mean you’ve got a successful virtual conference. Luckily, Baldwin Audio/Visual Solutions has you covered when it comes to managing all the multiple moving parts! Here are some of the benefits of our approach:
- We provide everything (i.e. the technology, expertise, and comprehensive platforms) needed to make your virtual conference run smoothly
- We offer virtual training sessions so your hosts, moderators, and presenters are prepared and familiar with the technology when the event goes live
- All event details and agenda items are consolidated into one easily accessible place helping with the planning process, content coordination, and session management
- Attendees log into one place to register for and attend workshops, panel discussions or communicate with conference colleagues
- Questions and inquiries are streamlined with integrated chat and feedback capabilities for things like technical issues, contact information, experience ratings, etc.
3. Recruiting sponsors
Sponsors are a core part of the conference and trade show ecosystem. It may be wise to start simpler when holding your first virtual conference but you shouldn’t forego sponsorship funding on account of any lack of opportunity. The selling point to sponsors for virtual conferences is the sheer reach the digital event can garner. This exposure can be monetized in a number of ways:
- Include sponsor logos in all digital marketing materials like email updates, downloadable flyers, social media posts, etc.
- Offer sponsors the opportunity to participate by hosting specific sessions that have their name in the title and include a small advertisement at the top of the talk
- Host a virtual trade booth and poster hall with pre-recorded demos, share downloadable PDFs, ad premieres, and even direct conversation between exhibitionists and attendees
Baldwin Audio/Visual Solutions can help you leverage networking, plenaries, and online registration capabilities that will save you time and money. We can help manage everything from pre-recorded and edited videos, Q&A, or even breakout sessions that run concurrently. Please contact us to learn more about virtual conferences and other solution packages!
Please click here to read Part 3: https://baldwinav.com/top-5-tips-to-amazing-virtual-conferences/