Article contributed by Dreamcast
Today, hosting virtual events has become a new normal. Many small and large scale organisations and brands who never thought about going online have entered the bandwagon. The percentage of Virtual hybrid events is rising exponentially with each passing day. But, even today many planners are not completely familiar with the paradigm of virtual hybrid events. However, it results in having some fallouts and mishaps while planning virtual events. A lot of speculations and misconceptions revolving around virtual events are up in the air. Marketers and event planners are still not up with the best ways that can help in delivering brilliant virtual event experiences.
In this post, we have listed the most common mistakes event planners should avoid during virtual event planning. We have enumerated the most common mistakes we have experienced during virtual events that result in having low attendance and engagements at the event. Let’s kickstart with the most common virtual event mistakes that planners must avoid and work upon to deliver a successful virtual event.
Common Mistakes One Should Avoid During Virtual Event Planning:
Avoid Heavy Powerpoint Presentations
Engaging your attendees with the ongoing virtual event is a significant aspect to ensure a successful virtual event. Virtual events consist of many distractions that aren’t part of live physical events. With virtual events, attendees are accessing the event from the comfort of their own space instead of visiting a physical venue. Home distractions, Sudden ringing of the doorbell amid the most important session, etc. are some of the most common distractions faced during virtual events. As attendees are competing with several other distractions, it results in reducing the attention span.
Creating engaging content becomes a pivot with virtual events. It helps in keeping attendees hooked with the event during the minimised attention span. Having heavy PowerPoint presentations during your virtual event is the biggest mistake made by planners. Attendees are not interested in watching lengthy presentation slides for hours. It’s a sure shot to make your attendees feel drained and tired while taking them on a trip to boredom.
Avoid having heavy PowerPoint content that’s lengthy and dense. Instead, focus on delivering informative, short yet engaging content to attendees. It helps in keeping your attendees engaged and interested in your event.
Do Not Overcomplicate Your Virtual Event With Technology
Negligence of technical aptitude of the potential target audience is the biggest mistake that planners must take into account. A highly over-complicated virtual event results in losing attendees amid sessions.
Owning a smartphone or a laptop does not make everyone well-versed with technology. The usage of technology in the current era is inescapable, but many attendees are still not tech-savvy.
To avoid such virtual event mistakes, have a clear understanding of your potential target audience. Who are they? How do they deal with technology? How well versed they are with technology? and so on. Do not overcomplicate your event with the usage of technology. An overcomplicated event is sure to drift your attendees away from the event.
Try easy-to-use & engaging virtual event technology like Dreamcast to host your next Virtual and Hybrid Event.
Extended Content Days Results In Fallouts, Keep It Short
An overextended content day results in draining the attendees and making them lose interest in the event. As we have said time and again, attending a virtual event is not as stimulating as attending a live physical event. Attendees tune in remotely via smartphones or laptops to access the virtual event. Staring the screen to consume the content for long hours results in making attendees feel drained and tired.
As a result, attendees leave the virtual event by turning their screens down. The way attendees are not interested in having a look at heavy PowerPoint presentations, they are not even interested in attending an event with extended content days.
Avoid planning long content days with virtual events to prevent your attendees from falling out. You can break the content into small parts and reduce the number of hours and days to achieve optimal results. It will keep your attendees interested in your event, waiting up for what’s next.
Be Selective While Selecting Presenters/Speakers
Selecting the right presenters for your virtual event is a must to ensure a successful event. Many planners make the mistake of going with the wrong presenter that results in making your event fall flat on the face. Presenters or speakers are an important part of the event that helps in imparting relevant information and knowledge to attendees.
Go with the speaker, who holds remote experience and have the desired subject knowledge about the topic of the event. Additionally, if you want to level up the engagement levels at your virtual event select a good presenter. A presenter who is capable of handling chat room interactions, managing Q & A sessions, etc. keeps attendees happy and delighted. Whereas a presenter who is completely new to the event format or can not keep attendees hooked for long results in taking down your virtual events.
Avoid Leveraging The Wrong Technology
Technology plays an important role when you are hosting virtual events. The choice of the platform plays a significant role in the success and failure of an event. Selecting the right virtual event platform out of many players available is a daunting task. Today, there are ample platforms available in the market that promise to deliver best-in-class services. But how true are they? Have detailed research before selecting the virtual event platform for your event to achieve your desired set goals. One wrong choice may result in taking your event down. Selecting the right virtual event platform depends from event to event.
Do Not Forget To Rehearse
Rehearsals are the key to deliver a seamless virtual event experience to attendees without any glitches. Many planners avoid rehearsing right before the event. It results in leaving some impediments during the actual event, which can be resolved earlier if rehearsals have taken place.
Rehearsals are mandatory to ensure a successful virtual event. Skipping on rehearsals before the actual event is not a good idea! It results in having a bad experience at the event with all the red flags. Rehearse in front of friends or family and fix any issues if found. Ensure when the actual event date arrives, everything goes well smoothly to deliver brilliant event experiences to attendees.
Neglecting Attendees Post-event Results In Missing Out On Leads
Many event planners make a common mistake of avoiding the attendee’s post-event. It is one of the biggest mistakes made by planners that results in missing out on the prospect leads.
Do not forget to tap your attendee’s post-event. Send them a follow-up survey via email and ask them what they enjoyed at the event and what not? Which part of the event needs improvement? Additionally, you can even upload the event recordings to various social media channels and websites to boost engagements and tap prospect leads.
By avoiding the above-mentioned mistakes while planning your virtual event strategy, you are sure to host a successful event that results in increased reach, attendance, engagements and boost business revenues.
Visit www.dreamcast.in/virtual-events/ for more.
