How to Plan a Virtual Event in 7 Easy Steps

We have received a lot of questions about how to plan a virtual event.  Specifically, how to plan an event that is successful. Even if you’ve produced many virtual or hybrid events before, you’re probably finding that it can be difficult to keep the experiences interesting.

It’s challenging to keep attendees engaged and ensure they actually attend when you’re competing for their time and attention on the screen. You might even feel this yourself with competing demands for your time and attention. We’re here to help. 

The 7 steps to Plan your Virtual or Hybrid Event

Our team put together 7 steps to follow when planning your next virtual work event to ensure it’s an event that (1) people actually attend and (2) they genuinely enjoy!

  1. Get buy-in from leadership/influencers within your organization – This step is SO important – don’t skip it!  Not only will this help with clarifying goals for the event (and hopefully securing the necessary budget), but having these key leaders on board and in attendance at the event will play into the following steps.
  2. Communication + Promotion – Communicate early and often, and ask your leaders/influencers to send the communications if they can.  This can all be automated, including reminders to attend the event up to minutes before so no one forgets while they’re working from home and wrangling kids or the cat.  Very important:  remember to block the time out on everyone’s calendars and avoid scheduling during other important meetings or events.
  3. Make it easy for people to register and attend – This is pretty straightforward, and it should be.  Don’t overcomplicate the process or require them to learn a new system or process.  Our team has created custom websites that help with registration and brand your event, or you can use your existing internal programs to keep it simple and low-cost.
  4. Offer opportunities to participate prior to the event – Hype your attendees up for the event by giving them an idea of what to expect live.  This could be games, polls, or asking them to submit videos or content prior. We’ve incorporated pre-submitted content from attendees into competitions and games played during the live broadcasted virtual event.
  5. Break out of the Box… with a box – Give attendees something tangible to receive, open, and enjoy.  You can offer a personalized touch for them to enjoy that is as simple as a handwritten note of appreciation and a treat, or a full-blown themed gift box to match the theme of the event.  We’ve also done DIY cooking and cocktail kits to use live during a session – the options are endless and it’s a super fun way to get creative (or let us get creative for you!).
  6. Variety of entertainment with a mix of performances, participation, competition, and experiences. Chances are by now your attendees have experienced several virtual events, so this is where you’ll want to put in a lot of effort to curate and script the broadcast (or hire us to do it for you).
  7. A clutch production team with experience in broadcasts and virtual events is key to a smooth show that’s easy to experience, watch, and interact with. Tech can be tricky, but we’ve built a studio and a team of professionals to ensure a seamless show. With great visuals, pleasing sound, interesting graphics, and smooth transitions; your guests are guaranteed to have a great experience.

We hope this information helps simplify the virtual event planning process for you, and please feel free to contact a member of our team with any questions or for support.  You’ve got this!

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