There is an endless number of reasons that businesses and organizations hold events for their clients, customers, members, sponsors, and employees: to collaborate, to connect, to communicate, to motivate, to network, to educate, to inspire, to share, to grow, to build relationships. These needs haven’t changed just because we can’t be physically together right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, what is an organization to do when they need to keep the momentum going? The answer is to consider a virtual event experience.
Virtual Event Platform Options
Many mistakenly think the only option for a virtual event is a webcast where speakers “talk at” attendees or a typical free, low-quality meeting service where people can “talk to” each other, but often with a lot of clunkiness or technical difficulties. Those platforms have their place and have served all of us well during the pandemic, but are by no means the only solutions. There are more sophisticated platforms that can provide the flawless presentation, excitement, and engagement of a live event.
Some believe that choosing the virtual platform should be the first decision one makes. However, the first step really should be to strategize and decide what you want to achieve and what will success look like to you. Only then should platform decisions be made based on your specific goals.
What a Virtual Event Can Look and Feel Like
We have many clients that are curious about what a virtual event can look and feel like. And we tell them it can be many different things depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. There can be one-way communication from speaker to attendees, or two-way communication and interaction between speakers and attendees. You can offer live broadcasts, pre-recorded broadcasts, or a combination of both. There can be general sessions, breakout sessions, networking lounges, exhibit halls, entertainment and live performances, gaming or other interactive elements, as well as fundraising and sponsorship opportunities. You really can do it all these days if you work with trusted partners to help you execute.
Finding the Right Partners to Help You Execute Your Virtual Event Strategy
You will want to ensure you’re working with the right partner to assist you in executing your virtual event flawlessly and to perfection. If things go wrong with a virtual event, they can go very wrong and leave your participants, sponsors, and speakers extremely frustrated. The award-winning The Charles Group can work with you to formulate your event objective and strategy, recommend the right virtual platform (or combination of platforms), and help you build and manage the event so you can concentrate on your leadership team and your attendees, while we take care of the fine details. Contact us at or 973.575.1444.
We will help you stay connected with your audience so you can keep the momentum going!
