18 methods to rock at digital occasions

By Daniel K. Last updated Aug 20, 2021

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Here are the top four questions marketers ask me about virtual events:

Why are some so committed while others stay flat?
How do you improve virtual networks?
Will digital models be relevant when face-to-face meetings come back?
How do you monetize online events and how do you show the return on investment?

This article gives answers. You will get to know 18 ways to increase the participation of the participants and to offer exhibitors and sponsors added value.

1. Why are some virtual events interesting while others fail?

People today long for interaction. In fact, 68% of respondents in a new global survey by Aventri and Bizbash found more engagement is the best way organizers want to improve digital events.

So how can you increase engagement for virtual events without personal networking?

Make virtual events an interactive journey

Create interest-based micro-communities and bring participants together for workshops and roundtables. Take them from a keynote to small breakout sessions where they can collaborate with experts and colleagues on common industry challenges.
Equip workspaces with interactivity features such as live polls, questions and answers, activity feeds and chat. Avoid top-down scripted presentations. Train moderators to enable substantive exchanges that build relationships around common interests and free-flowing chat.
“Chance encounters” – those random connections at live events with someone who becomes your next big customer – have been difficult to duplicate virtually. As a first step, give attendees tools to organize spontaneous meetings. You can follow breakouts with one-on-one video chats or gather colleagues around a whiteboard to solve problems, just like you would with live events.
A big advantage of virtual events is of course the global reach. Enable interactions with a diverse audience through real-time multilingual interpreting and subtitling functions.

2. How do you improve virtual networks?

Let Artificial Intelligence do the heavy lifting. From Netflix recommendations to digital assistants (like Alexa), AI is part of everyday life. Demanding companies use AI to improve event networking.

How does it work?

The AI matchmaking software analyzes event attendee profiles to identify networking opportunities based on event goals and interests. As a result, participants can stop hoping for the best through random connections and instead develop business relationships with people who share their interests and challenges.

Promote meaningful connections

AI searches the data and shares recommendations with attendees who sign up. Give these people tools to view profiles, click a button, and start a video chat. Matchmaking engines learn and get smarter the more someone engages with the platform.
Networking is just one aspect of virtual events that AI improves. You can also use AI to personalize recommendations for meetings, workshops, exhibitors, meetings, and more.
Why limit engagement to one event? Turn event content into a year-round engagement hub and build your community around the clock.
Fill your event platform with event sessions, round tables, exhibitor marketplaces, chat lobbies, and opportunities to connect with a global community of like-minded executives and colleagues. Offer free content to build engagement and trust.
Digital engagement hubs also drive sales: sell bespoke packages to niche audiences; Market group packages to large corporations so employees can attend training sessions; offer premium tickets with exclusive access to domain experts and influencers.

3. Will digital formats be relevant when face-to-face meetings resume?

Virtual events are long-term here. Hybrid is the future of event marketing. The hybrid strategy combines digital and personal experiences. For example, your event could attract 500 attendees to one venue and another 5,000 online.

While nothing beats in-person lead generation and deal-making events, the benefits of the virtual ones are too great to ignore.

Online events reduce risks, costs and environmental impact. They also create new sources of income and expand visitor numbers, inclusivity and geographic reach.

It’s no surprise that 89% of event organizers plan to continue using virtual strategies even when in-person events return, a study by Aventri shows.

Bring in-person and online audiences together

The pandemic will have lasting effects. When physical events come back they will be different. Use advanced hybrid solutions to deliver an omnichannel experience that combines the best of in-person and virtual events.
Keep it simple Mastering different technologies is a challenge for organizers, exhibitors and participants, which is why modern all-in-one platforms handle virtual, hybrid and personal events on one platform. This approach streamlines workflow and provides a consistent user experience.
Create an interactive journey. Optimize your mobile event app for Hybrid so that personal and online attendees can access content in real time and without signal delays. When mobile and virtual work are in sync, participants can easily exchange ideas via live questions and answers, surveys, activity feeds and chat.
Focus on producing a great event – you don’t need to create networking experiences for two different audiences. Integrated hybrid engagement brings people together regardless of location. Regardless of whether the participants are in the same room or around the world, they can seamlessly connect with each other via video conferencing and chats.

4. How do you monetize online events and how do you prove the ROI to exhibitors and sponsors?

Nearly half of event organizers (47%) say the improvement at the top of their virtual event technology wish list is better provision of ROI metrics to exhibitors and sponsors, the Aventri / Bizbash survey shows.

A big advantage of virtual and hybrid events is that they leave a trace of data. All-in-one platforms capture information from your entire portfolio throughout the event lifecycle. Get a full picture of event performance and insights for future success.

Create added value, show ROI

Create immersive showroom experiences with virtual booths with video conferencing, live demos and lead assessment tools. Enable attendees to connect with experts in real time and enable exhibitors to interact personally with attendees to generate qualified leads and revenue.
Promote virtual booths via email and AI matchmaking. Enable exhibitors to send push notifications to invite targeted segments of your audience to the stands. Gamified challenges like scavenger hunts also increase engagement and traffic.
Many companies today don’t have a budget to sponsor full virtual sessions, so offer tiered sponsorship packages. Smaller partners can exchange ideas with the participants at the beginning of each session via five-minute speech slots or interactive games. Large sponsors can post their meetings with more intimate round tables to cultivate deeper connections with qualified buyers.
Associate metrics with event goals. Let’s say you want to increase engagement. You can track meeting attendance, virtual booth views, chat messages, booked meetings, and qualified leads. Create custom exhibitor / sponsor reports that quantify value with high quality ROI metrics.
Integrate event data with your marketing automation and CRM systems. Event analyzes offer deep insights into customer preferences, weak points and their place in the customer journey. These new insights will help your business and event partners personalize reach and improve overall sales and marketing.

* * *

Since the COVID vaccine became widespread, the activity of companies planning hybrid events for the second half of 2021 has increased.

When face-to-face meetings return, they become more immersive, combining the best of the virtual and personal world for a true omnichannel experience.

More resources on engaging in virtual events

Three ways to make your digital event as appealing and effective as it is personal

These three experiential tactics lead to better B2B virtual events

Virtual B2B Events: 12 Ways to Make Impact and Drive Topline Growth