Guest Post: Considerations of Shifting Events to Virtual
The onset of Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the events industry around the world and with the latest changes in government legislation affecting businesses both large and small with growing restrictions on meetings and events, conference organizers have completely canceled, otherwise indefinitely postponed events until favorable conditions arise within the events industry, raising the economic impact of Covid-19.
How to go online?
The good news is that event planners already have or have used online tools to enhance the user experience. It is now time to look at ways to enhance this experience through virtual and Hybrid technology further. One question Event Organisers pose when moving conferences online is, “how do we move processes that have typically been done in person online?”
The answer while isn’t always clear cut for some event producers, it typically starts with moving sessions online by changing up workflows and event processes, finding or using tools that can create or convey information to your audience in a concise way such as streaming platforms and event management systems like EventsAir, while reconsidering previous processes.
Know your event type
Deciding which parts of your event or conference that can be moved online is dependent on the style of the event. For simple QA or presentations, you may consider a streaming platform that is capable of hosting to your preferred number of viewers.
For more complex workflows, you will need to have some form of setup and even deploy a portal or app to achieve the desired effects. When scaling up or building complex workflows, you will begin to notice the toll it takes on the logistical capacity on your team if you are not using a single an integrated system, as well as the impact it has on creating a positive delegate experience!
Using integrated systems
Managing staff and multiple processes remotely can be a challenge for event managers. The solution to this is to implement tools from an integrated event management system like EventsAir that has project management functions. These processes should also allow freedom of communication and flow of information between working teams to encourage productivity.
Care should always be taken when producing a virtual event for the first time as you can encounter issues related to audio and visual quality (check microphones, cameras, residual noise, internet speeds) prior as technical issues can occur without proper management. Having a virtual run sheet is just as important as having one for a physical event!
Case study: The University of Queensland takes their 25,000+ open day event virtual
Conclusion
When preparing for a virtual or hybrid event, employing new systems is always tricky, especially if multiple systems are used as issues like multiple logins, logistical complexity and delegate experience can be impacted. You can mitigate these risks by using an integrated system that does not require multiple logins while maintaining project management and run sheets to offset the logistical cost of managing multiple systems.
Author: Mark Ross
EventsAir has been at the forefront of Event Technology and Innovation for over 30 years, continually pushing the boundaries of what an event management platform can do. Built by event planners for event planners, EventsAir is a secure, scalable, cloud-based solution that can manage everything from in-person, virtual to hybrid conferences, meetings and events in a single online platform – anywhere, anytime and on any device. In use in over 50 countries by multi-national corporations, professional conference organizers, government departments and tertiary education institutions, EventsAir is also used in global congresses such as G20, APEC, CHOGM and ASEAN, as well as sporting events like The Olympic Games, World Rugby, Commonwealth Games and Pan Am Games. EventsAir is trusted by event professionals around the globe. For further information, visit www.eventsair.com
