Virtual meetings have been in practice for more than a decade but have recently become extremely popular due to COVID-19. This has resulted in most employees being forced to work from home. This emergency has also led many in-person live events to switch to online live streaming. This gives the keynote speakers the opportunity to cater to an even larger audience, as almost all viewers will likely be watching the event from the comfort of their homes. Below are a few tips for getting the most out of virtual events as an attendee:
Top Tips
- Consider a virtual event as an in-person event itself so make sure you clear your schedule and bookmark in your calendar the events or sessions you would like to attend. Blocking your calendar makes you free to properly engage in every aspect of the event e.g. keynotes, collateral, Q&A and networking (with both the presenters as well as other attendees).
- Grab a notepad and keep your focus on the event itself by blocking all notifications or outside interferences since you are likely to get distracted more inside your home.
- Keep an eye on all the social media posts related to the events by following the event hashtags. In this way, you will be up to date about the event and be able to interact with other attendees on social media.
- In comparing live versus pre-recorded events, always go for the live events as you are likely to have your questions answered instantly by the speaker or by other attendees via live chat.
- Pre-recorded events have the advantage of being available on-demand all the time and you can simply forward, rewind or re-watch the content as much as you want. This gives you more freedom as compared to live events. Also, you don’t have to sit through long presentations if you are not finding value in them.
- Pre-recorded events also let you choose any number of sessions to watch so you are likely not missing another event due to clashes.
- If you are attending a live event, then preferably ask for the slide deck in advance so you know what to expect and you can prepare your questions.
- As with any piece of technology, there will be moments of hiccup. So, make sure you have a backup in case something happens to your streaming software or device.
- Be active and as engaging as possible in the event by asking questions or contributing to the live chat. In this way, you are likely to nurture relationships for future business endeavors.
- Virtual events basically let you enjoy all the benefits of an in-person event without any travel costs so you can invite other people (whether from your organization or outside) to attend the same event thus giving you and your team ample opportunity to discuss follow-up working sessions and create action items.
When it comes to virtual events, Transcends Marketing Ltd. have extensive experience in supporting our partners. You can read more about our virtual event services here. If you would like to have a one-on-one with us, you can contact us here.
