Online events platform has set a new trend lately, but not many are aware of this digital model. With less knowledge, there are also many misconceptions hovering around them. Some feel it’s too risky to adopt as the online events platform is capable of either making or breaking the virtual experience for everyone involved. So, today in this article, HexaFair brings you the Top 10 Virtual Event Mistakes to Avoid Doing. Read On!
We value our clients’ time and money. And so, we are here to help you plan & strategize the best online event ideas for your business. We come from a place of experience & hence can guide you through your virtual events journey effectively. Staying mindful of these 10 common virtual event mistakes can save you from big disasters. Stay tuned to learn about the risks involved in virtual events.
Table of Contents
List of Virtual Event Mistakes to Avoid Doing
● Heavy Content
Engagement is crucial for any virtual event. It is also one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. There are numerous distractions out here in the virtual realm when compared to in-person events. Your content is vital, and so it must be complete & unique to hook the attention of your audiences. Heavy presentations can be boring and might drive your audiences away. Providing educational yet engaging content with the right balance of content, images, and videos is considered the best attendee engagement trick.
● Avoid Overcomplicating Your Event
Focus on how much content you are presenting to your attendees. Also, note, how long you are making them sit at your online events platform? The audience might not be interested in lengthy, dense content – the major virtual event mistakes to do. Planning so might drive them away. Instead, spread your content over a couple of days with minimal hours every day. This way, you will have time to plan new engagement activities for your attendees every day. And this will make your event engaging & interesting for your attendees.
● Avoid Lengthy Time Frames
Focus on how much content you are presenting to your attendees. Also, note, how long you are making them sit at your online events platform? The audience might not be interested in lengthy, dense content. Planning so might drive them away. Instead, spread your content over a couple of days with minimal hours every day. This way, you will have time to plan new engagement activities for your attendees every day. And this will make your event engaging & interesting for your attendees.
● Be Aware of The Wrong Presenters
Your speakers are your voice at the event. Not choosing the right presenters might make your event go awry. Choosing speakers who have previous remote events experience will save your big day.
Plan for effective strategies to keep your audience engaged & the game going. Having a good, charismatic & experienced presenter on board will help you to juggle the chatrooms, Q&A sessions and camera. This will help you to keep up with the engagement expectations of your audience.
● Choosing the Wrong Platform:
Hiring the right online events platform can fulfil all the essentials of your virtual event. There are numerous virtual events platforms available today that promise the best services and support for your project. Frame the complete list of what you’re looking for in an online events platform& then do the research & pick the best online events platform for your business. The ideal platform might vary from planner to planner and event to event. And that’s why defining your online event ideas is most important.
● Wrong Sponsors
Be it physical or virtual events sponsorships remain the same. The virtual realm offers infinite possibilities for event planners to attract new sponsors, promote them and gain potential leads from the virtual experience. The one biggest virtual event mistakes, that planners often commit is, choosing the wrong sponsors. If your sponsors are not related to the concept or have nothing to do with the industry, then, you must know that you are selling the distractions not value to your audiences. So, the lesson is to choose your sponsors wisely.
● Say No to Poster Sessions
Poster sessions have stood crucial in engineering and medical science conferences. These perform great for in-person events as they enable people from the field to gather, connect & collaborate. But it’s not considered an ideal setup for virtual events. Most businesses still think that this concept elevates the experience.
With not being highly engaging, they are also quite complicated to execute within the realms of an online events platform. Insisting on having a poster session can become a big challenge in terms of planning, resources, finances and labour. Jeopardizing funds, time, and content in the name of poster sessions are one expensive virtual event mistake, every business must seriously avoid making.
● Not Practising
Practise is not optional. Indeed, it is mandatory. Make your speakers and teams rehearse well before the big day. It helps them to stand up to any arguments that come along with the event. Avoiding rehearsal is considered an overall bad practice. If you are organising a physical event, will you neglect to perform tests on lights, sound, computers, videos, etc? No, right! Quite similar, the concept applies to virtual events as well. To ensure all the setup, technology, speakers, processes etc are perfectly working and are in their best version to cater to the virtual audiences, rehearsals are a must. Rehearse to note the issues [virtual event mistakes]& get them fixed so that everything goes as planned on your big day.
● Ignoring Post-Event Interaction
Most event planners & sponsors believe that they are done with audience engagement once the event finishes. But that is not right. The real attendee engagement begins post-event. That is also one of the most considered online event ideas to adopt. Research states that exhibitors & sponsors who carried post-event engagement gained better audience interaction than those who did not. Organising polls and surveys & taking opinions from audiences are also important. It makes you deliver a much better experience for the next virtual event. Asking questions can help you get some crucial feedback. Also, recording your event and uploading the same to social media, can help your attendees watch the event multiple times.
● Not Hiring an Able Production Company Service Provider
Virtual events are new, and hence there is a chance to make virtual event mistakes. And, that’s why online events platforms like HexaFair are here to guide you with surrounding technologies, online event ideas and best practices that are all you need. They are experts & know the ins and outs of virtual events. Further, they are well-equipped with all the resources to make your online event ideas, a grand success.
Reach out to us for more information & book a demo for a niche understanding of online event ideas & online events platforms.