Rafaela 
Virtual events have been a growing trend in the events industry this past year, offering many businesses a much-needed lifeline. In fact, a huge 89% of event planners went virtual in 2020, so it's certainly worth learning how to put on outstanding virtual events in place of (or hopefully alongside) physical events.
With virtual events increasingly prevalent, and companies still switching from in-person to online, how do you go about it? We've broken down the main items and given examples to help you navigate the process.
Before we dive into the how let’s talk about why. If you’re weighing a virtual event, you might be asking yourself whether the effort and cost are really worth it.
Keep expectations realistic. As we mentioned above, you can’t 100% emulate the experience of an in-person event—so check that expectation at the door. Don’t compare your virtual event to a physical event. Instead, gauge success based on realistic expectations and real virtual events.
Hire a virtual assistant. Event planning— or virtual event planning —requires a lot of time and effort resources. It’s a big commitment. Hiring a virtual assistant to play the role of virtual event planner at least to some extent takes some of that pressure off of you.
Define event objectives - If you’re planning a virtual event, you must have a reason for it. After all, putting on an event (even if it’s virtual!) takes a lot of time and planning.
Defining your "why" is essential to make sure you get what you want out of your event, plus it allows you to measure how successful it was once it’s all over! Remember that virtual events are different from face-to-face ones, so rather than just moving an existing face-to-face event online, take time to check that a virtual event would still help you to meet those objectives.
Plan sessions and content
Now that you’ve planned out the format of your event, it’s time to dig into the substance.
What topics will your event cover? How will you address them? Consider the format of each session. When will you have speakers presenting? When will attendees be able to ask questions? What will networking or casual socializing look like?
Establish the event format
Virtual events come in all different shapes, sizes, and formats. So, once you've settled on your goals, think about what virtual event format will best help you to achieve them. Will your content be best served by offering viewers a choice of many different talks and sessions, or would a simple webinar with one speaker do the job just as well?
Don’t forget to keep your target audience in mind when you’re establishing your event format too. It might be that networking is a key goal for your audience, in which case you might choose to prioritize peer-to-peer time over talks. Alternatively, a panel discussion might allow your audience to ask all the burning questions they’ve been dying to find the answers to!
Key Takeaway
So, as you’ve seen, hosting a virtual event isn’t rocket science. By following our 10-step process, you’ll be on your way to virtual success in no time!
There are tons of software and tools dedicated to making the process of planning and holding a virtual event easier and smoother. Whether you go with one of these or use a virtual meeting tool like Zoom, you’ll have a great live streaming virtual event!
