We all know that a significant portion of 2020 was spent figuring out virtual events and adopting the digital tools and advancements to plan an event using the digital venue. But, in 2021, event planners have compiled an array of valuable information and data to upgrade their virtual fest & events and make them more lucrative.
The virtual fest is one of that kind. People were initially puzzled and unsure about planning virtual fests, but today, sponsors and attendees look forward to such events to promote their brand and make new connections.
Since virtual fests have become so popular, let’s review some expert tips to make them even more successful.
Devise Clear Goals
If you wish to notch up the level of your virtual fests, you ought to set definite goals and have a clear vision. It will create a roadmap and guide you on how to proceed further to achieve the expected outcomes.
We have several virtual event platforms available in the market that are hosting virtual fests every day, but the question is, how do you wish to outshine your virtual event? Therefore, take some time, set clear goals, and proposed outcomes from your virtual fests to make them more fruitful and engaging.
Choose the Virtual Fest Platform Wisely
While deciding the events platform for your virtual fest, take a demo and check if the platform is a secure and reliable media to take your event online. It should be an all-in-one solution that has exciting and engaging features to lure the audience. Besides, make sure that your platform is backed by 24/7 customer and tech support which can immediately troubleshoot any unforeseen error.
Create an Immersive Digital Infrastructure
Design an impactful landing page that will draw more attendees. The landing page you create should have exciting content that will deliver the key points of your virtual fest. It should also contain the registration link and date & time of the event to avoid missing out on the joining of any interested attendee.
Another necessary aspect that you should incorporate while hosting virtual fests is trying to recreate the experience of on-site events. Therefore, choose a virtual event platform that can include excellent features to deliver remarkable event experiences to your attendees.
Think of ideas like animated light at the lobby, an attractive 3D environment, or dynamic banners. It will leave an impactful impression on the attendees.
Content Sharing
Virtual festivals focus a lot on content so that sponsors can efficiently display the visual components of their company through the events platform. The components include brochures, videos, guide books, posters, keynote sessions, and many more. Make sure to have downloadable content which will enable attendees to save it for future reference; if they wish to get in touch with any of them after the virtual fest is over.
Embrace Social Media Channels
Social media is an excellent option to connect with several people and draw interested attendees to your website. By performing the right amount of research, you can enhance your posts to maximize your reach to a broad spectrum of attendees and organizations. You can also leverage platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram to post relevant pictures, updates, or videos to promote your event. Promote your virtual fest using some event-specified hashtags to gain more recognition.
Keep the Attendees Engaged
The whole point of hosting virtual fests is to convey your motive or showcase your products to the attendees. Hence, you would never want your audience to either drop off or get sidetracked. To avoid this, you need to include exciting engagement features to keep them hooked throughout the event. These features can incorporate live polls, surveys, Q&A sessions, quizzes, or gamification.
Networking Opportunities
Several people attend virtual fests to connect and interact with other attendees. Hence, they expect great options at the event to communicate and build new connections seamlessly. Dreamcast, for example, is an excellent all-in-one virtual event platform that includes features like virtual networking tables, B2B meetings scheduler, AI Matchmaking, and business card exchange features.
Networking tables: It includes built-in live chat, audio, or video features to promote 1:1 and group discussions seamlessly. It allows having 1:1 communication or interaction with multiple people at the same time.
B2B meetings scheduler: It enables the sponsors and attendees to pick their convenient time and schedule a meeting event after the virtual fest is over.
AI matchmaking: You cannot bump into the attendees at virtual fests as compared to physical events. Hence, this feature helps you with a list of people who share the same interest. That makes it a lot easier to connect and interact with like-minded people.
Business card exchange: We understand that at virtual fests, you might miss face-to-face interactions or handshakes. But, Dreamcast includes this unique feature that lets you exchange business cards, paving the way for more lead conversion.
Gamification
A virtual fest without fun activities or games might not actually entertain the attendees. Therefore, think of adding a fun element or popular games that will be enjoyed by most of the participants.
To name some, spin the wheel, shooting game, crosswords, etc are some great choices. You can also include a leaderboard challenge for these games that will award points to the winner. The one with the highest scores can be awarded exciting prizes.
Promotion and Marketing
To host a successful virtual fest, you need to encourage maximum participation. Hence, you need to promote your event amazingly to spread the word among global delegates. You can leverage social media, email marketing, and paid advertisements to let the potential attendees know that the event is happening. The ROI of an event is directly proportional to the number of attendees. So, when you have more attendees, you can expect better ROI for your virtual fest.
Perform a Follow-Up and Analyze the Insights of The Attendees
It is a crucial step that the event planners should not miss on. Once the virtual fest is over, analyze the valuable feedback of the attendees. However, if you choose the right virtual event platform, they provide you with vital analytics that helps you gauge the success of the event. Right from the number of enrollments, most liked features, hotspots of the virtual fest, to the count of lead conversion. It will help you identify the opportunity areas to refine your future events.
We hope that the above-mentioned points will help you plan virtual fests even better and successfully.
