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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Quick answer: To organize a virtual event, work through three phases. Pre-event, set clear goals, branding, a target audience, an engaging agenda, seamless registration, marketing and tech rehearsals. During the event, staff it well and keep social channels active. Post-event, send surveys, share highlights and report on ROI.
Pre-event: goals, branding, audience, agenda, registration, marketing and tech checks
During the event: staffing, support, and live social media and email marketing
So, you've made the decision to host a virtual event. Your event management experience still counts, but the online world has its own rules - so where do you start? This checklist covers the key points every planner should work through when organizing virtual events, from the first planning session to the post-event debrief.
Most of the work that makes a virtual event succeed happens before anyone logs in. Work through these seven areas first.
Setting goals early makes it easier to measure the success of your event at the end.
Define the aim of your event and what attendees will gain from it.
Fix the dates - and pay particular attention to time zones, which matter far more for virtual events.
There may be no on-site signage, but online theming and branding matter just as much.
Choose a logo and color scheme for your
Canapii is a highly customizable platform, so branding requirements and corporate guidelines can be built in.
You need people to bring the platform to life, so think carefully about who should attend and what their journey looks like.
Outline who your attendees will be. In an online format, can you widen your target audience and create new opportunities for attendees?
Target sponsors and speakers your audience will want to hear from - engaging content is a big draw for registrations.
Content is crucial for virtual events; attendees will not turn up if they don't know what to expect.
Think carefully about audience engagement: do attendees need key live moments, a flexible agenda with on-demand content, or interaction through breakout sessions?
Make the agenda easy to follow, let attendees curate personal agendas, and offer downloadable calendar files to remind them of key moments.
Registration should be seamless - it sets the precedent for your whole event.
Set up registration and ticketing with one or multiple tickets, attendee types, and paid or free options, all in a matter of minutes.
Send confirmation emails with calendar files. If your event lands in calendars early, attendees are more likely to show up on the day.
Digital marketing has never been more important for events.
Design a marketing calendar to stay organized and keep a dialogue going with your attendees.
Signpost key sessions, adding calendar invites to emails or directing attendees to the platform to curate their own agenda.
Use targeted social media posts to increase registrations - a virtual format lets you tap into a much bigger audience.
Tech checks are make or break for a virtual event.
Run rehearsals so your speakers are comfortable, set-ups look good, and every session runs smoothly.
If you are live streaming, do a run-through with your production agency to make sure feeds work without interruption.
Choose an event tech provider whose professional services include scheduled tech checks and run-throughs with your organizers and agencies.
You may not be physically running between sessions, but if Canapii recommends one thing, it is having enough manpower on event days to keep everything running smoothly.
Dedicated help admins who can answer questions on the event management platform and through your help inbox and FAQs.
Tech support focused on keeping sessions running smoothly and troubleshooting any issues.
Colleagues on the platform making it feel alive - posting, replying to comments, joining breakout sessions and getting involved in conversations.
With Canapii you also get a dedicated account manager, an events specialist with direct experience of running technology events, tech rehearsals with the technical team, and 24/7 access to help and support.
Plan your event-day marketing ahead of time - it is key to audience engagement and attendance.
Schedule posts with session highlights, plus reminders when sessions are about to begin.
Have a dedicated team member posting live updates and engaging with posts from speakers and attendees.
Sustain the conversation after the event - this is when you gather key feedback and ratings from attendees.
Send post-event surveys or polls.
Send a press release with the highlights and takeaways of the event.
Debrief with your sponsors and key attendees to hear how your next event can improve.
Share a debrief report with your sponsors, with key numbers on sessions, attendees and meetings. Canapii provides a wide range of analytics, so you can export the data straight into your ROI template.
Get feedback from speakers on their experience - what went well, and what could improve?
Hold a wider internal team debrief: where were the pain points, and what will you carry into your next event?
Three phases: pre-event planning (goals, branding, target audience, agenda, registration, marketing and tech checks), event-day staffing and live marketing, and post-event surveys, follow-up marketing and ROI reporting.
They are make or break. Rehearsals give speakers confidence, confirm set-ups look good, and ensure live streams run without interruption on the day.
Enough to keep event days running smoothly: dedicated help admins for attendee questions, tech support for the sessions, and colleagues actively posting and joining conversations on the platform.
Export platform analytics on sessions, attendees and meetings into a debrief report, share it with sponsors, and gather feedback from speakers and your internal team.
Well ahead of time. Create a to-do list early, get your event into attendees' calendars as soon as registration opens, and schedule rehearsals before event days.
If you take one thing from this checklist, it is to plan well ahead, keep a to-do list, and have a team behind you at every stage. Canapii becomes part of your extended team - available 24/7, with experience from 2,000+ events. Reach out to us to speak to a member of the team.