The top 10 best practices for holding a successful virtual event 24 March, 2010 By Joanne Rigby, PGi Marketing Director, APAC

Regardless of the industry you are in, when it comes to putting together a virtual event, the fundamentals remain the same -- to attract the right target audience, successfully engage and retain their attention and last but not least, to have a follow up action to meet your business objectives.

Extensive planning is required to put together a successful virtual event, but it is notably easier than scheduling and executing a physical show. For first timers, scheduling a virtual event may require some initial hand holding before one becomes proficient and confident in managing it alone.

Here are the top 10 best practices one should keep in mind before hosting an event in a virtual space:

1. Define and understand your target audience

The vast majority of organisers find it helpful to have information on attendees' and personas' profiles in advance so that the content of the event can be customised accordingly. This is an important, if not critical, best practice, since it allows content to be more closely matched to the specific needs of the audience, ensuring that the event is as relevant as possible for attendees.

2. Create compelling content

Start lining up compelling content early and ensure that it delivers value to your audience. Make the effort to find out what the hottest industry topics your audience will find most interesting and formulate your agenda appropriately. Engage a speaker, who is insightful and can relate to your audience's enquiries and experiences, to be present at the event.

3. Plan and promote ahead

Promote your event ideally three weeks in advance and do it diligently. Internal and external promotional methods such as email and viral marketing, company newsletters, banner advertisements, search engine optimisation, press releases and editorial submissions have been proved effective in generating interests and signups to an event. The rise of social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin also means that you can now communicate and promote your event with your target audience easily and effectively.

4. Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse

The rehearsal should be held at least one week prior so there is enough time to make adjustments. Hold it in the same room, with actual equipment, test attendee dial-in, run through the guest speaker's presentation and practice Q&A with the host. Get the rehearsal environment as close as possible to the live-event environment. And don't forget - always have a contingency in place. For instance, if your PC hangs, make sure you have the vendor's full support to help manoeuvre your presentation slides. Another trick that always works is to have someone dialled in and armed with a few questions to get the initial Q&A session rolling.

5. Monitor the conversation and online activity

Appoint a host to ensure that the conversation is kept lively and interactive. The host should be on alert at all times and monitor the online activity, such as the web console, during the actual session. Nothing is worse than attending a virtual event or conference you are enthusiastic about and then feeling like you are talking in to a black hole because there is no one on the floor to acknowledge you or answer any of your questions.

6. Provide time for Q&A

During a virtual event, attendees can ask questions directly to the speaker or through a web console. However, do limit the number of questions asked so that they can all be answered thoroughly. If there is not enough time to address all of the questions, make sure that you do your follow ups diligently after the session is over.

7. Conduct polls during the event

Conducting polls is an important mechanism for soliciting feedback from virtual attendees, either to keep them engaged in the event or to tailor content to the specific needs of the audience 'on the fly'. Once the session has been completed, results of the poll provide valuable feedback, and even serve as a sales lead generation tools for marketers.

8. Conduct post-event surveys

These surveys are useful in gaining feedback on the event itself - what works and what did not work - and to justify the next virtual event you are going to be promoting. It is also a good exercise to provide additional information for follow up sales calls, and promotions of future events.

9. Record the event and make it available

Recording your actual virtual event is especially useful for those who could not it make it to the session. Organisers should upload a recording of the event and make it available online so it is easier for those who are going to listen from work or their mobile devices.

10. Follow up

Be sure to follow up with attendees within a week of the event. Send thank you emails and any white papers or useful reading items you offered to entice them to attend in the first place. In addition, don't forget to thank your guest speakers and team on their help throughout the planning process and on- site support during the event. If possible, send small gifts to show your appreciation.

BONUS: Make it fun!

A virtual event shouldn't be a boring affair, both for you and your attendees. Make it as fun and as interactive as possible. Inject some sparks in your target audience by having a contest, competition or even a lucky draw for selected sessions.

To sum it up, virtual events are a very effective and inexpensive method for imparting information, whether the goal is to market to prospective customers or to train employees. Any organisations that are considering implementing virtual events should apply these top 10 best practices pre, during and post the event. These, hopefully, can act as the benchmark, improve the effectiveness of virtual events and provide maximum return for minimum effort.