Nowadays, more and more organizers are turning to virtual event platforms to host their events, be it small staff meetings or large-scale trade shows or conferences. But Online Event Planning a perfect virtual event can pose a challenge to someone new to the world of online events.

To pull off an engaging and immersive event, hosts must clearly understand everything to keep in mind. They must create a thorough and well-researched plan first. That will help engage the audience, and potential customers, understand their requirements, save money, generate leads, help you establish yourself as an industry leader, and build your brand.

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DIY Virtual Event Platform:

A DIY virtual event platform lets you have the complete hold of your event at your fingertips. It offers a wide range of customizable features to the users to make their event engaging and realistic. For example, Mixhubb is a DIY platform that provides you with true-to-life features such as a big venue with an auditorium, virtual booths, a stage, a lobby, etc. The whole user interface can be customized to both the host’s and the attendee’s convenience, and a good background can be created to attract the audience.

Following is a simplified guide to a perfect online event planning-

Set event goals:

Before picking out a platform, an organizer must be aware of their ultimate goal. It will give you a bird’s eye view of the whole situation, and you will be able to plan your event effectively and well within your budget. First, define your event type, a conference, webinar, trade show, exhibition, and such, and select your networking and marketing tools accordingly. 

You need to think about your target customers and audience and how your online event benefits them.

Lastly, ask yourself if your purpose is to grow brand awareness or merely generate ticket revenue. Or do you want to raise funds and awareness for a specific cause or charity?  

Define target audience:

The organizer should have a strong awareness of the needs and expectations of his audience while planning an online event. They have to explain the goal clearly without making the event an intense sales pitch. Thoroughly conducting market research, surveying and polling can increase your chances of success.

The host has to connect with the audience so that they don’t feel bored and log out of the event after some time. Attendees should not just be engaged but also participate in the event. Strategies such as discount codes or raffles can be used to attract the audience.

At the same time event should not be too long, and the message should be delivered well within the time frame. 

Selecting the right platform:

One major step during online event planning is selecting the right virtual platform that is curated just for the event you wish to organize. A small virtual meetup platform such as Zoom will do, but you need a proper online event platform for larger, more detailed events. Researching is the key here. Look out for platforms that provide you with a wide range of basic and specialized features and are highly customizable and user-friendly.

Pricing can also be a major deciding factor, and so is scalability. Sort out the pros and cons of each platform before deciding. Test a feature after choosing the platform and analyze the audio, background, video, and other factors to optimize your event.

Planning the content:

Since you have already defined the type or format of the event, you will need to plan out all the activities and sessions accordingly. List out all the games and activities that you will be conducted during the online event and specify the time frames of each.

An organizer has to plan the content around the event goals. The organizer has to select the date, time, and location wisely so that the event’s success can be guaranteed.

Specify an interesting theme for the event in all forms of communication and emails, blogs, or social media. After you create the whole layout of your online event, you can make a PowerPoint presentation illustrating your whole event.

Plan Your Budget:

The next step is to determine the costs and pricing of your entire online event. To measure the event’s success, you need to account for your event’s KPIs, such as the number of leads, ticket sales, net profit, and revenue generated. The organizer has to look out for several options in virtual platforms to get the most reasonable pricing that fits his budget.

Online events have to be priced right so that the audience is willing to pay for their value. Branding and sponsorship opportunities are great for monetizing your event. In addition to the high costs, one has to account for other expenses such as speakers’ fees, giveaway costs, etc. the organizer should also employ a ticketing partner or a payment processor to track the payments.

Finding a speaker:

A speaker is the backbone of an online event. Conduct thorough research for a popular public speaker with a good experience as they are the one who is responsible for holding the interest of the audience. If the audience acknowledges and trusts the speaker, your event will be a success. 

Putting a team together:

Online event planning is tough, so the more hands, the better. The organizer should get a technical team to assist in organizing the whole event fast and easily.

Setting up timely meetings with your team can be beneficial and insightful as the team members can share their ideas on planning the online event. If any tech difficulties or glitches arise, they can be resolved by the technical team. The organizer can also look for a moderator to present at the virtual event to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. 

Test all the tech:

Testing all the equipment and tech is crucial before hosting the actual event. Anything can go wrong, which can halt your event on the big day. Make sound and light checks, and conduct a full dry run of the event in advance. For your presentations, check if all the slides are ordered and presentable. Make sure your speakers are in sync with the virtual event’s happenings. Discuss and rule out all the problems you might have with your events team.

Marketing and promotions:

A virtual event needs to be marketed at every step to ensure success, just like a live-in-person event. An organizer needs to have a proper promotional plan ready to market his event. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., come in handy to promote and market events. Creating blog posts with relevant information, using hashtags, embedding the invites on the social media pages, etc., can draw the audience to your event.

Moreover, they can employ several promotional tools such as newsletters, virtual invitations, creating an email list, sending email reminders to the event’s subscribers, etc. Creating a landing page of the event on the main website is also a great way to attract attendees.