We’re all trying to figure out how to recreate those magical moments that happen at in-person and live events, where participants from attendees to speakers and sponsors and also the event staff have organic connections and memorable experiences. Whether it’s an hour long conversation that sparks between strangers after sitting next to each other during an inspiring keynote or seeing an old colleague across the exhibitor hall or ditching the formal sessions to hold an impromptu brainstorm between industry experts, virtual events just aren’t quite the same.
We’ve discovered over the past few months of social distancing and less in-person events that networking, connecting, collaborating and engaging with other event participants is absolutely still possible and can even be fun and organic during virtual events and conferences. But there’s one special key to pulling it off. Don’t try to copy or recreate in-person or live event experiences that you already know about and do. The virtual world is nothing like our in-person world and it shouldn’t be treated as such.
In the same way that our cameras are now our conference rooms, we need to reimagine conference networking. We don’t have hallways and lunch hours. So how can we create online spaces and opportunities for our attendees to connect, our sponsors to get value and our speakers to inspire?
Put the power in the hands of your participants and see what they come up with. Attendees can now embed or link a live stream, webinar or pre-recorded content on their profiles. Your speakers, artists, sponsors and exhibitor profiles can include videos and streams on the Reserve and Native plans. Add promotional videos or online networking opportunities to allow your attendees to live chat with other event participants.