Have you ever wondered what it looks like to put together a virtual event? They look seamless and effortless, but in reality, a lot of work goes into producing a polished event.
There are a lot of details and moving parts in order to make a seamless virtual event:
- Map out your event
- Find the best platform that fits your event needs
- Determine your MC and other speakers
- Work with participants to record their portions
- Edit speaker videos
- Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse!
- Create compelling visuals
MAP OUT YOUR EVENT
Your event can range from being all live on a zoom webinar to having a combination of live and prerecorded components and with or without an interactive audience. Determine your event format and how you envision it happening so that the rest of the event planning falls into place.
DETERMINE YOUR EVENT PLATFORM
There are so many types of virtual event platforms available now; it can be difficult to decide which to use. PBP is constantly investigating new platforms and revisiting old platforms, as the platforms are continuously upgrading and adding services. We watch as many demos and talk to as many companies that we can to make sure we are able to suggest the perfect platform for your event. Sometimes a combination of different platforms works best for your event, and we want to ensure you have the best platform for the best experience for your guests.
SPEAKER WRANGLING
Everything with the virtual world needs to be decided early because it takes time to prepare. If you decide to prerecord any/all of your speakers, then you need to know who the speakers are early on so that they have time to create their videos. You will need to *virtually* hold their hands a bit while they record their video – making sure they are dressed appropriately for the event, the lighting is right, the camera is positioned correctly, they are not looking down at their script constantly, etc. Your speaker may have to rerecord their speech, but better to know early on rather than right before the event.
EDITING
Once you receive your speaker videos you will need to watch them a few times to make edits. Many times the beginning and the end need to be edited out because the speaker is either starting/stopping the camera or someone is saying “go” in the background. These are all minor edits. Other times you may have to edit out a majority of the speech and just use a clip. However you envision your event, make sure you watch these videos a few times to determine how you want to use them.
REHEARSE!
You cannot rehearse too much. If you are doing a live show, you will need to make sure all your speakers know how to access the event, know when they will be seen on screen, who is interacting with the audience. If you are doing a prerecorded show you will need to watch it many times to find the best places to put the logos, making sure the videos line up well, that your program is clear to the audience. Finally, for a hybrid event, you will need your live speakers to know how to get “backstage” to be on camera, when they will be on camera and making sure the prerecorded part fits in with the live part. The more you rehearse, the more flawless your event will be because you will be able to pick up little details you may not have thought of before.
CREATING VISUALS
This may not seem like a big deal, but many events have a lot more visuals than it seems. From the slideshow before the event, title graphics for each speaker, logos in the corner, incorporating images while a speaker is talking. Make sure you stay on theme with all your images to tie the whole event together. Creating visual may not seem necessary, but they certainly add a nice touch to the event.
If your event was prerecorded or mostly recorded, event day should be smooth! Check in with your speakers, make sure they are set, send your step-by-step instructions to the attendees so it is easy for them to log on, have one or two people available by phone and email to help with any technical issues, etc.
While we are all excited to go back to in person events, that will be another learning curve with now having many more hybrid events and making sure the virtual attendees still enjoy the event. The event world is forever changing and we will always do our best to keep up!
reese@poweredbyprofessionals.com