Virtual Conference
Gather like-minded individuals and foster building lasting ties
A Virtual Conference is a well and in-advance planned event where individuals who share common niche interests or expertise gather to exchange, discuss, network, learn and interact live. This event can offer multi-track or single-track virtual experiences, and attendees can curate and create their unique journey through the event. Keynotes and breakout sessions are some of the essential elements of a virtual conference. The former aims at all event attendees and sets out the event’s central theme. The latter are sessions specific to a track topic and aim at a limited number of participants.
Use this event to:
- Share information.
- Foster connections, create collaborative and long-lasting links.
- Reach out, interact and engage with a global audience.
- Congregate an audience with a common interest or background.
- Learn about and discuss issues, and ideas and work around a common topic.
Examples
- A series of workshops including expert inputs and collaborative tasks providing as interactive learning environment as a face-to-face training.
- Single topic workshop to train members, representatives, and employees on specific skills and competences.
You and other collaborators
- Keynote and guest speakers, panellists: are engaging and relevant to the topic, incorporate interactive elements in their sessions, and support the overall theme for the event.
- Sponsors: help to fund the event.
- Moderators: support to direct conversations, and keep participants engaged and motivated during sessions and breakout sessions.
- Communication staff: for content strategy, content creation, and marketing and communications, video content creation, among others.
- IT staff (if hosting yourself): facilitates, manages the technology and records sessions.
- Project managers (if partially or not hosting at all): work hand in hand with the project managers of the platform provider.
Tips
Design a few ¨backup plan¨ activities and prepare for a certain flexibility in your schedule, in case any of speakers´ connection fails. Provide real-time support for initial connection when the audience joins the online conference space. Setup a side communication channel with all team members and speakers involved in the event to ensure fast adjustments in programme in case of need.
Questions to get started
- What are the topic and the goals of your web conference?
- Who is the target audience of the event?
- Who are the potential key, guest speakers, and panelists?
- Will you offer a multi-track or a single-track experience?
- Can you host the event?
- What platforms (or platform providers) are suitable for the size of your event and within your budget?
- How long will the conference last?
- What is the content and marketing strategy for the event?
- How will you keep participants engaged before and during the event?
- How will you follow up with participants after the event?
- How will you measure the success of the event?