Designing Events to Work Online
We aren’t in a Kansas Hotel anymore.
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, event organisers and attendees alike have woken up to the realisation that we’re not in that familiar place anymore. And for us all, just as in the Wizard of Oz, what we know worked in Kansas, doesn’t necessarily work online.
Or, for those of you who prefer your literary references to be a little more highbrow…
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” LP Hartley, The Go Between.
As organisers and participants, we need to recognise that this will not change any time soon (sorry to break it to you if this is news), and work towards building better experiences for everyone that utilise the benefits and advantages of our new virtual venue rather than try to replicate the old model.
We all need to think about designing events from the outset in a different way. In March 2020 we ran Business of Software Conference Europe as an online event. Since then, I’ve also sat through a huge number of other events too, as I’m sure you have.
My main takeaway:
Online events struggle to engage audiences and may seriously harm your reputation as an event organiser if you don’t design your online event in a completely different way.
