How to Plan a Successful Virtual Tech Event — Part 2
Methods on how to run an event during and what to do after
Introduction
Now that you have a solid understanding of all the prep work that goes into planning a successful event, see Part 1, we will now go over proper steps you should take during the event and what you should do once it’s complete.
These are just a few of the common best practices that we’ve found helpful and that has worked for us when hosting any online event. Although, this process is not as intense as the prepping stage, it’s still very important to understand best practices during and after an event, especially if you’re new to it all.
During Event
Chat Channel Updates + Moderator
Once your event is in session you will want to make use of your chat channel that is built into your virtual platform pretty often. Here you will answer any questions your attendees might have during the event. You will be surprised just how many will be posted, so make sure you have a designated person following up with them regularly.
You will also want to make sure your attendees have access to things in the chat channel like:
- Feedback form links
- Announcements for upcoming speakers + topics
- Event slides
- Speaker slides
- Agenda
- Upcoming breaks
Having these materials and announcements available for your attendees will greatly benefit them and make the whole experience more enjoyable.
Social Media Announcements
If your event is, let’s say, more than 2 hours long with multiple speakers, then put out a couple of tweets informing everyone about upcoming topics and speakers. That way, your audience who follows you on social media can quickly be informed about what’s up next.
If you’re limited to the number of organizers you have on hand, then don’t worry too much about doing these regular updates. But if you have the bandwidth, it’s just a nice touch and makes you look more organized and professional.
Speaker Introductions and Assistance
Always make sure you have a designated person to introduce your speakers before they come onto the virtual stage to present. It gives your audience a chance to know a bit more about your speaker and their background before beginning their presentation. Just because this is virtual does not mean you should skip this step.
In your speaker introductions, you should include things like:
- Full name
- The company they work for
- The topic they will be presenting on
- Social media handles they want mentioned
- A short speaker bio
After the introductions, you can then hand the virtual mic off, and they can take it from there.
When your speaker has finished, it’s good etiquette to thank them and then follow up with any questions the audience might have after. If your speaker needs any assistance with the Q&A, be ready to accommodate he/she on this front.
Internal Form of Communication
You not only should have a separate chat channel where you and your organizers can update each other on what’s going on with the event planning process, but you will want to employ this form of communication during your event.
You will be needing to coordinate with your team pretty closely, and having a designated space without interrupting your audience will be extremely important.
You always hope that your event will go smoothly. However, realistically 9/10 something always happens, and being able to talk with your team members internally and with ease to resolve the issue quickly, will make a world of difference.
Attendee Prizes
Depending on whether or not you decided to have a prize giveaway, this is something you should save till the very end of your event. The reason being is that some attendees might not want to stay all the way through and listen to the last speaker. Having an incentive will make sure that your attendance rate remains better intact and that your final speaker isn’t short on listeners.
One way to collect attendee information before you run the raffle and select a winner is to have them fill out your surveys during the event. That way, once it comes time to spin the raffle and draw your winner, all their information will be there, and you can easily send the prizes post-event.
After Event
Following Up with Speakers
Once your event is over, be sure to follow up with your speakers. Thank them for taking the time to present at your event. If you can send them a small gift, then do this! Your speakers will appreciate you taking the time to thank them, and if you want to have them back, then all the more reason to.
In your email, be sure to ask if they have any last questions. Generally, after the speaker feedback forms are collected, I will see if they wish to view the data. This way, if they want to review that information and look for ways they might be able to improve on, they will have this on hand.
Following Up with Attendee Prizes
Make sure to follow up with prizes. Do this sooner rather than later, once your winners are selected. Don’t keep them waiting.
From the feedback forms you created, you should have collected contact info, preferably an email address. That way you can contact them when ready. But before mailing anything out, always check and confirm their proper mailing address.
Video Recordings
If the event is recorded, make sure your attendees know where they can find them once they are ready. But before announcing, go over the videos to see if any edits or modifications are needed. Most people don’t want to see extra footage, so if there are gaps or periods during your event where there is a lull, crop out those sections. That way, your attendees will only be viewing information that is relevant and important.
Forums to post your videos on:
- Public YouTube channel dedicated to event videos.
- Social platforms your audience follows you on like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
- Mailing lists.
But whatever you choose, make sure your attendees know beforehand where they can find these recordings post-event.
Review Speaker and Attendee Surveys
When you have a moment, sit down and go over all of the data you received from your surveys. Figure out what worked and didn’t from your attendees. What was liked and disliked? After reviewing the data, create a Google Doc and record all of your findings and any patterns noticed.
Having this information summarized in one location will be useful when you need to go back and reference anything when you set out to plan your next event.
Meet with Your Organizers
Next, be sure to meet with all of your organizers after! Here you can discuss how the event went overall and what you would have done differently.
Some talking points you should review with your organizers:
- Review survey data
- Are there any additional loose ends that need to be tied up
- Mailing prizes
- Was the virtual platform used liked
- What was done well
- Suggestion on how it could have gone better
It’s also just a chance to celebrate the big wins or success after hosting. So, take the time to appreciate what you have accomplished with your team. You deserve it!
Conclusion
And there you have it, some things you should do during and after your event so that everything runs as smoothly as possible. It’s a process, but with time and patience, it will get easier. You will find that as you start to host more events, it becomes a lot of fun.
If you missed Part 1, which goes over how to best prepare before your event, visit here.
Thanks for sticking around, and as always, good luck!
As ever, QuarkWorks is available to help with any software application project — web, mobile, and more! If you are interested in our services you can check out our website. We would love to answer any questions you have! Just reach out to us on our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
