How to Nail Your Next Virtual Event
TME’s Vice President of Business Development, Melissa Cather highlights our top 5 tips to give your attendees a wow factor at your virtual event.
Anyone who’s ever attended a virtual event can attest that these programs can be dynamic or dreadful. At TME, we’ve managed the gamut of virtual programs – from Zoom presentations to three-day virtual conferences featuring special guests like Trevor Noah, Katie Couric, Dr. Fauci, and Stacey Abrams to name a few. We’ve literally seen it all. We pride ourselves on delivering stellar programs in the ever-changing world of events. Along the way, our Vice President of Business Development, Melissa Cather, has established some tried-and-true ways to host events that are impactful and memorable for your attendees.
1. Balance the Pre-recorded and Live Content. Pre-recording alleviates the potential for user network errors and allows you to include celebrity guests, honorees, and leaders who are not available for live broadcasts. Having a live portion is a great way to get your event emcee to bring energy and enthusiasm to elements such as fundraising. Integrating both pre-recorded and live segments delivers the best of both worlds – the control of pre-recording and energy of live programs.
2. Hire a Pro Emcee. Local media personalities, celebrities, and influencers who have experience being “in front of the camera” are the best choice for the role. Experienced public speakers have a natural comfort level that will resonate with your attendees and elevate your program.
3. Avoid Live Auctions. This fundraising works best in-person. Without an “audience” to create enthusiasm and energy, the auctioneer will have a tough time sparking excitement. Additionally, the lag with real-time bidding from viewers at home can be awkward and adds taxing minutes to what should be a tightly choreographed program.
4. Be Bold, Be Brief, Be Gone. Keep it moving! A 10-minute acceptance speech may be acceptable in-person, but it’s tiresome for online events. Each “talking head” should speak no more than 2-3 minutes to keep the program running swiftly and keep the audience glued to their screen.
5. Encourage Connections. Throughout the program encourage your audience to interact and have a “call to action”! Find easy ways for attendees to “participate” in your fundraising event, like a chat box or other dynamic feature that enables your audience to feel more immersed. This will keep the event action-oriented and enjoyable.
Virtual events will remain long after the pandemic passes. By mastering ways to seamlessly integrate elements of live events into your virtual programs, you’ll deliver dynamic, memorable, and engaging programs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help make your virtual events excel.
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