How to Adapt Your In-Person Event to a Virtual Format

The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably caught the events industry off guard, and planners around the world are having to make difficult decisions about upcoming events. Learn how to leverage the right event technology to quickly adapt your event to a virtual format.

In the past, virtual events have mainly been limited to non-interactive webinars. However, a well executed online event can help foster new connections, offer value to sponsors and exhibitors, and create engaging and exciting learning moments. Understanding how you can easily use the EventMobi platform to transition from a fully on-site to virtual format will help you make the right decisions for your upcoming or future events. 

Before you decide whether to cancel, postpone, or keep and adapt your event, we’re here to help you understand your options. We will also be there for support should you decide to transition to virtual. If you need to postpone, you will still be able to keep your momentum going. In any of these scenarios, we understand your goal is to be to mitigate the financial impact on your organization or association’s revenue no matter how the situation evolves, and keep your attendees and sponsors engaged and excited.

Instead of cancelling your event, moving to an online format will actually help extend your event’s reach as those that may have previously been unable to attend in person can more easily participate. If you need to execute a fast pivot for your internal meeting or association conference, our Hybrid Event Platform will make it easy for you to move forward with a personalized, interactive virtual or hybrid event experience.

EventMobi’s End-to-End platform is one of the most flexible and customizable event management platforms on the market, fully supported by our professional services teams in Manila, Berlin, Toronto and Vancouver. 

We will make sure you are never alone in the process—from ideation all the way to reporting. We’ve created this quick guide to help you understand how you can effectively use Event Technology to help you achieve maximum engagement at your online event. 

Learn More About the EventMobi Virtual Platform

How It Works 

The EventMobi Virtual Platform will help you promote your event and register attendees, manage all conference content including documents, livestreams and video on demand, and keep speakers, attendees and sponsors engaged and informed from anywhere in the world. 

Step 1: Leading Up to Your Event 

Tools: Website & Registration, Social Media Dashboard

Website & Registration

• Indicate whether your event is hybrid or fully virtual on the Event Details page
• Showcase your updated virtual/hybrid meeting or conference agenda. (Be sure to communicate that your new meeting format is an opportunity for more of your community to be a part of the experience in order to drive additional registration!) 
• Segment registered attendees in order to offer them personalized session selection. You will also be able to assign specific sessions to different groups. For hybrid events, start by segmenting on-site and virtual attendees, and then create additional custom groups from there. Remember, even fully virtual events will be attended by multiple attendee types.
• Use your website to provide up-to-the-minute revised session and scheduling information to your attendees, speakers and sponsors. 
• Let speakers and session leaders know best practices for their audio and lighting setup for their livestream or pre-recorded session. 
• Create a dedicated section for Sponsors where they can find all of the information they need to promote themselves virtually or on-site.

Social Dashboard

Leverage key social channels including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to let your community know that you are moving forward with your event in a hybrid or virtual format. Direct them to your Event Website for information and ongoing updates. 

• Use the Social Dashboard to gather insights from your social media marketing campaign.
• Track both your event and related industry hashtags so you can easily understand and address what questions and concerns they are posting online.

Step 2: Your Virtual or Hybrid Event Experience

Tools: EventMobi Virtual Space, Social Dashboard & Social Media Wall

Custom Branded Virtual Space

The EventMobi Virtual Space is fully customizable and will serve as an online home for all of your conference content – including event livestreams and video-on-demand.

Your Attendees will be able to:

• Access all content including documents, livestreams, and pre-recorded sessions from any device.
• Use engagement features including Session Chat, Live Polls & Surveys, Q&A, and the Activity Feed.
• Connect with attendees and sponsors with Live 1:1 Video Chat.
• Learn more about and engage with Event Sponsors at Virtual Exhibitor Booths.

Social Dashboard and Social Media Wall 

Use your Social Dashboard to track event-related activity on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You will be able to maximize your reach by identifying and monitoring the channels most popular with remote attendees, and see top influential users and all content related to your event. 

• Track what your attendees are saying about your event. 
• Measure how each influencer is adding to the overall reach, engagement, and impressions of your brand, campaigns, & events. Use data to provide recommendations to influencers on how to optimize their posts and increase online engagement.
• Use the Social Media Wall feature to bring together your entire community of remote and on-site attendees. By live streaming social media posts on your website and on screens at hybrid events, you will help your attendees connect with each other and share their experiences. 

Above All, Stay Positive 

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is one of the greatest challenges the event industry has faced in recent times. However, Event Planners are well accustomed to preparing for the unexpected while working relentlessly to achieve the best. Being flexible, adaptable and level-headed is a prerequisite of the job, after all!

Business meetings and conferences are required to share knowledge, drive change, fuel growth and build communities. The EventMobi team is dedicated to ensuring our customers can continue to plan meetings, no matter how the situation unfolds.