The advantages of holding live events are widely understood by marketers. Building relationships with your prospects and customers is essential, especially in B2B marketing. Hosting virtual events, however, frequently has more advantages. The COVID-19 pandemic hastened the global business community’s adoption of virtual events in their marketing mix. To stage dynamic and interesting virtual events, the majority of event planners and corporations employ virtual event services and platforms.
What Is A Virtual Event Platform?
A virtual event platform is a piece of software that enables you to host interactive events on the internet, like conferences, trade shows, and workshops. The virtual event platform offers an online destination for a virtual or hybrid event, just like a venue like a hotel or a conference center does for an in-person event. In other words, it’s where you host the event’s material and the audience congregates to engage with it and communicate with other attendees. Where is the event platform?
- Your event’s attendees purchase tickets or register.
- Event planners host all of the event’s content, including the locations of the speakers
- Sponsors and partners set up virtual booths.
- Audience members consume the material and interact with it.
Benefits Of Using A Virtual Event Platform
There are different benefits of considering a virtual event platform and some of them are given below:
Offer Networking Opportunities
How frequently have you attended a physical event, met someone, struck up a conversation, and discovered a shared interest? But before you know it, the event is underway, and you are split up. The opportunity to network with them is missed because you don’t have their contact information. However, virtual events can save the day. Platforms for virtual events provide several benefits for networking. Contact information is provided for each attendee by virtual event solutions. Your mouse will reveal their name and a link to their contact information when you hover over their photo.
This greatly simplifies networking opportunities after the event. You can speak with attendees privately using the chat feature at the event as well. Smaller breakout spaces also allow for more private conversations.
Feedback Collection
virtual event platforms offer built-in features that make it simple to gather feedback. For your event, you can make a post-event survey to get feedback from your attendees. Your attendees can fill out a virtual survey at a physical event, but they are more likely to participate when they are already using their gadgets. You can gather metrics from the event in addition to guest feedback to determine how well it went. You will be better able to plan a budget for your subsequent virtual event as you will be aware of where money was wisely invested.
For your subsequent virtual event, gathering feedback will be quite beneficial because it will show you where you succeeded or failed. The virtual event platform will also translate the comments for you so you are aware of what to do. Sharing virtual feedback with your coworkers is also simple.
Customization Feature
Creating an amazing experience for your participants is a terrific approach to giving something that stands out from other virtual events being held. Therefore, you should have access to a tool that enables you to design the virtual event platform of your choice completely. If you want to have a fully branded version of your virtual environment, you’ll need a tool that can be easily customized. You need a platform that allows you to customize the room where your attendees will congregate colors, images, and overall aesthetic. Instead of having something uninspired or even mundane, this makes it fun and intriguing for them.
Additionally, having a lot of customizing possibilities will be wonderful for sponsors and exhibitors because you can give them something to help them stand out in your online arena. It might be animated information, logos displayed on the stage where the keynote speakers will be speaking about the subjects or even branded banners. The use of software, such as online product launch software, enables event planners to provide more opportunities for branding and to create tailored experiences.
Provide Marketing Opportunities
Virtual events are simpler and less expensive to market than actual events. Utilizing a virtual event platform has the benefit of allowing you to post clips from the event directly to your newsfeed. To record the event on camera and take pictures, you don’t need to set up a crew. To let people know what they are missing, you may publish clips from the event, either after it has concluded or during it.
Branding Options
The ability to tailor your brand is another benefit of virtual event platforms. Virtual events are branded just like physical events are, with decorations, signage, and posters. On the event home page, you may utilize your company’s brand colors and logo to help guests connect the event with your business. By doing this, the event will become unique to you and not just a static image on a screen.
More branding opportunities may be available with virtual brand launch services. By going virtual, you can save the money you would have spent on physical branding. Additionally, since you won’t need to utilize paper for branding, your event will be more environmentally friendly. In order for your sponsors to participate in the virtual event, you can also incorporate them into your branding.
Audience Interaction Tools
An event is only truly an event when the audience participates. A virtual event platform offers a range of engagement levers in addition to broadcasting a live stream to enable and encourage attendees to exchange ideas, develop relationships, and influence the conversation in real time. A virtual event platform is distinct from other video communication and collaboration software in the variety of engagement opportunities it offers—all of which are intended to foster a two-way dialogue between presenters and the audience. Virtual event service providers offer a wide range of interactive tools such as live chats, polls, surveys, Q&As, and more. These interactive tools allow you to interact with your audience and keep them engaged in your event. Interactive tools also encourage your audience to participate in your event.
