Now is the time to head into the new year with plans to reinvent and recalibrate your upcoming event program.  With virtual event formats taking the forefront in the event landscape, what should you be considering to achieve event success over the next year?  

Consider these Tips for Planning your most Impactful Events in 2021:

1.) Plan for Hybrid.
With the catapult of all events into the virtual format over the course of 2020, attendees in general have become more comfortable in the virtual event space.  As we head into the planning phases of 2021, we are excited about the prospect of joining together live onsite and virtual event formats into more hybrid events. 

This opens endless opportunities to access presenters from all over the world to your event, enriching your content offering.  Additionally, you access the opportunity to grow your existing attendee base.  We recommend leveraging hybrid event formats to increase revenue streams and build greater awareness of your brand and events, even if your live attendance is a bit lower than in years past, given the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. There are, of course, challenges to face in the hybrid event model. 

The main goal of any hybrid event is to ensure that both the onsite attendee and virtual attendee have as much of the same experience as possible, designing a seamless experience for both.  Make sure to consider incorporating a strong online networking presence, giving vendors the opportunity for onsite and virtual exhibitor booths, well as incorporating virtual Q&A into the onsite conversations. 

2.) Live vs. Pre-Recorded Sessions?
In our recent work with virtual events, we are seeing our clients considering using pre-recorded sessions vs. live sessions for their virtual events.  Which is best?  Making these decisions considering your overall events goals is a very important step in planning your event.   Pre-recorded sessions are often more “safe” in that there is less risk of mishaps such as internet pauses and lags, technical malfunctions and miscommunication with the presenters, etc. Pre-recorded sessions carry a more pre-recorded quality to your event experience. 

However, they can at times come across as “stiff” for virtual attendees.  Some of our clients are finding they instead want to have that “live” aspect in their virtual events in order to add more energy and excitement quality to the virtual experience.  Going the “live” route may open up the possibility of live “flubs” that come up in any live format, but the real time aspect is often worth that risk to keep the attendees more engaged and attentive.   Some ways to have the best of both worlds include utilizing pre-recorded sessions, followed by live Q&A sessions, or including pre-recorded main sessions followed by live breakout sessions in your program. It is best to consider the overall objectives of your events and which route would best accomplish those for your organization.

3.) Move beyond the basics.
Now that there are so many virtual events for consumption, the race is on for quality and an elevated virtual experience.  You can’t always get away with a webinar type event to really capture your audience, and deliver your content. Think about the business opportunities in utilizing a virtual platform that gives your exhibitors an opportunity to get the visibility and interaction with attendees they desire - which in turn gives your event more depth and can make your event more profitable.  

There are many new event technological functions available to elevate your event.  Adding additional sponsorship and networking opportunities, improved attendee streaming and ease of use, and gamification, just to name a few! Integrating all aspects of the meeting into one virtual platform - from website, registration, communication, sessions, live question and answers, speaker queue, continuing education credits when necessary, lodging (if a hybrid meeting), and end of meeting evaluations.  There are many ways to lift your event from being basic to elevated.Plan for greatness. 

Schedule a free consultation.The Digital Motion Team helps you walk through all these considerations and is there to guide you through the planning and execution phases of your event. 

We’ve developed our best practices guide, the Digital Motion Event Success Plan, to help our clients make the most of their event experience. 

As you consider your event plans for 2021, reach out to Digital Motion! 

We’d love to know more about your event, give you some tips and best practices we’ve learned, and show you a demo of a few alternatives. 

We want to help you make your 2021 event plan shine!