This does not mean you need to settle for low engagement during virtual events. In fact, people are more likely to ask questions at virtual events rather than live events. There is plenty of opportunity to boost your attendee participation when you practice a few tips for engaging your virtual audience.
7 Tips for Improving Virtual Event Engagement
1)Record the Speaker in Video to Have a Face with the Voice
People pay more attention to a live human speaking rather than listening to a voice recording. Facial queues, stance and posture make it a lot easier to connect with your audience and they appreciate the added effort of seeing your host present their story, it’s the next best thing to being live in-person.
2) Enlist the Most Charismatic Speaker Available
Charismatic, passionate speakers do a great job of holding the attention of their audience, this is even more true for online events. Listening to a monotone speaker drone out content on auto-pilot will quickly lose the engagement of your audience. Make sure you’re prepared with a knowledgeable, organized and excited speaker for your virtual event.
3) Use Interactive, Engaging Features
Having live chat available is a great way to encourage your audience participation. Virtual hand raising or Q&A time during breaks and after the event help you connect with your audience. Virtual booths give attendees private time to talk with you as well as communicating in public chat forums.
4) Consider Custom Event Apps
Rolling out custom apps with all the event information, links, downloads and some fun, creative activities is a great way to stay in touch with your audience before, during and after your event.
5) Include Natural Breaks to Allow Comments
Speak as if having a conversation with your audience, allowing a brief pause when someone might want to comment or ask a questions. If viewers can chime in they will feel more engaged and you’ll hold their attention longer.
6) Do an IT Evaluation Before You Begin
Make sure that your technology is up to the task. Speak with a virtual online professional to evaluate your hardware, software and internet connections. With added traffic on shared networks you may experience glitches or slow connections where none existed before. Nothing is worse than losing connection while everyone is staring at their screen waiting for you.
7) Engage Your Audience Long Before the Event
Be sure to engage your audience long before your actual event is scheduled. Keep in touch with reminders and enticing lead into the content you plan to share. Keeping your event on everyone’s radar and in their calendar is important. Send reminder emails with simple links to log in to your event.
By following these tips you can improve your audience engagement during virtual events. Embracing the options available to you could open many doors for an increased viewership, providing the ability to reach many attendees that otherwise would not be able to participate.
Production Plus is a leading virtual event production company with more than 40 years of experience in all event services. We offer virtual event services including assistance with live recordings, pre-recordings and IT checkups. Contact us to speak with a virtual event professional for a flawless event with high engagement.
Contact us today to learn more about our Virtual Event Streaming services.