Mistakes to Avoid When Managing Different Event Formats
The pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift in the way events are conducted.
Now that the world is slowly doing away with major restrictions, we have seen the return of physical or in-person events. In spite of this development, three out of four businesses want to retain the virtual aspect of their events. That’s brought about a sudden surge in the popularity of hybrid events.
Ask any business that provides hybrid event platforms and they will tell you what unique event management skills they have had to pick up in the last couple of years.
Managing a virtual and in-person event at the same time is no mean task. And while upskilling on the job is great, here is a way for you to beat the learning curve. Simply avoid making these common mistakes associated with managing different event formats.
Mistakes to Avoid When Managing Different Event Formats
Insufficient Planning
In-person, virtual, or hybrid- whatever your event format, you need to have a solid plan in place. It should cover important elements of the event such as logistics, registrations, participant details, agenda, speaker information, and so on. If your plan is not inclusive, you might end up getting lost in minor details and wasting time and resources.
Avoid this mistake and make a master plan that includes everything and smaller plans for each task. Delegate these tasks to other team members and ensure that they know the plan like the back of their hands.
Ignoring Your Audience
Sometimes, you might end up ignoring the reason why you’re hosting an event in the first place: your audience. You may focus too much on registrations, or sticking to the agenda instead. If you are unable to hold the attention of your audience, then your event may not be able to achieve its primary objectives.
After all, the core of any event is to connect people. If your event is a virtual one then you must put in more effort to keep the interaction alive. This can be achieved partly through engagement tools and activities on virtual event platforms like personal chat, individual booths, one-on-one networking, experiential marketing elements, and much more.
One thing to keep in mind is that these activities alone won’t suffice to engage your audience. The content you share with your audience has to be top-notch and drive value as well.
Not Rehearsing
Just like you would for an in-person event, you must get enough time to rehearse your event and ensure that everything is going as per the agenda. Things like internet speed and connectivity, sound must be tested while practising.
You could also anticipate important questions and likely problems you might run into and prepare for them in advance. For instance, maintaining a backup set of topics to discuss in case a speaker is unable to participate in the event or starting off a Slack channel to discuss FAQs and having a moderator to manage it.
Choosing the Wrong Platform
If you’re wondering how to drive attendance for your virtual event, then you need to stop making the most cardinal mistake of choosing the wrong event platform.
Platforms like Virtex not only offer the ability to stream your event, but offer many other ancillary features like marketing your event on social media or providing a immersive experience online. Make sure to choose a platform that gives your audience the closest in-person experience that they can have in a hybrid event.
