As cases of COVID-19 rise all over the world, planned events have to be cancelled or postponed due to the health risks that accompany the pandemic. As an event planner, the safety of clients and partners is your foremost concern and today this might mean making some tough decisions. Now that we can predict we will not be able to host any large events in the near future, a great alternative to cancelling or postponing an event is moving it online. Many online solutions are available, to create a custom, seamless experience while maintaining the quality and content that was created for the initially planned event.
What are virtual events?
They involve people, interacting with each other in a common virtual environment on the internet, rather than in a physical location. Through virtual events, it is possible to organise seminars, conferences, online learning courses, and even trade shows. Of course, to achieve an excellent virtual event you need a good virtual event software. There are several possibilities if you want to move your event online and we did the research to help make your decision easier.
WEBINARS ARE TAKING OVER
The available software solutions to digitalize an event range from simple to complex. When you just need a platform for a webinar, ezTalks Webinar is an uncomplicated program, that lets you achieve real-time face-to-face communication via HD audio and video. Via this virtual event platform, you can access flexible rebranding options, an interactive whiteboard, instant messaging services and screen sharing. Additionally, the program has a live polling and survey system, enabling live feedback, and it allows you to record and share the event. EzTalks Webinar is highly scalable and can accommodate up to 10.000 participants at the same time. After the event, it generates a report, to see how well the virtual event performed.
In case your webinar won’t have so many participants, you can even use Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts is a cost-effective, unified communications service that enables text, voice or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group. An added advantage is the possibility to live stream from Youtube and it also supports screen sharing and file sharing among participants.
THE SAME EVENT, BUT VIRTUAL
When it comes to large scale conferences or trade shows that are more complex, more intricate solutions are available. Virtual engagement platforms make it possible to move a meticulously planned event online, without losing its essence. A software like Meeting play makes switching to a virtual event really easy. The app offers live session options to keep the public engaged, such as live chat, live Q&A and polling with Q&A. It can go even further and propose content-driven suggestions to individuals, based on their behaviour at the virtual event. Meeting play also lets you track your attendees with a mandatory attendance check-in.
THE (TRADE) SHOW CAN GO ON
If a trade show is in question, a software like vfairs.com or meetyoo is the perfect choice as it lets you reach a wide audience and the attendees can visit virtual booths and interact with exhibitors through text or video chat. The data of the entire event is recorded, and you receive a detailed report after the event, helping you understand your ROR. Vfairs.com also offers a virtual event manager to help you plan and run the show.
A CALCULATED MATCH
If you like what you’re reading, but you’re still not convinced a virtual event can match all the aspects of live meetings, Brella might convince you otherwise. Just like the previous virtual event platforms, Brella caters to all virtual trade show and conference needs, but unlike the other platforms, it puts networking in the forefront. It allows attendees to fill their breaks between streams with one-on-one meetings with relevant people. Brella also offers an efficient matchmaking tool powered by artificial intelligence. The algorithm understands the attendees’ goals and finds the best potential matches for meetings at the event.
Full list of the best virtual meetings software
Sharing pre-recorded videos:
Virtual trade show platforms:
Sara Tiefengraber
