How can I organize a virtual event successfully?
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The coronavirus crisis is forcing organizations to cancel their in-person events, and many of them are considering the possibility of moving them to the virtual world. If this is your case, we’ll help you answer several questions that are going to arise.
1.- What type of events can be held virtually?
The first thing we need to know is that most events can be adapted to the digital world. Maybe you hadn’t thought about it until now, but any congress, fair, conference day or product presentation can be turned into a virtual version, as long as we don’t need to taste, smell or feel the texture of those products being presented — at least for the moment.
We can even carry out team-building activities, training classes or networking sessions within a virtual environment, and the level of interaction is quite similar to that of physical venues, even if we can’t touch each other.
2.- Which platform should I use?
Nowadays there are many platforms worldwide that are marketed as virtual event software. However, they are not all the same and there are significant differences between them. On all their websites you will see pictures of avatars, but the vast majority of these platforms are not 100% interactive, and you won’t realize this until they give you a demo and you try the product yourself. To begin with, we could distinguish between two types of platforms:
Passive platforms. We call them this way because they resemble a directory or a webinar. They allow you to see and hear, but you don’t actually have an avatar that can move through environments and interact with all the people around you.
Exploratory and interactive platforms. This type of platform offers a high level of interaction and some even allow immersive experiences thanks to virtual reality technology. With them, we can move around the space through an avatar and explore it, as well as talk to those who are around us.
Of course, the price between the first type and the second differs a lot, with the second being more expensive, but the reality is that they are totally different products. If what you’re looking for is customer experience, we advise you to use an interactive platform, even if you have to pay a bit more for it. We only offer interactive platforms because we classify the flat ones more as directories with chatboxes or classic webinars, but not as pure virtual events. Besides the level of interaction, there are other technical and accessibility issues that differentiate one platform from another, and it’s important that you know them before deciding which technology you will use for your event.
3.- Can I contract directly with the platform manufacturer?
Some platforms only work through partners like us, but there are others with which you can contract directly. However, we always recommend that you contact a virtual event consultancy, because these products require training that can take months of work, even if they sell it to you as very easy.
If you hire your event through a consultancy, you will save yourself the need to train and assign exclusive resources to manage the technical part for its preparation and during its celebration.
Even if you think you save money by going directly to the manufacturer, that’s not the case. Consultancies do not add a percentage on top of the platform’s retail price; instead, we have a distribution discount and only charge for the service, which will save you a lot of time, money, and above all, headaches. It’s always better to leave things in the hands of specialists, especially when it comes to such technical matters.
At Walcon Virtual Events, we have the experience and professional team to make your virtual event a success.
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