5 Keys to Success for Virtual Events

So you need to host a virtual event but you don’t know where to start?
You’re not alone!

Solved! How to Convert In-Person Events into Virtual Experiences

Why are events so important?

5 Keys to Success for Virtual Events

Empty Stage Podium

So you need to host a virtual event but you don’t know where to start?

You’re not alone!

There are a number of factors that lead to a successful online event. Just like classic “real-world” events, careful thought and solid planning are required. In many ways, virtual events can be more effective than in-person events since they can provide deeper engagement opportunities and richer metric tracking.

When executed properly, virtual events can bring your brand and message to life in exciting and innovative ways. Merjj can help you deliver an effective event that will strengthen your brand, achieve your business objectives, and maximize your investment.

Here are 5 keys to success when planning your first, or next, virtual event:

1

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

It may surprise you to learn that virtual events require at least the same (and sometimes much more) effort and time to plan as in-person events! Ensuring that your event lives up to its potential requires you to plan well in advance.

Whether you are planning a large annual event, or creating a one-off business symposium or trade show, it’s important to consider every aspect of the event. This includes, but is not restricted to, your messaging, audience, speakers, content and sponsors. There are a lot of moving parts and it’s important to create a realistic production timeline.

Merjj offers total customization of your business content to capture your objectives and goals, online engagement with gamification, ROI tracking, customized live video and much more!

2

Define Your Audience, Message, and Objectives

It’s essential to define your users, or audience. That will shape the overall content creation and delivery. Merjj is flexible enough to deliver custom content to a wide array of users.

Begin by deciding which languages you want to offer to your audience, whether it’s English-only, Bilingual, or separate English and French. This is often the determining factor that will drive the curation phase, as well as the critical path, for your planning team.

Then, articulating your messaging strategy, and objectives, ensures that your content will resonate with your audience. Although it can be tricky to conceptualize virtual events if one is used to in-person gatherings, the same definition of core messaging and objectives is essential.

Merjj can replicate many in-person features and can also go above and beyond to provide effective engagement via customized content tracks. You decide what to serve up, to which groups of your audience, in their language of choice, and at the time of their choice.

3

Select The Right Online Platform

The virtual and hybrid event market is expected to continue growing through 2021 and beyond, so the number of platforms to choose from will continue to expand as well. It’s essential to select the right platform to ensure that your virtual event is a success, and that your brand is represented powerfully online.

But hey, no pressure!

A lot of software companies promise certain features such as customization and engagement, but lack the skill, production quality, and knowledge required to stage great events.

Merjj was built from the ground up by industry experts from our sister company, Human Contact. We can create a flexible and intuitive interface that will deliver your business objectives while delighting your customers and other stakeholders. We’ve already conducted many virtual events for premium brands and organizations with great success, and we’d be delighted to do the same for you.

4

Seek Out Creative and Production Professionals

Attempting to define and create all of the creative elements for your virtual event by yourself is like herding cats. Not just regular cats, but particularly ornery ones!

It’s an enormous job that requires a high level of skill, experience, and specialized hardware and software. Deliverables including high-res video, graphic design, and game customization all need to be conceived, created, and embedded into your virtual event platform.

With our robust production power, Merjj can plan, manage, and create all aspects of content required for your event. Having materials come from the same source also ensures alignment, consistency, and – most importantly – ensures delivery of a positive and lasting impression.

5

Post-Event Engagement is Critical!

Engagement after the event has concluded is very valuable! But it can be difficult to achieve, depending on the nature of the event and your users.

Merjj allows for continuous communication during the event. But it can last beyond the event and also become a conduit for ongoing communications and content.

Conducting post-event surveys and questionnaires with your users can provide important insights into the efficacy of your event and inform changes and enhancements for future events. This seamless extension of engagement with your users will serve to strengthen their bond to your business.

Solved! How to Convert In-Person Events into Virtual Experiences

Podium On Stage Illustration

The Benefit of Events

Why are events so important?

In-person events bring people together and really emphasize the value of human connection. Through successful planning and execution, it’s clear why “real-life” events have been a major communication, engagement, and culture-enriching tool for companies of all sizes.

Yes, they require a significant investment in terms of time, labor, and travel costs. But events have a unique ability to pay enormous dividends when done properly.

Then along came 2020, which threw a wrench into everyone’s plans due to the pandemic. Large, in-person events are essentially off the table for the foreseeable future, and may never return to their previous manifestation. If there is a silver lining, it’s that we are rapidly adapting to new, virtual ways of connecting with family, friends, colleagues and customers alike.

Rather than walking away from events for an indeterminate period of time, it makes much more sense to stage virtual events for your key audiences, employees, and other stakeholders.

Let us walk you through the basics of creating successful virtual events!

Now What?

Yes, you can build and grow your brand during this unprecedented time!

By employing a flexible, robust virtual platform (like Merjj), you can engage audiences with enhanced content while communicating, tracking, and analyzing all touchpoints and data. Our platform strategically replicates the important human connection element from in-person events by transforming them into unique online experiences.

Merjj isn’t a “one size fits all” platform. It allows for complete brand and company customization for any event. From large conferences, to trade shows, to sales meetings, to non-profit events, companies of all sizes are now able to create rich and immersive environments for their stakeholders. Not only can you easily engage with users from around the world, you can track the efficacy of your communications and content, and effectively measure ROI based on the available data.

How to Choose the Right Virtual Event Platform

Reimagining your real-life event as a virtual one can be an overwhelming process in a number of ways, especially if it’s the first time you’ve tackled it.

To begin, you need to comprehend, and plan for, the inherent differences between a “real world” event and an online environment. Then, since all your content and programs must be adapted to this online environment, you’ll need to partner up with a capable vendor that offers a robust virtual event platform.

Have we mentioned that Merjj is an ideal choice?

There are many critical factors to consider when you are choosing the platform for your next virtual event. You need to ensure that the vendor is:

  1. Experienced, and able to grasp the complexities of your brand and its message
  2. Staffed with event industry professionals that can hit the ground running
  3. Flexible and responsive, to accommodate your unique requirements
  4. Reliable and robust; that their technical solution is solid and dependable
  5. Able to provide extensive tracking of engagement and ROI
  6. Capable of creating professional graphic, video, 3D and immersive content
  7. Cognizant of the importance of executing without a hitch!

What Every Brand Needs: A Virtual Experience Platform

Annual in-person events were an important part of driving one’s business objectives and generating positive brand engagement, along with lead generation and product awareness. Through innovative content and product development, stimulating panels, breakout sessions, and social events, it’s easy to see how live events help to maintain and grow a company’s business.

Some might say that the “new normal” of virtual events is missing some key elements of live events. There’s no doubt that the experience of gathering in large groups in real life is unrivalled in many ways, but it’s important to note that virtual events can bring even more to the table when conceived and executed properly.

With Merjj, you can streamline the enrollment process, provide engaging creative content, host real-time addresses by key executives or speakers, engage users with gamification and entertainment, deliver content in your audience’s language of choice, and so much more. Additionally, instead of being restricted to short time frames, you can keep the portal live to allow users to engage on their own terms, as their schedules permit.

And the best part? You can track all aspects of engagement and interactions.

Our platform is designed to be the center of your engagement strategy with content built around your business objectives and goals. Why wait? Contact us now.