14 Tips for Successfully Hosting an Online Event!

Hosting of virtual events

1. Start on time

Showing up late for a meeting is never a good move, not at all virtually! Your entire presentation team should be ready 10-15 minutes before it goes live. If your event is an hour long, block your calendar for an hour and a half so you have plenty of time to prepare and close. To save time, make sure the attendee's microphone is muted by default and ask your audience to limit interactions to the end of the presentation or "raise their hands" via chat.

2. Inspire them in the first 15 seconds

The first few seconds of your event determine whether attendees will continue watching or drop out and go elsewhere. So tell them exactly what they are going to learn, summarize the problems you solve for them, and tease them with something exciting that you keep until the end. Repeat the welcome again after a few minutes if new visitors join in a bit later. Don't do this too often, the visitors who were on time may find this irritating.

3. Prepare questions and answers

It's a smart idea to have a list of questions handy, just in case the audience isn't as engaged as you expected. If you have a very engaged audience and are running out of time before responding to everyone, take the time to reach out to them via email. This is a great way to further strengthen your connection with attendees long after the online Event has ended.

4. Find your zen

As with live events, no matter how many you do, some things are out of your control. There are bound to be issues, whether it's the WiFi, the laptop, or the software you're using. Prepare for this and you won't have a meltdown on screen in front of your audience. And don't give up! We are humans and sometimes you can spin mistakes in your favor. Deal with everything that gets going and remember the show must go on

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Presenting a virtual event

5. Write a great script

A good script can make or break your event. Treat the script as a roadmap that will keep you on track. You don't have to remember every word you say, but at least you'll have a solid set of bullet points that you can reference constantly.

6. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice makes perfect, and so do online events. Just because you have a script doesn't mean you have to read the script word for word. Try to practice it to see if it comes naturally. If you have any acting experience, now is the ideal time to use it. By speaking naturally, even when "pretending", you can express your message in a way that your audience can hear.

7. Create Visually Interesting Slides

It's easy to cram as much information into each slide as you can fit. Don't make this mistake. To keep your audience engaged, focus on the images in your presentation, not the words. Instead, use an outline to highlight important text.

8. Schedule Interactive Moments

Schedule specific moments in your event that invite your audience to participate, and they'll feel more involved in what's happening.

9. Sell While Presenting

If you're selling a product or service, don't wait until the end to make your offer. The entire event should be set up in such a way that you let the audience know what it is they want. Then when you make an offer, you are offering them exactly what they just learned they needed.

10. Make a CALL TO ACTION

Don't let your visitors unsubscribe without telling them what step to take next. If you'd like them to sign up for a limited-time offer or download a special report, provide them with the links in your event and include it in your follow-up email.

Follow up after the event

11. Crowdsource your next topic

If you want your attendees to come to your events, put them in charge and let them vote on what your next event should be about. Ask them on social media, through a poll, or before your current event ends, what topics they'd like to see covered.

12. Send a survey

If you really want to know how your event went with your attendees, there's only one way to find out. Ask them. With tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, you can ask your visitors to share their comments and rants with a quick survey. Their feedback can provide valuable insights on how and what to improve.

13. Send more content

The conversation doesn't have to end when you close your computer. Send more content to everyone on your attendee list, including those who didn't show up or left halfway through. You can reuse the content you created for your event in a blog post or simply share the link to the video recording.

14. Track Results

Last but not least, don't forget to keep track of the statistics. How many participants have registered? Where do the registrations usually come from? How many were there? And how many minutes did they spend watching your event? Getting data and analyzing it is the key to making your online events even more impressive.

Overview

Virtual events are a fun, effective way to reach people around the world. Creating an online event requires strategic thinking, good planning and marketing skills, but with these tips you will be well on your way to success.