11 virtual event ideas for every leader

  1. Share
0 0

COVID has shifted the ability for many gatherings to meet in person while other events are virtual by nature. Either way, a virtual event takes time and strategy to do it well. It might be simple to slap up a pre-recorded session or live stream a Zoom meeting but it takes a lot of work to host an excellent virtual event. Let’s unpack what it takes to host a really great virtual event.  

#1 Determine the type of virtual event.

There are three major types of virtual events that you could host, which is best for you depends on your bandwidth, skill, and community needs.

  • All Live: running the full event live on the day(s) of the event
  • All Pre-Recorded: having all your video elements locked and loaded so your virtual event is essentially watching a pre-made video
  • Mix of Live and Pre-Recorded: mixing pre-recorded items like keynote sessions while having live items such as studio intermissions and workshops. 

It’s totally up to you for how you design your virtual event. I’ve seen all three types of events done well. You just need to have a plan and anticipate the work that each type will require

#2 Build your value proposition.

Before you do anything to schedule and plan your event, you need to determine your event’s value proposition. What do I mean? I mean, map out the core promises you are going to make to your event attendees.

Discuss how you can communicate these promises, how you’re going to reinforce in the event, and how you can use these ideas to evaluate your event once it’s all done. Keep these core promises in front of you as you brainstorm and select the next items that are going to make your event successful. 

#3 Potential event elements.

Next, you need to brainstorm and select the type of elements you’re going to have in your virtual event. You should build a healthy list of ideas so you have items you need to cut rather than trying to find ideas to fill time later.  

Here are some suggested event elements: 

  • Keynote Sessions: bringing in your key speakers to present keynote sessions.  
  • Breakout Sessions: host expert-led sessions where people can engage in real-time (through a Zoom or live-chat) with session speakers
  • Working Groups: Host working groups where people can split into smaller groups to tackle a problem
  • Exhibit Hall: host an exhibit hall where people can connect with exhibitors to help them on their journey
  • Connecting Attendees: connect your attendees with each other since we’re all wired for relationships 
  • Exercises: give people individual or group exercise projects to do throughout the event to they feel they are completing something

#5 Determine time blocks and select the best.

Be sure you assign time blocks to each of the ideas you’ve had so you can see how much total time they would take.

Select the items that would get your audience most excited and work down your elements to fit your event schedule. Make sure you consider intermissions, breaks, announcements, and any other time blocks that might also require scheduling.    

#6 Pre-production

Now that you have a plan, it’s time to start work on all of your pre-production items to make this thing happen. Make a task list of all the things you need to do. Then, assign dates and times for when these need to happen. Lean on others with the right skill sets to make things happen that you might not know how to do. 

#7 Go to market.

It’s time to create a launch campaign. Create a launch marketing campaign with videos, site advertisements, email communications, social media messaging, and more. Think about how you’ll find your attendees. I recently wrote a post about how to get more people to attend your events. Consider several marketing channels to get the word out. Leverage all of your communication channels and those from your partners to share the news. 

Create a communication calendar. Don’t forget to create a work-back schedule from the time of the event until today. This will save you time and stress each day.  

#8 Preparing your attendees.

Guide every single step. Step into the role of guiding your attendees and expect they will need you to explain every step of the process. Over-communicate at this stage.

Communicate value and goals to your attendees. You’ll want to communicate over and over the goals for your event and what they can expect. You should consider creating a Preparation Guide—something to help your attendees prepare for your event. Start by asking all the things you would want to know if you were attending.

And, don’t forget to encourage watch parties. Encourage people to join together with friends to attend your event so they can process with people and create some shared accountability.  

#9 The actual event.

Be fully present during the event on social and other live-feeds so that your attendees know they are not doing this alone.

Build a team to help you run the virtual event with assignments for key roles (like social media, event chat, tech support, video management, and so on.)

Make the event as interactive as possible. Build as many interactive points as you possibly can for people to digest the content and connect with others. 

#10 Post engagement

Don’t forget this. What will you do after the event to engage folks? Depending on your event management software, there are a few things you should consider doing to follow up after the event. Create a communications follow-up plan for after your event to evaluate the event and glean feedback for the future. Continue to guide them on how your community has things to help propel them forward.

Consider the next steps you would like folks to know about. Be sure you have a list of suggested next steps locked and loaded. Don’t make them find them on their own…give them options to choose from.

#11 Rules of engagement.

Finally, expect fatigue. Expect that people will get tired during your event. There are so many virtual events and Zoom meetings. Just accept this and make your event better than an average Zoom call. This will take being creative with how you design your event and what you offer.  Think outside the box to present things that no one else would think about.  

Doing these things will have you well on your way to having a successful virtual event that truly helps and connects people.

 

5 ways to monetize your communityNeed more help taking your community digital?

You want to have a dynamic and multi-dimensional community that thrives. In order to do that, you need a strategy of both online and offline engagement. This guide will help you think through your approach to engaging a virtual community. Download the free eBook: How to Take Your Community Digital.

 

About the author: Will Rogers is the Founder and CEO of CauseMachine. Will’s career has been spent leading organizations and helping to mobilize communities to a shared vision. He has served in various leadership roles to build community engagement and movements teaching him valuable hands-on skills and experience. Will has developed business and community engagement strategies for dozens of organizations in nearly 50 countries. He and his wife have two sons and now live in Kentucky after two decades in Colorado.

Comments

To leave a comment, login or sign up.

Related Content

0
5 Best Online Course Platforms to Grow Revenue
Let’s start with a hypothetical. Say you’ve got some skills in an in-demand field—mad chops, like, so good it’s almost scary! Naturally, other people want them, too, and with the right online course platform, you can create and sell your own brilliant ideas.  That’s great! Since 2020 made virtual collaboration the norm, it’s easier than ever to share your knowledge with a global community… and get paid to do it. Your timing is perfect, but after a quick scan of the options, you’ve got a question.   How do I decide on the best online course platform for me? To be honest, there are dozens of platforms out there, all serving a different need. Some are geared more toward creatives, while others offer amazing marketing tools. Some are endlessly customizable, while others use templates to get you up and running quick. Some let you control the data in your community.  Your plan to spread knowledge (and monetize your mad skills) will have to wait, at least until you figure out where to host this game-changing course.  We’ve done the digging and picked out five gems from the heap—quite possibly the best online course platforms out there today. Then we broke them down so they’re easier to choose from, and the results are in.  5 online course platform options that serve a unique purpose.   1. Teachable Teachable is widely considered one of the best online course platforms for beginners, since it has loads options to help first timers get started. You can build out simple courses with quick, pre-set template options and tips to get the most out of the program. And you also get access to student information, making marketing that much easier. But while it’s great for startups, you might want something more once you grow.     2. LearnDash  Next up is LearnDash, a learning platform that comes with one big advantage: It works with your existing WordPress website. That’s right, if you are one of the millions of people already hosting a website on WordPress, you can plug LearnDash right in. That does streamline things, but it also comes at a cost – you’ll need a bit of technical know-how to keep it running smoothly, in comparison to some other options.     3. Mighty Networks Maybe the key to your success is a thriving, interactive community, one where you stay in constant contact with your members. Count Mighty Networks as a possible solution. You can use your existing social media following to build a network of potential students, and with live-streaming video uploads, your content will keep them engaged. When done right, your course could feel more like a social platform than school.     4. Skillshare  But what if the course you’re hoping to teach is in a creative field? Something like comic-book writing or… quilting… advanced finger painting? If that’s the case, you might want to check out Skillshare. With simple courses based on video lessons and projects to apply those lessons, it’s especially adept in creative fields. But, if the skill you’d like to share is more technical, you may need to look elsewhere.     5. Cause Machine Enter Cause Machine, a purpose-built, all-in-one option. While other platforms can make it hard to centralize your digital footprint, Cause Machine is set up to do just that. Your website, podcast, events manager and online courses? They can all be in the same place. Members can interact with each other and take classes as a group, creating a more personal, engaged atmosphere, and whether your class is rooted in creative whimsy or hardcore data, you’re all set. Best of all, there’s no technical expertise required, and analytics are included, so it can grow as your business does. Check out some key features below: Robust Event Management & Registration Sell Online Video eCourses Members-Only Original Content  Connect With Other Subscribers  Take Classes Together   In short, picking the best online course platform for you is an important decision, but it doesn’t have to be a chore.    Cause Machine Solutions Here at Cause Machine, we help organizations solve complex community engagement problems/questions.  We use these disciplines of innovation ourselves in our own development process and have helped lead many organizations through their own process of innovation discovery.  Leveraging the Cause Machine platform for engaging your community helps you be confident that the foundations of this platform are built on time-tested best practices of great processes like innovation and design thinking.  Schedule a FREE demo today!    
0
9 Best WordPress Alternatives for Building a Website
When it launched in 2003, Wordpress sparked something close to a digital revolution. Suddenly, almost anyone could make a professional-grade website packed full of high-quality content, and it now dominates the market. Believe it or not, about 43 percent of all websites currently run on Wordpress1, making it the most popular website builder in the world. But it’s not the only option. And if you’re about to take the plunge, you should ask yourself:   What kind of WordPress alternatives are out there? It’s true that Wordpress is a powerful tool, with things like drag-and-drop block editing, thousands of themes and countless plug-ins to choose from, but it can also get complex pretty quickly. Perhaps the plug-ins you’ve chosen are not compatible with each other… that happens. Or maybe you’re not up for the hassle of managing your own web hosting, with security and updates and all the rest. Luckily, many WordPress alternatives exist. Some offer a simple approach, while others are extra flexible. Some emphasis e-commerce, while others are great for blogging. You just need to know what's right for you.  We’ve scoured the internet to compile a list of the 9 best WordPress alternatives for building a website, with hopes of giving you a fuller picture of the options.   1. Wix Wix is probably the best-known Wordpress alternative, and there’s good reason for that. If you’re looking to keep things simple, Wix is great for building basic websites with a similar drag-and-drop model to Wordpress, but a more streamlined list of plug-in options to choose from.    2. Domain.com Next up we have Domain.com, which excels in a few areas where Wordpress does not – right out of the box. While WordPress needs some customization before you can start selling goods and services, Domain.com comes ready-to-go with e-commerce capability. Good news if you need to set up shop.   3. Shopify Then we have Shopify, and just by the name you can tell – it’s built for e-commerce. Shopify is one of the best Wordpress alternatives if you need a digital storefront, and with great-looking templates, payment option tools and 24/7 tech support, you get a professional feel without much heavy lifting.   4. Drupal As far as rivals to Wordpress, Drupal is most popular with bigger organizations. If you’re looking to create a website with complex, one of a kind content at enterprise scale, Drupal is almost endlessly customizable, and highly adaptive. The drawback is you’ll need some technical know-how to set it up.   5. Squarespace Squarespace is a great Wordpress alternative with a little something for everyone. Whether you’re building your first site for a new small business, or you’re a creative looking to showcase your work, it has a familiar drag-and-drop feel, and templates that often look better than the competition.   6. Hubspot Searching for a high-tech solution? Hubspot’s CMS Hub is a powerful content management system – and its main draw is a fully-hosted platform, meaning it can handle all that pesky back-end maintenance on its own. Plus, with automated marketing tools and killer analytics, you get a lot of bang for your buck.   7. Ghost Not all websites are intended to sell stuff – some are just there to deliver fantastic content – and if you are a writer of any kind, Ghost might be the way to go. With powerful SEO and publishing tools built right in, plus things like an RSS feed builder and full-picture editor, this is a great choice for creatives.     8. Web.com Web.com is a good choice for Wordpress alternatives that don’t break the bank – or take over your life. Relatively inexpensive and easy, users can start by choosing from a list of templates. Or, with the added ability to make your own design, this option can also help you create a truly unique brand experience.     9. Medium Another example in the world of Wordpress alternatives is Medium. Perfect for publishing text, you’ve probably read a column written by a celebrity on Medium in the past – even if you didn’t know it. It’s not as endlessly customizable as some of the others. But it’s clean looking if the written word is your thing.   In the end, this is still just a fraction of the website-building options out there, and it might sound like a lot to think about. Whether you just need a website or if you're looking to give your community a home, it’s a decision you can’t afford to sleepwalk into. Take the time to decide what works for you.   Get Started With Cause Machine Starting with a community engagement strategy is the secret to building a successful platform in the long term. Cause Machine helps customers build the plan of engaging a community well and then begin mapping out the technology to help support that strategy. We’re certain that you’ll find some great resources and powerful tools in Cause Machine to better engage your community. Learn how it can work for you here.