words Al Woods
Image Credit: Pixabay
Given how people’s preferences are shifting from live to virtual setups, virtual platforms have become extremely significant in the last three years.
Whether you want to conduct a career expo, live sessions, or throw a Friday night party, having reliable virtual event management software is a must-have. And that is what we will help you find out.
Many things are involved in choosing a platform, such as cost, sustainability, safety, and reach. Therefore, you must look for one that addresses all these challenges.
Here are five things that will help you pick the best platform:
1. Stability and features
These platforms are generally used for live video streaming and conferencing. A session can have hundreds of attendees logged in at the same time.
Therefore, you must ascertain whether the platform can work smoothly for hours even after hosting hundreds of attendees over it or not.
Also, the platform should support multi-speaker sessions in case you have invited multiple guest speakers to address the attendees.
To know about a platform’s stability, you can contact its customer support and ask them to brief you about its capabilities and drawbacks.
2. Expo settings
Expos are generally different from virtual meetings. Unlike meeting attendees, expo attendees are curious about what sponsors, organizers, and brands have to offer.
There is no formal protocol for attending an expo; attendees can enter any sponsor booth and explore.
They expect the platform to facilitate features like pre-recorded videos from YouTube and Vimeo, live chats and in-person video calls, etc. Also, the platform should facilitate easy navigation from one booth to another.
Thus, choosing a platform that can guarantee uninterrupted service throughout the expo is important.
3. Attendee engagement
The more options an attendee has, the more they will engage. Therefore, you must ask questions like, what makes this platform engaging for my attendees? How can it help me build my fanbase?
Engaging a human being is not a simple task. And, when you have to engage hundreds of them, you need to find common ground in which they all are invested.
Platforms today facilitate games, polls, and live video call features to keep the attendees interested. Ensure that the one you are choosing has these features.
4. The UI
We cannot stress the importance of UX/UI design in 2023 enough. People will not only connect through desktops; some of them may want to be a part of the event while they are on the go.
That is why UX/UI design plays a major role here. Even if there is no event, your platform’s landing page should be enticing enough to convince people to register for the upcoming event.
The landing page should showcase the details of speakers, reward systems, benefits, date and time of the upcoming event. It should also allow potential registrants to get an email notification facility before the event goes live.
5. Automation and support
You should always be prepared for the worst. What solutions do you have if the event faces a technical glitch? Do you have a support staff watching your back throughout the event?
We recommend raising these questions in front of the support staff to ensure your data safety.
Also, ask them what automation features do they have for recording the meeting and collecting attendee data. Do they also automate registration and email marketing efforts?
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right virtual platform is important to create a name for yourself in front of your clients, employees, and potential customers.
People want to work with trustworthy brands, and a successful event will strengthen your case as a reliable business partner.
So, keep these five things in mind and choose the best platform for virtual events.
