Tips for Engaging Virtual Event Audiences

It's no stretch to say that the pandemic has transformed the events industry. Conferences, conventions, and concerts have all moved online— some with more success than others. So, what separates the successful virtual events from the flops? We've put together a list of things you can do to make engaging your virtual audience a cinch.

The Basics of Engaging a Virtual Audience

Be Interactive

The number one rule of virtual events is to keep your audience's attention. Your content, whether it's a speaker or a slideshow, needs to be compelling enough to keep people's eyes and minds focused rather than wandering to their phones, their kids, or any of the other distractions present for those working from home. Polls, quizzes, and other activities that prompt real-time interaction help people stay with you, as well as enable the host to respond to the audience's mood and needs.

Drive Attendee Connection

Virtual meetings are by nature impersonal, and your audience will disengage and multitask if you don't keep their attention on you— or on each other. Most conferencing platforms have breakout room functionality, which you can use to its fullest potential by breaking your participants into various combinations of groups throughout the day. The chat function is also useful for engaging a virtual audience, as you can ask questions and have attendees send the answers in chat.

Encourage Questions and Answer Them in Real Time

Your participants shouldn't only be talking to each other, however— they should also have a chance to interact with you. Having a dialogue with your audience is critical to them feeling not just involved, but important. Make sure you build plenty of Q&A time into your sessions, and use a tool that allows participants to ask questions anonymously so people are less shy about speaking up.

By keeping your audience centered in the event, you can create stronger connections between them and you. However, engagement during the event isn't all you should be thinking about— there's lots you can do in the leadup to the event, and afterwards, to keep your audience thinking (and talking!) about you and your content.

Boost Engagement Before and After the Event

Virtual Event Bags

Everyone loves swag, and few things get people more excited than getting a box full of goodies in the mail. Collect your participants' mailing addresses when they register, then arrange to have them receive a package a week or so before the event. Include any materials they'll need for the event, as well as a t-shirt, a water bottle, pens, or whatever other event-branded products you find appropriate.

Social Media Contest

Having an event hashtag is a pretty common aspect of conferences and other events, but you can expand your attendees' social media interaction and use it to boost their engagement with your event. Announce a contest on the social media platform of your choice, with the winner or winners to be announced during the events. Engaging a virtual audience is easy when there's something in it for the audience!

Offer Attendees Input on Content

People will always be more engaged with content they had a hand in planning. You can offer a few different options of sessions or topics— either by polling your registered attendees in advance and choosing their most preferred topics to present on, or by presenting multiple sessions and offering participants the chance to choose which they'll attend.

Preserve Content for Later Access

One benefit of virtual presentations is the ability to record your content and let your attendees access it after the fact. Most online conferencing platforms make it easy to host and share that recorded content, which also makes it easy for participants to "attend" sessions they couldn't make, or rewatch the sessions they found most valuable.

Plan Your Next Virtual Event With Innovative Party Planners

Innovative Party Planners is your resource for event design and planning in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Virginia. To learn more about our event planning services and how we can help make your event one of a kind, contact us by clicking here or call (410) 998-9999.