Planning live virtual events can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re hosting a product launch, a virtual webinar, or a company team-building event, planning and organization exist at the heart of every CYA Live event. CYA Live streamlines and simplifies the modern event planning process. From registration and ticketing to production technology and post-event evaluation, we’ve got you covered. Check out our list of CYA Live virtual event best practices below!
PLANNING
1. Provide early bird pricing to drive sales, reward loyal attendees, and build anticipation!
A smooth ticketing and registration process is crucial to running any virtual event, as this is the first step consumers experience in the event lifecycle. Ticketed events are a great way to learn more about your audience base and how to better fulfill their needs. It’s essential that your registration link provides all key information, including the date, time, and location of your event, as well as the price of tickets, how they will be distributed, and the methods of payment accepted. Luckily, CYA Live’s automated ticketing and registration solutions make event planning and execution a breeze.
2. Promote your event on social media
Social media is a great (and free) tool for event promotion. There are countless ways to engage with your audiences leading up to your event to boost attendance and spread the word. From countdown reels and story takeovers to custom hashtags and filters, the possibilities are endless. Interactive features such as Instagram surveys and polls are especially great ways to encourage audiences to engage with your content and boost visibility. Each click further allows you to collect specific insight into product preferences, event planning, and more.
3. Send weekly/daily reminders leading up to your event
Create custom email reminders leading up to your event to build excitement! We recommend sending emails 1 week, 3 days, and 1 day in advance. As your event approaches closer, don’t forget to provide registrants with relevant details such as start time, agendas, technology updates, and anything else they should know before attending. A direct link or button to your event is also helpful for users, as they can easily navigate to the event directly from your email reminder.
Check out the World Heath Organization’s email reminder that was sent out on the day of their Duty Free screening.
4. Rehearse before the event
A no-brainer! Whether there are a thousand people or a single person in the audience, rehearsal boosts performance levels and confidence. Event rehearsals also include technology checks for hosts and moderators alike, particularly when navigating a new platform. While CYA Live offers numerous user-friendly platform features, learning the ropes ahead of time and delegating a team of technical moderators will make for an entirely foolproof event. Not sure where to begin? CYA Live provides turnkey options and on-site support for all events. Click here to start.
EXECUTION
5. Platform walkthrough
Keeping your guests in the loop about how to use an event platform is especially important as we see increases in virtual and hybrid-style events. It’s helpful to provide information ahead of time so that users can familiarize themselves with the platform basics beforehand, particularly if they intend to join hosts on stage. Attaching brief instructions or links to email reminders is a great way to provide this information to your guests. Check out our step-by-step guide to joining a CYA Live event here.
6. Use a count-down video
Count down videos not only create suspense and get audiences excited but provide a great way to ensure that those who are early remain entertained and taken care of. Curious about what to include? Countdown videos are useful places to sneak in any last-minute reminders to guests to check wifi connections, grab headphones, and invite friends. Check out this useful 5-minute countdown video example:
7. Wear headphones for the best experience.
Headphones are a great way to ensure the best auditory event experience for all users. Be it a virtual concert or an open panel discussion, headphones add to the overall audience experience by eliminating any outside noise, just like in a real venue! Noise cancellation headphones have become especially popular in the past few years and we definitely recommend using them for your CYA Live experiences. Speakers are particularly encouraged to wear headphones in order to prevent any possible feedback that could carry forward to audiences.
8. Cycle through groups to prevent crowding on stage
When attending in-person events, it’s nearly impossible for audiences to focus on several speakers at once—virtual events are the same way. As such, we recommend keeping a maximum of 5-6 speakers on stage at any given time. Whether it be a discussion panel or an interactive Q&A session, it goes without saying that cycling through four groups of five speakers is far more manageable than having 20 speakers on stage at once.
Post-event
9. Send a follow-up email
Event follow-up emails are crucial to building a loyal brand base and gaining valuable insight into your event. Follow-up emails often contain opportunities for attendee feedback, content from your event (such as photos, videos, and additional resources), and even exclusive promotions to reward attendees and invite them back to your brand. The goal of follow-up emails is to increase brand loyalty and foster positive lasting impressions.
10. Review your event data and analytics
Increase engagement and maximize revenue for future events by leveraging your event data and analytics. In other words, take note of what worked and what needs tweaking. Event analytics allow hosts to gain insight into attendee demographics and consumption habits, such as popular purchasing times and devices. CYA Live’s built-in analytics tracker allows hosts to easily track key event metrics such as engagement, ROI, demographics, and session involvement—leave the heavy lifting to us!
Get Started Now!
Are you ready to start planning your next CYA Live event? Contact us or visit our website to view some awesome past events.
No comment yet, add your voice below!