Fall 2020


INSIGHTS


BRAND YOUR TEAM Just because your team is working from


home does not mean they can’t have a unified look online. For example, attendees at the Professional Photographers of America’s 10,000-person annual conference in January will still be able to easily identify the dozens of staff members working for the organization. “Every year we have themed events within the event and our staff are on the floor at all times wearing the matching and themed shirts we provide them, so they are easily recognizable,” explains Kristen Hartman, Member Value and Experience Director. “This year every PPA employee that is participating in our virtual conference will still be wearing our coordinated shirts so that if you happen to be part of one of our livestreams, you’ll easily recognize the PPA staff. We all represent the brand.” Having your employees wear matching clothing or use the same virtual background can help create a sense of cohesion across a digital space.


BOOK EXPERT


NEWS | REVIEWS | IDEAS | OPINION |


COMBINE LIVE- STREAMED AND PRE-RECORDED


CONTENT Your virtual event doesn’t need to be entirely live or entirely pre-recorded. Combining the two is a great way to boost engagement and overall satisfaction. For example, you can stream a pre-recorded keynote but have the speaker available live in a chat for real-time Q&A. You can also do live polling while streaming pre-recorded content in order to boost engagement. In these ways, attendees can interact with speakers in real time rather than passively listen as audience members at a live event.


SWAG AND


HELP SPONSORS


SPEAKERS Wild Apricot found that guest speakers led to a 68 percent satisfaction rate for virtual conferences. Content by noted experts will also attract more downloads and readers after the event. As virtual events can cost less to host, consider reinvesting the savings into high-value speakers.


CONNECT Opportunities to meet and speak directly with participants can be especially important for sponsors. Some platforms allow for live booth Q&A and private chat sessions, as well as setting up private virtual meetings. A virtual exhibit hall can allow sponsors to offer conference gifts, discounts, or free shipping on purchases to attendees who stop by their “booth” by clicking on a link or watching a video. Some platforms allow gamification of the exhibit hall, where attendees collect points for prize drawings as well as swag. Sponsor-provided swag can also be given out at the conclusion of individual sessions through a live drawing, mailing prizes to the winners.


CUSTOM BOXES Given that attendees look forward to coming home with a bag full of event swag when they attend in-person events and many vendors want to physically hand something out, it is a good idea to replicate this aspect of your show if you can. One easy way to do this is to send attendees and speakers prefilled branded swag bags or custom-designed boxes containing sponsored items and conference gifts in advance. Custom boxes we have seen include attendee, welcome, speaker, award, and thank-you boxes. You can send anything from tech to wearables and interactive items designated for specific virtual experiences. If you are worried about shipping costs, consider charging a nominal fee and including a charity partner. Given the reduced conference fees this year, Hartman proposed selling PPA “Right at Home” swag bags of giveaways for $19.95 and donating half the purchase price directly to a charity.


CREATE


EXPERIENCES Not every event at the conference has to be educational. Consider adding some purely social or fun gatherings to help


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