Successful Concepts for Virtual Events

A review of one year that was dedicated to virtual events

The Covid pandemic has given virtual events an immense boost. Not only technologies for virtual platforms, live streams, and networking have developed rapidly in the last year, but the concepts for virtual events have also become more sophisticated. After one year, we can share our findings with you and state:

- Virtual events with professionally produced streams stand out in terms of quality
- Professional moderation is indispensable
- Comprehensive tracking and reporting is valuable
- 2-D is more user-friendly than 3-D
- Surveys and polls increase the involvement of the guests
- A Clap-O-Mat is fun
- Goody bags are the highlight

Almost exactly one year ago, we launched the AirLST platform for virtual events. In the meantime, we can look back on numerous virtual events and say that the variety is great. We have implemented and supported shareholder meetings, specialist dealer conferences, product releases, in-house trade fairs, roadshows, and employee training courses as virtual events with our software. The tenor of our customers is clear: virtual events are here to stay. The advantages are clear: the reach of the events is greater, the reactions and interest of the guests are measurable and can be tracked down to the last detail. No sales team wants to do without this anymore. The developments and innovations of virtual events, as hybrid formats, will continue to play an essential role in a post-covid era.

Successful virtual implementation of specialist dealer conferences

Retailer conferences can be implemented exceptionally well as virtual events. A professional trade audience wants to be informed in a target-oriented manner and appreciates a structured and broad presentation.
So we built a virtual garden landscape for one of our customers, a garden tool manufacturer, through which the specialist dealers can move with their mouse. Within the landscape park, various spots are placed that optimally stage our client's products and coordinate them in a user-friendly way.
Hedge trimmers by the hedges, lawnmowers on the large green area, and keynotes on the lake stage. Through a broad panoramic overview, visitors can quickly find their way around the conference website. Product videos present innovations and functions of the units. When a product is selected, the detailed information on that product appears with one click. Pdfs summarise the content in a structured way and can be downloaded. Via a quick-contact form, trade visitors can ask their questions and contact the experts directly.
Of course, the trade audience was invited beforehand and had to register on the event platform. This enables precise tracking and reporting of user behavior. The time spent on the site, individual products, and download of specific brochures are assigned to specific visitors. The after-sales team exactly knows who was interested in which product and where they can follow up again.
Virtual events have one integral component: the live stream: the trade visitors are all welcomed simultaneously by the management. They are presented with product innovations in an exciting keynote. Immediately afterward, the specialist dealers can discuss them in the chat or the virtual rooms and ask their questions. This is a challenge for us because we are responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that the virtual environment runs reliably.

Virtual events: our challenges

Not only have our developers' heads been spinning to bring a platform for virtual events to life, but our project managers have also been sweating to ensure that the implementation runs smoothly and as planned. Virtual events are just as dependent on good dramaturgy, inspired moderation, and active guests as any other event format.
After our client has put together a suitable program and professionally pre-produced the live stream in the studio, it remains for us to integrate the video signal on the event platform reliably.
After that, the biggest challenge is to get the virtual rooms running without interruptions and delays. We can do that. Our server capacity allows up to 15 people in a virtual room to use the camera and sound simultaneously while sketching new ideas and exchanging ideas on the whiteboard. This also shows that good planning and moderation are worth their weight in gold: Prepared questions for the individual groups guide the discussions and don't allow awkward pauses. The guests work concertedly.