Plan with the Destination in Mind

While it can be tempting to jump right into conversations with technology vendors, your approach should start with a focused analysis of your desired audience.

Virtual audiences are often different from those who attend live events. Virtual events aren’t constrained by travel and are well-attended by those who prefer to consume information online. In fact, a large portion of your virtual audience may have no inclination of ever attending your live event. This new, online format necessitates adjustment to your personas, message maps, customer journeys and content accordingly.

Having a thorough understanding of the audience, their needs and their preference for receiving information will be essential to choosing the best platform for your virtual event. For example, if education and content are your priorities, focus on livestreaming, UX-friendly platforms, on-demand capabilities and support. If audience engagement is a priority, focus on features like Q&A, live polls, open chat and social media conversations. If delivering value to exhibitors is important, place more emphasis on the online marketplace, matchmaking powered by artificial intelligence and analytics.

The key is letting your objectives select the platform rather than letting technology dictate your ideas.