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November 30, 2020 Content Chat Recap: How To Host Digital Events That Your Audience Will Love (And Replay)

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Virtual conferences, webinars, and other digital events skyrocketed in popularity through 2020, with 84% of marketers attending more online conferences this year than before. This virtual event momentum will continue in 2021—92% of marketers are considering some type of virtual or online event within 12 months—but marketers still have a lot to learn about how to build an engaging and valuable online event experience.

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Cathy McPhillips (@CMcPhillips), VP of marketing at Content Marketing Institute, to discuss how to host digital events that your audience will love and replay. Leveraging learnings from this year’s Content Marketing World (which went virtual for the first time in its 10+ year history), Cathy and the community discuss everything from how to handle digital event speaking submissions, ways to enable networking at an online event, and best practices for extending the value of a digital event once it’s over.

Q1: How can marketers handle digital event speaking submissions (i.e. invite-only, an open call for submissions), and what are the pros/cons of the different approaches?

Use both an open call for submissions and targeted invites to collect a diverse range of speaking submissions.

Target speakers who can provide value to your audience, not just familiar faces or trusted partners. Remember that you will likely need to follow up on your invites or coordinate educational meetings before gaining interest.

Rachel recommends announcing two or three notable speakers or eye-catching show themes to drum up initial interest in the submission process.

Sponsored sessions should be explored, and ask all sponsors to pick the best speaker for the session, not the highest-ranking executive (unless they happen to be the best presenter).

Ideally, you should find presenters who are excited to promote their session and your event. This will help drive attendance and generate genuine excitement for the event.

Q2: How can a call for speakers process be optimized to encourage high-quality session submissions from speakers who can make the most of a digital event environment?

Be specific in your call-for-proposals, and include examples of an ideal submission and video(s) from past sessions to illustrate what your team is looking for.

Ask for clear takeaways from the proposed session, including any templates, examples, or guides they plan to share. Additionally, ask prospective speakers to upload a video of them presenting in some capacity, or ask for a video response to one of your questions. This is an opportunity to understand the speaker’s (virtual) stage presence.

If possible, have a speaker coach or similar professional available to help your confirmed speakers refine their sessions.

And after your event is over, be forgiving with any first-time speakers. The shift to digital events has been difficult for some, and growing pains should be expected.

Q3: What are some ways that marketers can enable digital event attendees to network with each other, either during sessions or throughout the conference?

Be diligent in selecting the right digital event platform for your needs. Have a checklist of the components/features you need, and use that to guide your discussions. We recommend asking if there is a built-in networking component, or at least an API to connect to a networking platform.

Many digital events use a combination of Slack channels, video conferencing rooms (Zoom, Team.Video), and social media groups to supplement their event platform’s capabilities and offer networking opportunities.

Schedule small-group conversations and drop-in networking hours to connect speakers, exhibitors, and attendees.

Beyond the conference tech itself, encourage speakers to add interactive elements to their presentations that can help spark conversation on social media (with an event hashtag) or in the event networking rooms.

Q4: How is the dynamic with event sponsors different for a digital event than an in-person event?

The sponsor dynamic is notably different in a virtual event setting, largely because hosts must rethink how they provide value for sponsors and ways to drive attendees to sponsored sessions or “booths”.

Mention sponsors on social media and various event channels as one way to incentivize their sponsorship.

Explore opportunities for sponsors to announce breaks, introduce content or sessions, or serve as moderators for Q&As to extend the value of their sponsorship.

The trade show floor experience is difficult to replicate online, and event organizers should partner with exhibitors to drive attendees to their “booths”. One potential approach is to ask attendees to take a “quiz” about their interests to then direct them to specific exhibitors.

Flipping the lens, virtual event sponsors should be ready/willing to participate in real-time discussions, have open availability beyond the conference hours to meet with prospective customers, and present nonpromotional sessions that are genuinely valuable for the attendees (not a sales presentation).

Q5: What can digital event speakers do to make their presentations more engaging and address the questions a live audience would have asked?

Humans like humans, and humans make mistakes. Let your personality shine through, and leave in minor presentation hiccups. Include just enough text on your slides to be helpful, and provide supplemental materials that the audience can dive into after the session.

Engage with the audience in real-time if possible.

Practice your presentation, and have a script or talking points available to keep you on track (don’t sound like you’re reading a script, though).

Solicit questions from colleagues and audience members ahead of the conference, and address these questions in your presentation. Use tools like AnswerThePublic, SEMrush, and even a simple Google search to supplement your question list.

Use calls to action during the presentation to drive audience engagement.

And experiment with new ideas. Virtual and hybrid events will continue to evolve these next few years, and presenters have an opportunity to try new things and find ways to delight their audience.

Q6: What are some potential digital event hosting pitfalls that marketers should be aware of?

Virtual events are relatively new territory for marketing teams and attendees alike. Thoroughly test and experiment with your event platform to get ahead of any user experience issues, and remember that not everyone is tech savvy.

Create educational content to help attendees troubleshoot any issues, but assume that your attendees won’t read everything. Make the experience as easy as possible with visual cues and elements that guide the audience through the experience.

Host a dress rehearsal with keynote speakers to address any tech or background issues.

Release passwords and access codes early.

Enable captions if possible. Rachel recommends that speakers share session notes or a transcript ahead of time so it can be included when the session runs.

And in case all else fails, have a plan B.

Q7: How can marketers extend the value from their digital events after they have concluded?

Repurpose event content as blog posts, YouTube videos, social media content, and more.

Connect and engage with attendees after the event on social media (including through Twitter chats or in relevant groups). Lists can also keep your audience organized.

Or, share a value add with attendees after the event.

Event hosts should keep presentations available for replay.

Solicit attendee feedback to keep improving your event, and expand on what makes your virtual event uniquely valuable.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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