Here are 5+ proven key methods for increasing engagement in a virtual event.

For event managers, attendee engagement holds a fundamental place in the attainment of their event goal. Increasing engagement, especially in a virtual event, has become a topical issue because virtual events have come to stay, and they are a vital event tool for bridging physical distance, connecting, and promoting engagement among virtual attendees and onsite attendees at the event.

However, many event organizers are still battling the challenge of eliciting engagement from their attendees at their virtual events. This is quite understandable because virtual events have a peculiar nature and are structurally different from in-person events. 

The following lines will provide great insights into the key methods you will require for increased interaction in your next virtual event. Come along!

Having a clear plan

There is a saying that goes, “If you don’t plan, you plan to fail.” Remembering that you are going to be hosting a virtual event means that your plan will have to be very clear about what you intend to achieve using virtual event strategies. Following this, you have to ensure that you understand vividly the preferences of your target audiences.

Your plan should also include the choice of speakers and/or facilitators who are reputable and known for their expertise in the said areas. You might also want to consider, in your planning stage, marketing the virtual event using the right channels.

Choosing the best virtual event platform

Another crucial step to ensuring increased interaction in your virtual event is to evaluate and choose the right platform for your event. Evaluation means examining the platform by aligning it with the goals that you have set for the event, and it also has to be compatible with your audience.

The features that will be required to support interaction on the platform depend on the kind of event you want to host on it, which also determines the features that are required for interaction to thrive there. It has to be robust enough to handle the various engagement activities you have lined up.

The chosen platform should provide easy navigation, powerful interactive tools, and dependable streaming capabilities to ensure a seamless and interesting experience for all online participants. For instance, if you are hosting a virtual music concert, one of the features you might want to look out for is the capability of enhanced sound quality, especially for DJs or the music band, and the streaming capability as well. For conferences or webinars, the

Content design and its delivery for increasing engagement

In this type of event, content is everything, in other words, the only way the online participants will hook up to the event is because the content of the event is appealing to their emotions and meets their expectations. For increased interaction, you have to design content that is attendee-centric, giving them a sense of belonging and importance.

You must understand that presenting text-based content alone will set the pace for boredom; therefore, the content has to be presented and delivered with an enticing combination of multimedia elements such as videos, graphics, animations, and gamification to stimulate their visual experience.

For this, increasing engagement will be the result of creating compelling storytelling, visually appealing slides, messaging that is straightforward and to the point, multimedia components like interactive graphics and motion pictures, and demonstrating videos.

Promoting Networking and connections

In virtual events, encouraging participant-to-participant interaction is a powerful strategy for increasing engagement; therefore, in your virtual event, there has to be a deliberate promotion of networking and other business connections. In essence, there has to be a structured session for this activity, and the event organizer has to meticulously craft activities that will support this effort.

Encourage participants with similar interests or objectives to interact and share thoughts and ideas, thereby creating opportunities for new businesses and building relationships, collaborations, and synergies. Participants can be grouped into different rooms based on shared interests, business type, business growth needs, event expectations, and goals.

Allow the Participants to talk and converse

Don’t do all the talking, and do not allow only presentations; let there also be conversations. Encourage the participants to converse by asking questions, giving answers, and offering insights into the ongoing issues or topics to be discussed. Let them control certain aspects of the agenda in order to have a sense of belonging.

During these sessions, you may include surveys and polls that participants may use as part of their conversation. The findings of the polls and surveys may serve as the foundation for additional interactions and discussions among the participants.

Post-event analysis and follow-up

If you are a serious-minded event manager, do not joke with post-event evaluations because they are a powerful tool for correcting wrong steps, future planning, and decision-making. Getting feedback directly from participants gives managers an actual account of their experience. Analyzing information such as participant involvement, attendance rates, and feedback answers is necessary for the post-event analysis.

At this point, the event manager must follow up to ensure that the conversation is sustained by taking it to social media. On these platforms, takeaways, experiences, and even testimonials from the event are shared with the community, which ultimately ends up increasing engagement within the community.

Overall, a virtual event that will experience increased interaction must be attendee-centric, meaning that content and activities have to be designed to resonate with them.