The Most Engaging Virtual Events

Virtual events aren’t just the biggest trend for remote meetings and internal company activities. In 2020, virtual events have become the paramount tool for marketing your business, engaging your customers, and making money. Whether you’re a nonprofit trying to adjust your annual fundraising gala, a cookie company looking to encourage more customers to buy your cookies online, or a consulting business looking for new ways to interact with clients, leveraging virtual events can provide exciting advancements and unique opportunities that meet your business’s marketing objectives, in even the most uncertain times. 

In this article, we’ll go through the benefits of hosting corporate-hosted virtual events as well as some creative examples that you’ll want to try out for yourself.  

Why host a virtual event for my business? 

There are a ton of benefits of hosting an online event—so much so that digitalization might become the preferred method of event marketing moving forward for most businesses. We encourage our clients not to think of virtual events as a quick one-off presentation but instead as an opportunity to add value, drive engagement, and create long-lasting memories for your audience. 

This isn’t about just trying to survive during COVID-19. Virtual events can be a serious money-making machine if you handle them the right way. With the right strategy and approach, you’ll never want to go back to what you were doing before. 

Also, if you haven’t read The Ultimate Guide to Transitioning to Virtual Events With the New Norm of Digitalization, we highly recommend checking that out. It’s a great introduction to the benefits of virtual events, types of events to consider, a few examples, and most importantly the logistics of hosting a virtual event. 

Let’s get to it. What are some unique virtual event ideas you might want to consider for your digital strategy? 

1. Gala and fundraisers 

We have a lot of nonprofit clients, so we wanted to start by addressing your main concern: how are you going to host your biggest fundraiser of the year, if you can’t provide the same sort of in-person experience of years passed? Whether you host a formal gala, a golf outing, a 5K, or bowl-a-thon, chances are you haven’t considered a virtual event before (unless you’re ahead of the game). You’re probably wondering how—and if—you can garner the donations you need to keep your organization running if you can’t offer that experience your donors look forward to every year. Virtual events can be just as good, if not better in some cases, to engage your sponsors and contributors. 

You can provide a new, incredible experience virtually for your donors. 

Some cool ways to involve your donors in a virtual gala:

• Peer to peer fundraising campaigns 
• Virtual silent auctions or raffles
• Incorporate sponsors with logos, links, etc. 
• Live stream your keynote speakers
• Include pre-recorded videos about your organization and all the incredible work it’s doing 
• Host “breakout sessions” that allow guests at the same “table” to network with one another 
• Highlight the funds you’re raising in real time
• Incorporate social media with giveaways, scavenger hunts for tagged photos/posts
• Try different fundraisers like virtual 5ks, readathons, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, online auctions, virtual tours, and even virtual movie nights (pretty much anything can be moved to the digital sphere if you have the right technology and team to help you)

Check out this example of Habitat for Humanity’s Beyond The Build 2020 Virtual Fundraiser. We like that they open the “room: with pictures from builds and previous events before getting into both live and pre-recorded fundraising opportunities. Don’t forget to thank your sponsors prominently!

2. Award shows 

The 2020 Emmys and BET Awards looked a little different in quarantine, but these prominent performances brought attention to the ability to host a virtual award show effectively. A lot of people think that the virtual avenue is going to be the future of award shows, and not just for celebrities. In fact, a lot of companies have decided to create internal award shows to celebrate and recognize their employees and clients. 

That’s because an award—even a virtual one—is a great way to keep people safe while still offering the acknowledgment and praise that individuals are craving, especially during these isolating times. 

We were privileged to work on one of the best (and first) virtual award shows The Shorty Awards, which honor the best of social media and digital. This awards show was a natural progression to the virtual sphere since the recognized content exists in the digital world itself. 

Some aspects that were especially successful with The Shorty Awards:

• Pre-recorded video in conjunction with live (remote) hosting and performances
• Professional in-laid graphics, especially branded and sponsorship graphics 
• Clips from social media influencers
• Pre-delivered awards to winners (so they can still physically hold the award during the ceremony)

One of the most successful aspects of the virtual award show was that viewers got to see their favorite content creators in their “natural habitat” with their partners, pets, regular clothes, etc. Virtual streaming has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to enhance a greater level of transparency, so optimize on that. 

Important: If you haven’t seen our two-part Ultra-Ultimate Guide to Live Streaming Events, check them out here: Guide Part 1 and Guide Part 2. These will get you started on learning the must-haves for live streaming remote or in-person events online. 

3. Networking events 

Networking events bring people together, with your company at the center of it all. This could be anything from a virtual summit to a trade show to just a simple meetup amongst people with common interests. Not all virtual events have to be about selling. People are one of the greatest commodities, and encouraging discussions and networking within your industry is an incredible way to get attention as a thought leader in your sector.  

How to host a successful networking event virtually: 

• Have small breakout sessions so participants can get more individualized conversations 
• Create a live chat between participants
• Use a host or speaker to facilitate networking discussions
• Conduct live polls and voting (live feedback from customers)
• Start with a prerecorded video about your brand
• Include live presentations and speakers

A cool example was the #Celebrate Online. This brought together professionals from different companies to discuss sales tactics and techniques. It included keynote speakers, virtual booths (with company representative breakout sessions), live networking sessions, product sneak peaks, a virtual expo area, and small group interactions with friends and colleagues. They’re hosting another soon, if you want to experience it for yourself! 

Check out these basics on how to shift to virtual events during a coronavirus outbreak to learn the why and how of incorporating virtual events into your marketing strategy.

4. School and program graduations

Is someone graduating from your school or intern program? Or are you hosting another type of ceremony? Not all virtual events have to be done online. If you have an in-person event occurring, live streaming the ceremony is an incredible way to minimize the attendance in-person while still allowing everyone to stay involved with the exciting day. 

This example from Seton Hall Prep Commencement Live used an outdoor multi-cam and drone feed to broadcast the ceremony live for family members and friends at home who couldn’t attend. This was an incredible blend of in-person and virtual event strategies to create an inclusive event without risking safety. 

Hosting an in-person event and then live streaming it at the same time is often too complicated for schools or companies to run on their own. That’s why they’ll call True Film Production in. We handle the live broadcasting, the equipment setup, and the graphics, so you can focus on what matters most: the awardees. Let us do the work of going virtual, so you know you’re getting the best and most professional results. 

5. Concerts

This may not work for every company but for those with a creative flair, a virtual concert is a beautiful way to share your art with the world while gaining sponsors, customers, and interest. For new and upcoming performers as well as establish symphonies alike, virtual concerts are a great way to get more attendees than ever before. You’re not limited by a venue or location; you can have people viewing your live virtual concert from around the world. For artists, this is an incredible opportunity to get a wider audience for your talents and gain the attention you’ve been searching for.

Check out this incredible 100th-anniversary virtual concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Paired with live hosting, these individuals are playing their instruments remotely, and yet they are still able to create a fantastic and awe-inspiring melody. 

And it’s not just for music! Artists of all kinds—studio, literary, and more—are using this format to share their talents with the world. Virtual events are enabling the arts to explode and flourish with wider audiences and more accessible formats for engagement. 

6. Lifestyle sessions

This is possibly one of the easiest and most effective virtual events that can engage your current clients while generating new customers. Host a live “lifestyle” session virtually. If you sell yoga gear, host a live yoga session (Zoom has become the new yoga studio). If you sell gag gifts, have a comedian come on for a set—and you can even have them riffing with a live audience. Makeup classes have gone virtual to minimize one-on-one contact with makeup artists. 

Whatever product or service you sell, there is also an associated lifestyle you’re looking to share with your customers, and that lifestyle is a great opportunity for virtual engagement. 

Some ideas to incorporate into your lifestyle sessions:

• Registration (to collect participant information)
• Live Q&A or polls 
• Digital games
• Giveaways
• Send samples to participants ahead of time so they can follow along (like a sample size of the products your beauty influencer will be showing)
• Influencers in your industry

Keep in mind that these can be short and sweet. They don’t even have to be more than an hour. The focus should instead be on the quality of the video, the ability to share your brand’s message, and the engagement aspects that come along with hosting a virtual event. 

7. Online workshops

Similar to lifestyle sessions, online workshops are useful for both customers and employees alike. You can teach your clients a new skill—like how to better apply your cosmetics products to their face—or you can have employees complete a compliance certification—like how to make a sales call over Zoom. The goal is to add value first and foremost, and this level of engagement can drive interaction and  sales. 

Some tips for hosting a virtual workshop:

• Offer a live Q&A between participants and teacher
• Allow for one-on-one conversations and interactions with trainer as well as between attendees
• Have a presentation deck available for download as well as live remote instruction
• Include a platform for instructional videos, practice tests, exercises, and games
• Incorporate in-laid graphics like pie charts, voting, polling, and more
• Offer virtual ice breakers so the team can get to know one another

This Seller Financing Workshop full day is a great example of this. They have a live trainer and host, but they also have additional remote trainers, a live chat, embedded graphics (including audience questions), presentation slides and documents, and even a live countdown for breaks. 

Want to learn how to better engage and work with your employees through virtual platforms? Check out: How to Make the Shift to Virtual Internal Communication

How to leverage virtual events for your business

There are three main things you need to incorporate in a virtual event:

1. Live streaming in tandem with prerecorded video 
2. Embedded graphics
3. Interactive features (between viewers and speakers)

Most companies can’t handle all three of these key features by themselves. Even if you can live stream, you may not have the capacity to incorporate professional prerecorded videos. Or you don’t have the tools to in-lay graphics during your live streaming. Or maybe you’re just not sure what kind of virtual event strategy you should be implementing for your business at all.

That’s where True Film Production steps in. We live and breathe virtual events. We’ve been doing virtual events long before COVID-19 hit, and we’ve got the expertise and experience to prove our success. We work with our clients to establish an effective events strategy that will keep everyone safe while engaging your customers. Whether you’re new to virtual events or a whiz in the digital sphere, True Film Production will take your video strategy to the next level. 

Stop canceling events or putting your business on hold. We’ll help you develop an online event strategy for 2020 that creates a meaningful and successful marketing campaign.  

Contact us. We focus on building long-term relationships focused on collaboration, creativity, and results through effective digital marketing campaigns.