Day-to-day business has been turned on its head over the last several months. While the pandemic has certainly upended many aspects of business, there are a number of redeeming elements linked to conducting business amidst a near nationwide quarantine. Companies of all sizes, in all industries, have surprised themselves in their ability to hold virtual meetings.

From internal meetings to client relations, relying on virtual tools has become commonplace for business operations. Those organizations that are able to lean on digital assets will position themselves to succeed not only during the COVID-19 era but far beyond. Hosting a virtual event requires three important elements:

• Planning each aspect with strategy
• Meticulous preparation and rehearsal
• Ability to troubleshoot and roll with any hiccups

Presenting to a group of prospects on a virtual meeting means getting an opportunity to reach people in a specific setting. With this in mind, it is important to take advantage of the platform and the audience in the most strategic way possible. Companies who rely on in-person events have had to rethink how they will remain in business. In order to adapt to our current situation, virtual events have seen a rapid rise in popularity.

In some ways, replacing in-person meetings with virtual meetings have limited companies’ ability to reach their audience the right way. On the other hand, virtual events allow for a global reach that would be impossible for many in an in-person setting. As such, it is critical to host a virtual event the right way in order to retain current clients and seek new prospective clients.

The following are some of the most important tips for hosting a successful virtual event:

1. Define your goals before planning any aspect of the virtual event, and keep these objectives in mind during each phase of planning and launching the event
2. Conduct thorough research to determine the platform that you will use – this means focusing in on features, metrics, engagement tools, and other relevant aspects to your company
3. Keep your brand in mind throughout each aspect – from landing pages to social posts and from virtual background to email automation, your brand should be accurately represented
4. Create high-quality content that is beneficial to your audience – whether that means producing a new video or designing impressive documents to supplement your meeting, make it impressive
5. Promote, promote, promote – in this era people are inundated with virtual meetings, so make sure your promotional materials are abundant and informative to ensure that you have a sizable audience
6. Take advantage of registration information – make sure that when someone signs up for your virtual event that their contact information is captured and added to your CRM
7. Follow-up – when your event is over, plan to offer supplemental materials as a way to follow-up and offer an added bonus for attending

Creating, planning, and executing a virtual event can be a daunting task, especially for organizations that typically rely on in-person engagement. While the thought of making something like this happen can be overwhelming, it is important to remember that riding this learning curve will set your organization up for success well beyond this pandemic.

Invest in the time, people, and tools that it takes to make your virtual event fantastic and you will benefit greatly from new clientele, a new skillset, and an offering that will be utilized today and tomorrow.