Now is the time when most of us are doing our shifts online. Be it socializing or online shopping, the internet has become the closest resort for all our needs. The kind of revolution  evident today has also changed the way we interact and share ideas-both personally and professionally. Many professionals are choosing online platforms for organizing various online events or TED talks. 

In this context, virtual conferences are gaining popularity as an alternative to real-world events. Such conferences are very feasible as they can be hosted from any site. However, arranging a virtual conference is not a cakewalk, and a lot of hard work goes into it.

Let us understand what consist of a virtual conference and how it works. 

What are virtual conferences?

Virtual conferences are a step ahead of webinars. They contain more moving parts, more speakers and thereby ensure better networking opportunities. They offer excellent flexibility to attendees.

Those who are attending a conference just need to boost up their system. Tools like ONPASSIVE’s OCONNECT makes virtual conferences absolutely easy. One can monitor the performance of the conference and can assess the effectiveness of every presentation. It provides bookmarking option so that participants who cannot watch a long session in a single stretch can watch it later according to their convenience. 

Events of the virtual conference can either be open or closed, but they are exclusive. They can also be archived for future references. HubSpot’s Inbound Sales Day, Agile Government Leadership, and BogCommerce’s Make it Big are some of the examples of online conferences.

Importance of virtual conferences

You might opt for virtual/online conferences for the following reasons: 

  • They are budget-friendly in comparison with real-world events. A real-world conference cost you hefty amounts for space where you host an event, high-quality speakers and other arrangements. These costs reduce considerably with online conferences.
  • A successful virtual conference helps your business with brand awareness. It provides a platform for people to know about your brand, thereby gaining authority in a given field. 
  • Apart from growing awareness, a well-run conference help you fetch new followers. If you become successful in throwing a memorable event for the audience, they tend to bring their friends along with them for the next event. In this way, you can increase the strength of forthcoming events by running current event efficiently. 
  • With the conferences arranged in the real world, you need to keep a tab on the number of attendees. There are limitations of space. However, with an online conference, there are no limitations of space. You need not worry about logistics. A web page can occupy millions of attendees all at once. 
  • A virtual conference doesn’t require thousands of attendees and grand stages with custom sets. They are the meetings of like-minded people who share common interests and beliefs. 
  • They have a lesser risk of any catastrophic failure as they include lesser cost and lesser logistic requirements.

Key requirements of Virtual Conferences

The online conference cannot get away with logistic requirements as digital events need digital work.

Firstly, speakers play a major role. If conferences are arranged live, then sustaining speaker’s quality throughout the event becomes crucial. Organizers need to make speaker’s provision early on and plug them in advance of the event to avoid any mishap. 

A virtual conference might not require a physical location, but it does need to be found on the web. Online events must be designed with a precisely structured online venue so that users can reach out easily. While video conferencing tools like OCONNECT help to arrange for live events it enhances attendee’s experience as well.

Maintaining video quality is equally important; otherwise, attendees will lose interest sooner. ONPASSIVE’s incredible video recording feature, O-Capture is now available to help you intensify the quality of videos and make them more appealing to your viewers. Now be more interesting and appealing to your audience with O-Capture .

While making video, you are presented with two choices if you want to host them on your site or on a platform like YouTube, a third-party platform. While on-site events require attendees to visit your site for an event, they tend to fetch lesser people. 

Also, pre-recorded videos or live broadcasting is another major decision you have to make. Although pre-recorded videos appear more professional, they lack real-time viewer engagement. 

Live videos bring in real connection by bringing the audience together in real-time and letting them ask their questions in the given moment.   

Promotion and why it matters for virtual conferences?

Promotion is a major aspect of virtual conferences. You need to promote it to let people know about it. 

Email marketing is the easiest way for promotion. If your website contains a mailing list, all you have to do is send out emails informing people about the event. 

Social media promotion has become inevitable today. Exploit popular social media platforms for facilitating networking with like-minded professionals. Also, your guest speakers can promote the event on various channels.  

Concluding Thoughts

Virtual conferences have come forward as an opportunity presented by wide internet connectivity. With its benefits like less cost, lesser logistic requirements and other possibilities, online conferences also require lots of work. If everything goes well and you are able to organize a successful event, all you have is amplified results. You can build community online and impart the influence while also ensuring professional growth.