We have all been doing them for over the last 10+ months as most meetings went to being done online. Some are engaging and rise to the top while others, make you want to fall asleep.
The most important thing about virtual meetings and events, even in-person meetings, are the people, connecting, and with virtual meetings and events, creativity. The opportunities and ways to do virtual meetings are limitless! You are only limited by your creativity, your business, your group, etc.
Examples: Trainings and Workshops, Tradeshows, Product Launches, Retreats, Industry Conferences Keynotes, Book Launch, Ceremonies, Fundraisers, Art Exhibits, Entertainment, Awards Celebrations, Concerts, Memberships, and so much more.
Virtual meetings are the HOW we gather and HOW we connect, but there are also all these other pieces including who, what, when, where, and why.
Who can be your employees, your customers, your members, other organizations, your vendors, your suppliers, or whoever your serve. But the when, becomes flexible because you are not limited to weather or a time frame. You can reach your audience at their homes, while they are on vacation, wherever! As you can see all of these items are limitless.
#5: The Future IS Now: People & Connection
Connecting with people is the number 1 thing when it comes to meetings & events and having a virtual option makes it so people can connect from anywhere. Your reach becomes greater with having a virtual element to your meetings and events. It opens up a whole lot of possibilities. Now, there is also the hybrid option, keeping the benefits of virtual as well as combined with an in-person meeting, as well.
#4: On-Demand Evergreen Content
Turning your virtual meeting into on-demand content can be another revenue-building opportunity. Record the content that is presented live on a virtual platform and that content can be made into an on-demand purchase. It could be part of the registration fee or reused for the ones who missed the virtual meeting. This content could also be repurposed for brand awareness on many social media platforms.
#3: Greater Reach and Increased Awareness
You can reach more people outside of your geographic area, outside of your organization, etc. Your event attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and promotors can be your biggest advocates in promoting your event. This could be on social media, word of mouth, or email marketing.
Then there are also paid ads. Create a campaign that is specific to your goals in who you want to reach for promoting your meeting and events. Organically, there is the use of hashtags to boost your reach for an upcoming event. Have a hashtag that is specific to your event and use hashtags that are popular or relevant for greater reach. Create shareable content such as images, videos, sound bites, etc. to promote attendee interaction with your chosen hashtags.
#2: Build Your Email List and Know Your Audience
As you can see so far, many of these items are interconnected, but when you are offering online events, you are building your audience, your reach, and your email list. Email lists are something that you own, whereas, on social media, the algorithms can change, and oftentimes only 6% of your followers will see your post. With email lists, you can have more control in making sure who receives what content and messaging.
#1: Increase Income & Save Costs
Doing virtual meetings increases your income and saves costs. How?
No food & beverage, or meeting rental costs
No printing costs for materials
Minimal, if any, décor needed
Lower speaker fees
Attendance increases
Costs are lowered
More sponsors/supporters since they get a better return on their investment
Virtual meetings are here to stay, and we dive a little bit deeper during our webinar version of Top 5 Ways Virtual Meetings Increase Business.