Pivoting to Virtual Events in the Age of Social Distancing

In light of the Coronavirus, organizations and meeting planners are scrambling to figure out how to manage their events in the age of social distancing.

For an industry that thrives on social interaction — the idea of having to stay 6 feet apart from each other, limiting gatherings to fewer than 10, and canceling keynotes and panels that drive industry and innovation forward are all hard pills to swallow.

So, it begs the question of how do you proceed and pivot in this new era of social distancing? How do you share information and create meaningful experiences? How do you best replicate the in-person experience but focus on what’s important?

Depending on a number of factors — the reality is that the answer is going to vary by organization, industry, and location. However, many are turning their attention to virtual events.

As organizations start to look at how to implement and transition to virtual events — the fact of the matter is there are a myriad of solutions and every event is going to be unique. The right solution will depend on the kind of experience that you want to create.

To that end, a few guiding questions to think about as you contemplate pivoting to a virtual event in the age of social distancing:

• What kind of experience do I want for attendees and presenters?
• Do you want a branded event that focuses on the content or is a “playlist” of content acceptable?
• What kind of video will drive the event? Is it a polished production?
• Is the solution a dynamic production akin to a real event? Or does a solution like Zoom work?
• How do you intend or want to include sponsors into the virtual event?
• What kind of schedule does your virtual event follow? Is it the same or different from the traditional event?

These questions represent just the tip of the iceberg, and the fact of the matter is, planning a virtual event requires the same attention to detail that drives the planning for any traditional event.

So, as you look at options and consider pivoting to a virtual event, do the necessary due diligence, which will ensure you identify and develop the right virtual event strategy for your organization.

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[This post originally appeared on a Linkedin Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pivoting-virtual-events-age-social-distancing-jason-cohen-/ ]