- Contest Factory
- June 15, 2021
The pandemic has uprooted virtually every aspect of the event industry, taking event professionals from adjusting to mastering the new technologies and techniques involved in organizing events in the rapidly evolving digital world. But master they did! Here are the top proven event production strategies for beating the odds in a virtual world of opportunities.
Assess & Adapt as Needed
One thing is certain, innovation and agility are the two defining characteristics that have saved companies over the past year.
Brands that succeeded in anticipating their customers’ needs and realigning their strategies accordingly have accomplished more than mere survival, they have diversified their offerings, streamlined technology and workflow, and strengthened rapport with customers and business affiliates.
Pride Products is a shining example of one such pandemic pivot. The promotional and corporate gift company already had strong relationships with over 80 corporate recruiting and HR departments. So when sales started to plummet, they reached out to their clients and discovered there was an overwhelming need for team-building support during the extended period of forced isolation. Thus, ConnectRCentral was born- a new business providing customized, virtual team-building activities.
Master the Digital Landscape
Event production has clearly seen better days. At the same time, the event industry is also being transformed in ways we would have never imagined a few short years ago. Streaming technologies, virtual event platforms, cloud software, and countless other digital solutions have reinvented the way we connect and communicate with customers and colleagues.
However, to stay relevant and successful in this virtual landscape, businesses need to invest in these new technologies, whether that means implementing a new software solution or simply automating existing processes to optimize internal workflows as well as streamline communication channels.
Brands also need to harness their know-how in digital marketing, staying on top of the latest trends in social media and content creation to strategically and effectively reach and expand their target audience.
Embrace Hybrid as the New Normal
Virtual meetings have been vital throughout the pandemic. But the future of events is definitely going to be a hybrid event production model. Hybrid is the solution to the new normal, allowing audiences to choose whether they attend in-person or virtually, blending a smaller live event experience with a large-scale, live-streamed virtual experience, access to an unlimited number of virtual attendees.
To successfully engage with audiences in the ever-evolving new normal, event organizers need to reimagine live events into virtual and hybrid experiences, adopting the best techniques, platforms, and cutting-edge technologies to engage audiences and accelerate business and marketing wins again and again.
Dial-in Your Data
Data monitoring tools are pretty much part and parcel of most virtual event platforms and associated technologies. Brands can track and analyze everything from registration to level of audience engagement to how long attendees viewed a presentation.
But if your team isn’t up to speed on how to track data, you won’t be able to leverage your findings to improve your events and maximize the user experience. Incorporate your data collection process into your event planning strategy to ensure the valuable insights you receive translate into improved performance, increased engagement, and an optimal ROI.
Leave it to the Professionals
Virtual and hybrid events might seem like they require less effort and nuance than live events. But a well-designed, well-run virtual meeting requires an equal amount of preparation and expertise as an in-person event. There is an art to moderating online sessions and keeping guests actively participating and entertaining. And how do you best strategize breakout sessions, organize networking activities, and handle meals? If you are leading a meeting, do you know how to seamlessly change screens, put up graphics, cue speakers, etc. well enough to still focus on your content?
Trained virtual event planning services will not only take a huge amount of pressure off you and your team, but they can also contribute their extensive knowledge and broad skill set to help you deliver a top-quality event utilizing the latest trends and technologies.
Full-Proof Your Crisis Management Strategy
After more than a year of being tossed around by unprecedented change and uncertainty, brands have had to reinvent their approach, adopting radically different protocols and procedures to event planning and implementation.
As obvious as it seems, many business owners still don’t have official crisis management plans in place. Company leadership needs to implement an up-to-date strategy that reflects the latest prevention and safety guidelines related to crisis communication, emergency preparedness, and virtual meeting and event management.
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The event production industry is forever changed, and there is no looking back. But why would you? Instead, focus on all the new opportunities and technologies that have surfaced, following in the footsteps of so many impressive brands who have used the above strategies to rewrite history…all the way to the top.
