How To Successfully Host A Virtual Event

November 3, 2020 - 4 minutes read - Blog, Contributed Posts

Are you hosting an important virtual event soon? Choosing a guest speaker is one of the things you must do for a successful event. However, it doesn’t stop at knowing who to invite as a guest speaker.

The figure you invite can make or break the outcome of the event. The presenter acts as your business advocate, and you need to be careful that they don’t misrepresent your business values. They should not only entertain but also inspire and engage the audience through speech and presentation.

For you to get all this, and value for your money, you need to consider some crucial factors. Apart from their expertise and track record, here’s what else you need to check. 

Compatibility

You have an agenda to meet at your company event. As such, you can’t just invite a speaker just because they’re famous or you think they’ll be a great fit. You should aim at finding a speaker who can deliver what you want your audience to learn.

Attendees come with high expectations, and the meeting must deliver. Choose a person who can connect with the audience and align his presentation with the audience. 

Logistics and Schedule

Before you settle for any speaker, establish the expected flow of events during the function. This is important because energy levels fluctuate throughout the day. You must match the audience’s energy with the speaker’s style of doing things.

For example, it would not be productive to have a ‘kick-off’ type of speaker doing presentations after a lunch session. Neither can you allocate time to a ‘closing keynote’ speaker in the morning when energy levels are high. In short, consider if the mood in the audience at a specific time will be receptive to the presentations or not.

What is the Return on Investment?

Is it possible to measure ROI on a speaker or an event? These have been debatable questions over the years, with people having different views. You may not measure ROI on a speaker from a financial perspective, but you gauge it from another view.

You can measure it in terms of met expectations and success levels. Before choosing a speaker, let them know that you’ll be looking out for a positive ROI. This way, you can work together to achieve it with less effort.

Traditionally, ROI was measured in the short-term, as a questionnaire filled in at the end of the session. For a more sustained impact, consider measuring the long-term effect of the speaker. Collect feedback from the participants using social media, apps, or the traditional questionnaires. If a speaker is true to what they seek to deliver, they’ll be committed to the long-term ROI.

Final Thoughts

Hosting a corporate event calls for several key considerations. From booking a venue to inviting participants and a guest speaker, everything must align for the sake of success.  If you’ve never organized a company event before, finding the perfect speaker may be a challenging task for you. Consider engaging the services of professional event planners like MTI Events to put everything together for you.

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Tags: Guest Speaker, Online Marketing, online meetings, personal branding, ROI, Success, Virtual Event, Virtual Meetings, Virtual Technology, zoom meetings