14:09:51 YEAR OF ONLINE EVENTSNow, more than ever, there is a need for events to move online. This session will offer practical ideas, hints and tips for how to deliver online events in a creative and engaging way. During this webinar we will cover:- An introduction to different online events- Practical advice about planning, managing and executing online content- An overview of some different online platforms and options- Tips about increasing engagement and interaction
14:10:03 When will live events be back?
14:10:47 Opinion is mixed when it will be safe and legal to run face to face events again.I
14:10:51 personally think it will be at least a year from now.
14:11:15 The key word for event professionals is pivot and changing the way we work
14:12:02 WHAT IS AN ONLINE EVENT?An online, or virtual event, happens over the Internet/WiFi, and is joined in via a computer, laptop or mobile device(rather than a traditional event, which is a gathering face-to-face).
14:12:24 THE BENEFIT OF ONLINE EVENTS
14:12:49 There are lots of benefits to online events:
14:13:16 Save Money: Virtual events are more cost-effective, both for attendees and hosts. Hosts don’t have to pay for a costly venue, catering, travel and accommodation to get staff on-site, etc.
14:13:31 Save Time: Online event hosts save time on setup and planning. Attendees save time on travel and arrangements being away from home and the office.
14:13:54 Expand Attendee Base: accessible to nearly everyone. More people can easily attend online events with reduced concerns around time commitments, budget, and event location - including international attendees.
14:14:16 Expand Potential Speaker List: Likewise, reduced commitments for a virtual event may also make it easier and within budget to get international speakers, especially if your event includes a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions.
14:14:56 Valuable Content: The content you create for virtual events can be gated and offered on-demand or repurposed and reused in other ways throughout the year
14:15:10 Health Risks: Virtual events make it easier for your event attendees to still get value from your content without worrying about getting sick or spreading the virus. For the foreseeable future it is the responsible thing to do
14:15:19 Measurement and Reporting: It can be easier to track and measure the success of the event and report back to sponsors and stakeholders.
14:15:28 ATTENDING AN ONLNE EVENT CAN MAKE PEOPLE MORE INCLINED TO ATTEND AN EVENT IN REAL LIFE
14:15:50 Research has proven that if someone has a good virtual event experience it actually makes them more likely to attend an event Face to Face in the future.
14:16:01 THE DOWNSIDE OF ONLINE EVENTS
14:16:26 Engagement: It can be harder to engage your audience through a virtual setting. F2F events can appeal to all the senses, online events can’t – so you need to work harder.
14:16:44 Time/Learning Curve: If you haven’t run online events before or are working with a new platform, you will need to invest more time learning about it and having lots of rehearsals.
14:17:33 Technology: Technology is not infallible and things can go wrong – internet connection can be lost, platforms can go down, etc.
14:17:53 Distractions: Distractions are close to your attendees.
14:19:47 Value/Drop Out Rate: People can value online events less than they would a face to face event and the drop out rate can be higher. It may be harder to get people to pay for online content.
14:19:55 Cues: It can be harder to read cues from other speakers and attendees.
14:20:04 Zoom Fatigue/Screen Time: People are having a lot of screen time and online meetings. And because cues are harder to read it can be quite draining.
14:20:23 Time Limited: Shorter can be better when it comes to online events.
14:20:57 Creativity is Needed: Creativity can be needed to emulate and recreate some of the benefits of F2F events – e.g. networking, exhibitors, etc.
14:21:06 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ONLINE EVENTS
14:21:10 one to one meetings
14:21:16 small group meetings
14:21:22 live webinars
14:21:59 webinars on demand/webcasts
14:22:31 online training sessions
14:23:21 online workshops
14:23:25 online conference
14:23:27 online summit
14:23:40 TIMELINE OF ONLINE EVENTS
14:23:52 1964 - video conferencing was first introduced
14:24:06 1990's there was a surge in video conferencing technology
14:24:41 2019 - online was still seen as a poor relation next to face to face events.  Organisers still worried if they put their events online it would detract from the main event
14:25:04 2020 - we have leapt forward with online events.  It has been a huge opportunity for online providers
14:29:53 FIRST THINGS FIRSTWhether you are running a real life event or a virtual event, you need to start with the basics:
14:29:59 Why do you want to host an online event?
14:30:07 What do you want to achieve?
14:30:13 Who is your audience?
14:30:16 What will be the takeaways from the event?
14:30:30 CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOFTWARE
14:30:45 There are hundreds of online event softwares out there. So which one is best for your event? Think about….
14:31:00 What type of online event do you want to run? (training, workshop, meeting, conference, webinar)
14:31:10 How many people do you want/need to attend?
14:31:29 How many sessions do you want to run? How long will the event last?
14:31:40 Are you planning to do live sessions, on-demand ones, or a hybrid of the two? (For instance, a live keynote address where attendees can interact with speakers, surrounded by on-demand pre-recorded sessions.)
14:31:51 What do you want to happen when the event is “live” vs. when it’s “over”?
14:32:01 What online event experience do you plan to create for attendees? (For instance, does it include networking opportunities, discussion, exhibitors?)
14:32:09 What level of branding is needed? Are you happy to have branding visible from the software provider?
14:32:18 Is the content highly confidential?
14:32:27 Do you have a budget/what is your budget?
14:33:10 What functionality do you need other than the actual event tech (registration, marketing, storage, etc)
14:33:30 How much does the software for running online events cost?
14:33:48 The costs can be free or very low cost, up to thousands of pounds.
14:35:13 some online event platforms
14:35:37 facebook live, instagram live, zoom, teams, zoho, streamyard
14:39:51 go to webinar, clcik meeting, ever webinar, webinar jam, webex, virbella
14:40:11 hey summit, big marker, hopin,ON24, 6connex, INXPO
14:40:32 STEPS TO DELIVERING AN ONLINE EVENT
14:40:47 1.Decide the speakers, programme and format.
14:41:21 2.Advertise the event (remembering to make the what, when, where, who, why very clear). Do not share the actual event link until after registration/closer to the event, otherwise people will bypass registration.
14:41:36 3.Enable registrations for the event, collecting the information you need (name, email address, organisation). This may or may not be included within the software.
14:41:48 4.Keep attendees, speakers and stakeholders up to date in the lead-up to the event.
14:42:19 5.Prepare speakers, rehearse, test and create any pre-recorded content.
14:42:52 6.Make sure you’re prepared for the event: set up the room and tech (virtually and physically), and check that the conditions are suitable for attendees and presenters.
14:43:11 7.Hold the event, making sure everyone is looked after throughout the entirety of the event.
14:43:32 8.Follow up after the event, including with different communications for those that participated and those that didn’t show up, perhaps with details of how to watch/re-watch on demand.
14:43:55 REGISTRATION PLATFORMS FORYOUR ONLINE EVENT
14:44:06 Online event registration
14:44:15 Via the online event software, if included and suitable
14:44:28 Eventbrite – free for free events. There is also a donation option.
14:45:13 TicketTailor – UK registration software.  Online events are free until at least 1st September 2020
14:45:29 FOR YOUR ONLINE EVENT YOU’LL NEED:
14:45:53 In addition to the software requirements, you will also need:A webinar team: at the minimum, this will include your presenter, an administrator (with knowledge of the software) and ideally a support assistant (to moderate the session and, if interactive, to manage the chat room,  answer any user problems immediately before or during the session and support the presenter).
14:46:04 A suitable space to run the session (quiet, well lit, good internet connection).
14:46:17 Appropriate hardware: a good camera/webcam and a high-quality microphone.
14:47:48 Suitable quality slides (even if not using slides in the session, you will probably want to produce a pre-presentation holding slide).
14:47:59 ZOOM – MEETINGS VS WEBINARS
14:48:20 The session today is using the meeting software rather than the webinar software, but there is a lot of crossover
14:48:52 Zoom plans
14:49:03 Basic - free of charge
14:49:11 Pro - £11.99 per month per host
14:49:22 Business
14:49:32 WAITING ROOMS
14:49:53 The Waiting Room feature allows the host to control when a participant joins the meeting. As the meeting host, you can admit attendees one by one or hold all attendees in the waiting room and admit them all at once.
14:50:04 IN MEETING CHAT:
14:50:23 The in-meeting chat allows you to send chat messages to other users within a meeting. You can send a private message to an individual user or you can send a message to an entire group
14:50:36 The Touch Up My Appearance option retouches your video display with a soft focus. This can help smooth out the skin tone on your face, to present a more polished looking appearance when you display your video to others.
14:51:02 VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS
14:51:30 The Virtual Background feature allows you to display an image or video as your background during a Zoom Meeting. This feature works best with a green screen and uniform lighting, to allow Zoom to detect the difference between you and your background.
15:00:20 ANNOTATE & WHITEBOARD
15:01:04 Meeting participants can annotate on a shared screen as a viewer or the one that started sharing your screen. You can also use annotation tools when sharing or viewing a whiteboard.
15:02:38 ZOOM VIDEO WEBINARS
15:03:14 Chat: Set private and group panellist chat settings for attendees and panellists.Q&A and polling: Manage and share audience input in Q&A dialog box where attendees ask questions with live or text answers.Attendee raise hand: Increase attendee engagement by allowing virtual hand-raising.Promote Attendees to Panelists: Panelists can communicate with the audience, respond in Q&A, and share their video and desktops.
15:03:20 polls and quizes
15:03:39 We used some polling questions earlier on in the webinar. If we wanted we could re-run the poll again to see if the answers are different.
15:03:48 Closed Captioning for Accessibility
15:04:11 The host can type
15:04:17 You can allocate a participant to type
15:04:18 You can use automatic captioning, e.g. https://streamer.center/ - $99 annually or $9.97 per month – automatic captioning and transcripts
15:04:37 PRACTICAL ADVICE
15:04:49 Good internet is the key, as well as good audio and video quality.
15:05:01 Short is sweet.
15:05:08 Schedule in regular breaks.
15:05:48 Think about using different cameras if you need a different angle, e.g. for training.
15:06:48 Pre-record.
15:06:49 Support your speakers
15:07:18 Experiment.
15:07:23 Test!
15:07:24 Have a support team (and make them easily identifiable)
15:10:30 BEST PRACTICE FOR TIPS ONLINE
15:10:45 Choose Your Speakers WellInfluential speakers who are recognized experts in their area will help to draw a virtual crowd. Make sure they are comfortable presenting on camera.
15:10:59 Focus on the ContentEven more than for a real-life event, your online event has to capture and hold peoples’ attention. After all, they can just minimize the window or (worse) close it altogether.Your content is the key to whether they’ll stay with you through until the end or drop off. Make sure that your topics are well-chosen, speakers are engaging, and storytelling is at the heart of your content.
15:11:12 Virtual Goodies: Just because your event is digital doesn’t mean there can’t still be something cool for attendees to take away. Send out a goodie bag or deliver snacks to your attendees. Or consider digital alternatives, such as reports, books, templates, GIFs, and other useful takeaways.
15:11:38 MeasureTake advantage of the stats, measurement and reporting! Virtual events can provide valuable insights and tracking of clicks, etc. These elements can sometimes be harder to track at a F2F event.
15:11:48 Prepare speakers:
15:11:57 Eye contact!
15:12:12 Ideally, for both pre-recorded and live presentations, use an external microphone, a high-quality external camera, and a good source of light.
15:12:22 Encourage a plain, light coloured background
15:12:37 create speaker guidance well in advance
15:12:57 If pre-recording:  Get speakers to record in segments. Ask speakers to structure and record their talks by chapters. E.g. split a 20-minute talk into five parts, each four minutes long. It will be easier for them to record it while having breaks.
15:13:44 Share tips for presenting on camera:  Provide concrete pointers on how to be engaging on camera. Looking straight at the camera will create a connection with participants; looking down at the notes will have the opposite effect.
15:14:09 Create a smooth learning flow:   To make sure the presentations don’t overlap and that they are connected, ask each speaker to provide a written outline in advance. If needed, ask speakers to reference the previous video or link to what comes next.Advise your speakers to get help from someone (a friend or a spouse) to set everything up and listen to the talk. Presenting to a real person will make it feel more natural.
15:15:12 Do things differently:
15:15:36 Give the personal touch and stand out if time is on your side.
15:15:41 Send out a goodie bag through the post
15:15:45 Deliver a picnic/pizza/snacks to your participants
15:15:46 Send learning materials
15:16:00 AFTER THE EVENT
15:16:03 Email messaging and follow ups
15:16:07 On demand content
15:16:11 Add to your YouTube Channel
15:16:14 Create a Highlights Video
15:16:15 Make a Podcast
15:16:42 CASE STUDIES
15:17:01 Have a live illustrator creating virtual minutes of your online event
15:17:09 EVERYBODY JUMP ONLINE
15:17:41 This Whiskey event normally has 300 people in attendance and the event costs £100k each year. This year they moved it online and had 19k attendees.
15:18:02 They sent out samples to some people.
15:18:30 Blogosphere virtual festival used Virbella
15:18:47 you can explore the venue and make a bespoke virtual venue
15:19:32 Happy Place Festival - Fearne Cotton
15:20:22 The Weekly Virtual Pen Show
15:21:03 Online show that happens on a weekly basis which will continue after face to face events have been reintroduced.
15:21:55 Plannerfest: virtual, stalls, panel discussions, fireside chats, journal, plan with me, international speaker
15:23:41 conference call bingo
15:24:05 don't think that everything online has to be free
15:24:25 If you think it is appropriate you can charge for your online event