5 Essential Steps to Virtual Event Success
More than a year since the first Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan became a global pandemic, and virtual events are now a viable alternative for B2B meetings. Most conferences and exhibitions have been postponed or cancelled, while international travel is still restricted, leaving face-to-face events in a dire situation. Virtual events, however, are emerging as a viable source of buyer-seller interaction for B2B companies. No need to travel, no Covid risk, no stand building or anything like that, but there’s a catch: It’s much harder to establish a business relation virtually compared to face-to-face. Veteran event-goers are already equipped with the best practice and reflexes necessary to make the best out of real-world events: Book your stand or Pass, book your flight and hotels, ship your product, take your business cards and hit the floor! However, Virtual is a different beast. We’ve put together a shortlist of essential things to do to make sure you have a pleasant experience attending a virtual event!
1. Let there be light!
We can’t see in the dark! In the end (after all that matchmaking), virtual events get you on a one-to-one video call with your potential business partner. You need to make sure they see your face! Make sure the light source in the room is in front of you, not behind. You must have more than one lamp/light source at the ready and try to position them at opposing sides to reduce shadows on your face. Feeling fancy? Go for a ring light!
2. Where’s the camera?
Are you still smiling at that tiny dot on your laptop? They are a part of the problem, not the solution. Now’s the time to invest in a real webcam or an actual camera setup if you can. The integrated webcams get pale colours, don’t get enough light, and most don’t have autofocus. Any mid-range webcam can do all those things and so much more. Trust us. It’s a good investment!
3. Hello?
Now that we’ve fixed your “image” problem let’s focus on your sound. Just like the tiny dot that claims to be a webcam, your laptop also has another dot that claims to be a microphone. Believe us; your voice deserves so much more! We don’t recommend using a speaker and an open microphone setup anyway. Instead, get a conference headset or an entry-level mic and good headphones. Speaking of which, make sure it has soft earcups (for those long calls!) and an extending mic close to your mouth to minimise background noise.
4. Behind you!
By now, you’re looking sharp and sounding good. But remember, you’ve got one chance to create an excellent first impression; make sure it counts! You need to create a Zen background, with not much happening but the right amount of character. Virtual backgrounds won’t do the job, and you need to put some thought into this one.Whether you’re at the office or in your living room, make sure your background is tidy and well lit.
5. The obvious
It’s incredible how many people miss some of the most obvious things to get right. You’re about to go into an online event with lots of video calls coming up, and you need the widest bandwidth you can get your hands on. Get other people off of your wifi, if you can, connect through a network cable, make sure you know how to connect to your phone’s 5G connection if power fails, and speaking of which, make sure your phone’s fully charged to start on AC power at all times. Remember, video calls eat away your battery pretty fast.
I hope this guide helps you with the absolute minimum preparation for the best virtual event experience. Don’t forget to share this article to help a fellow virtual event dweller.
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