Pondering the intricacies of planning a virtual event? You're in good company. Regardless of whether you're an experienced virtual event organizer or just stepping into this realm, the foundation of hosting a virtual event lies in developing a comprehensive virtual event strategy.
Step 1: Define Your Event Goals
Start by identifying the primary goal of your virtual event – what is the purpose of this event? A clear goal will help you make decisions through the rest of the virtual event planning process. It also helps you measure how successful your event was - did it meet the goal or not?
Common event goals can include lead generation, customer engagement, educational aims, providing networking opportunities, or improving company culture. Keep in mind, there is no right or wrong event goal. The important part is ensuring your team has a unified vision of what you wish to achieve from hosting your event.
When defining a virtual event goal, remember the principle of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). For example, if your goal is to increase leads, add a target for how many leads and in what timeframe. The SMART goal for this could be “From this event, get 5 additional new sales-qualified leads within 2 weeks of the event’s end”.
Want to learn more about setting SMART event goals? Read our comprehensive guide to virtual event planning here
Step 2: Understand Your Event Audience
With a goal set, you can now turn to understanding your target audience. You need to learn who your ideal attendees are and what they are looking for. This way, you can tailor your event content to resonate with your event audience and ultimately achieve your goal. You can discover more about your audience using surveys, market research, persona creation, or even leveraging past events’ data.
Consider demographic information, like your audience’s location or languages spoken. This will help inform practical details about your event, such as its timing, and speakers selected. However, truly understanding your target audience needs to go beyond just demographics.
You need to dig deeper into psychographic information as well – what are their interests and current challenges. This information will help you select a compelling topic for your event. A topic that makes your attendees excited to attend your event.
Step 3: Budgeting Essentials for Virtual Events
Effectively managing your virtual event budget is crucial when organizing a virtual event. Understanding the various cost elements is key to planning a successful event without overspending. Here’s a breakdown of potential costs and strategies for cost-effective event planning:
- Virtual Event Platform Cost: The cost of virtual event platforms vary based on the features and attendee capacity needed. This is often the most expensive part of your event. However, keep in mind, this expense is a critical part of your online event, so make sure you invest in the right event platform. Researching how much does a virtual event platform cost and comparing options helps you choose a platform that meets your needs and fits your budget.
- Marketing Expenses: Effective promotion is essential to attract attendees, yet it needs to align with your event budget. Leverage digital channels, like social media or email marketing for more budget-friendly marketing approaches. These channels can still offer wide marketing reach but at a far lower cost compared to traditional channels.
- Speaker Fees: Depending on their expertise and profile, speakers can significantly impact your budget for virtual events. Remember to negotiate for lower fees with speakers, especially if they’re high-profile. Or, you can consider local or lesser-known speakers to help manage this virtual event cost. As an added benefit, these speakers can bring a fresh perspective to your event as well!
- Technical Support Costs: Smooth technical execution is essential, so, consider the cost of virtual event services. We recommend you check with your event platform provider, as they might include this in your plan. Sometimes, investing a bit more in technical support upfront can save costs by avoiding technical glitches during the event.
There you have it - a simple 3 step event planning template!
