Building Audience Interaction

Building Audience Interaction

• Virtual events should focus on audience interaction to meet online consumer expectations shaped by social media, allowing for real-time, time-shifted, and on-demand experiences.
• In-person events foster audience interaction through meals, coffee breaks, and keynote waiting times, enabling attendees to connect, learn, and form professional relationships.
• Organizations should aim to build a "Fanocracy" around their events to encourage repeat attendance.
• Real-time audience interaction is key to successful virtual events, differentiating them from one-way broadcasts like TED talks.
• The TED YouTube channel has nearly 18 million subscribers; however, virtual events should avoid simply recreating a physical stage experience and instead utilize online tools to promote interaction.

Using Interactive Features in Your Event Platform

• Virtual event platforms vary in their interactive features; for example, Zoom offers breakout rooms for smaller discussions.
• Breakout rooms can be used to create focus groups or allow panelists to lead discussions with small attendee groups.
• Chat features in virtual event platforms enable attendees to share information (e.g., favorite bands or sports teams), allowing speakers to read responses and involve the audience.
• Polling features during virtual events can generate buzz before Q&A sessions by raising thought-provoking or controversial topics.
• Using platform features can transform one-way content delivery into an interactive experience.

Social Media Hashtags

• Social media, like Twitter, serves as a back channel for communication before, during, and after virtual events.
• The key is to choose a unique hashtag for the event to aggregate tweets in real-time; checking for existing use is crucial.
• Hashtags should be promoted early across all communication channels, including the event website, social media, and emails.
• Speakers, sponsors, and affiliates should be encouraged to use the hashtag.
• During the event, a team member should monitor social media and ensure all posts include the hashtag.

Drive Interaction at Your Virtual Event

• Stephanie Baiocchi from IMPACT notes that hashtags are as valuable at virtual events as they are at live events, fostering connection and sharing among attendees.
• An event's hashtag stream acts as a virtual hallway for casual chats and sharing learnings.
• In mid-March 2020, IMPACT postponed Digital Sales & Marketing World and hosted a one-day virtual event instead.
• The virtual event drew over 3,000 registrants within three weeks.
• The one-day virtual event, Digital Sales & Marketing Day, was successful for IMPACT, leading to an ongoing virtual event program.
• Baiocchi states that IMPACT's virtual events united the audience and helped businesses navigate the pandemic, empowering digital sales and marketing professionals.
• David spoke at IMPACT's Digital Sales & Marketing Day on April 6; all sessions were prerecorded, allowing speakers to participate in the chat and answer questions live.
• Using social media hashtags allows event organizers to gauge real-time attendee sentiment.
• A quick look at #DSMD2020 on Twitter during IMPACT's first virtual event showed positive engagement with attendees posting photos of their setups and sharing speakers' content.
• Baiocchi encourages attendees to share their experience on social media, fostering a warm and engaging virtual environment.
• IMPACT's virtual event program has enabled them to continue educating their audience, empowering business growth, building trust, and generating revenue.
• IMPACT has built a Fanocracy with attendees actively sharing, engaging, and eager for future events.