To create authentic experiences that add value for audiences across the globe, an event needs to stand out. Generic virtual event spaces can bore attendees, diminish content quality, and shut down audience engagement, potentially leading to negative event experiences for everyone involved. That is why as an event planner, you need a virtual venue that reflects your branding: an online destination that invites your audience into your story and feels like an extension of your brand, from the URL to all aspects of visual design.
Choose an event platform that allows your brand and story to be the focus
In the virtual world, looks matter. Event planners can increase engagement with a platform that allows creativity to flow with your own unique design.
Some suggest that vision trumps all other senses. Our ability to recall information happens best when visually prompted because of how people have responded to our environment throughout history. In the virtual event space, audiences rely on their sense of sight to connect. Visual formatting makes content easier to understand, learn from, and remember — which is the primary objective of any event content.
Ideally, your destination should complement your content with a visually-customized interface. If event planners want to bring the “wow” factor to their virtual attendees, they can’t settle for playing host on what appears to be someone else’s platform.
Instead, they should have complete control over the look and feel of the experience so that all elements serve to raise brand awareness and extend the storytelling behind their content.
Whether the event is a product launch, summit, town hall, or any other type of function, event planners should invest in an experience that elevates the event message from end to end. Each event and audience is unique, and planners should tailor their approach accordingly. A cohesive, customized platform enables you to create exclusive experiences that audiences can latch on to and remember.
Planners are responsible for delivering this experience, and they need to start with the right tools to make it happen. When choosing event tech to create stand-out virtual events, planners need to get creative, focus on design, and build an experience that extends the brand story. That’s why platforms like Brandlive provide options that aim to help brands tell their story to each of their key audiences with a combination of easy-to-use and fully brandable event services.
Remember:
- When your brand is consistent throughout all forms of communication, you become more credible to your audience. Choose a tool that allows you to own the event destination visually. An event that features your brand’s visuals, fonts, and logos is key to standing out and being remembered.
- In addition to featuring interesting and relevant content created specifically for your audience, every event you host should be unique.
- Choosing the right event tech will help your content come to life.
Think of your virtual venue as a TV production studio
One of the best references for virtual event success is something you are already familiar with — television!
Think of your favorite television networks or streaming channels. They share a cohesive brand and theme that carries across a broadcast. From titles to backdrops, these extra elements help a virtual event feel bigger and better when compared to someone just talking to a camera.
By using tools like Brandlive’s Greenroom in conjunction with their platforms, planners can place themselves in the driver’s seat of content production from start to finish by customizing and building their showreel and event.
This setting creates a bespoke experience that allows planners to emphasize the story and hand-pick the features most relevant to each specific audience and use case. Through these brandable solutions, planners can escape the virtual event ‘sea of sameness’ and graduate to online and hybrid shows that elevate key content and wow audiences.
Remember:
- For a much-anticipated product launch, sales kick-off, or gala that your team has worked hard on, your virtual event must reflect that same high-quality level of effort. By thinking of your event like you would a Netflix special (and having the tools to create quality content), planners can produce exceptional events — leaving your audience excited about the next one.
Don’t be distracted by too many features
Pushing too many features and options at an event is more likely to distract attendees rather than help them stay focused on what matters — the experience and content.
The bells and whistles of an event platform are necessary for planners to consider. But a platform that offers every feature is not necessarily the best option, especially if certain elements don’t function as well as they could.
Beyond design, it’s vital to choose a platform that provides targeted tools and templates to tailor the experience to an audience’s specific needs.
Brandlive, for example, has three different virtual audience destinations (or platforms): Streams, an event platform for large external-facing events; Showrooms, a platform for sales kick-offs and product events; and Allhands, a dedicated platform for company-wide town halls and internal events.
All three Brandlive audience platforms are powered by Greenroom, their browser-based production studio that allows event producers to fine-tune the visual elements of their content for any event.
Unlike all-in-one platforms that are identical for all events — same design, same user experience, same interface — Brandlive has structured its product suite into specialized audience platforms (think multiple virtual event venues under one roof). Each “virtual event venue” from Brandlive is unique in its function, tools, and purpose, allowing planners to customize and amplify each event experience and content.
Remember:
- Be sure to ask your event tech provider: “Which type of event would benefit most from your technology?” Follow up by asking which product features and functionality support their answer.
- Most platforms have a wide variety of features, but using too many can overwhelm the audience. Take some time to play around with what is on offer (after all, they are pretty cool), and then decide which ones match your current needs. Always ask: Will this feature add value to the audience or create a distraction?
Standing out in a sea of sameness
Producing visually appealing and engaging content is vital to virtual event engagement, meeting event objectives, and crafting memorable moments. By delivering quality content via a user-friendly content-focused platform, planners can play host the right way and achieve virtual event success.
January 25th, 2022 at 7:00 AM EST
