5 Tips to Turn Your Physical Event Into a Virtual Event

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Physical marketing events are the perfect way to raise brand awareness and get more people pumped about your company. What happens when external circumstances like those of the global pandemic make it impossible to hold such events, though? Does it mean you have to give up on your vision and let your company go completely? Ten years ago, the answer might have been yes. Luckily for you, we live in a digital age where everything is possible. You can easily turn your physical event into a virtual one and still reap the benefits.


1. Set Your Budget


You wouldn’t throw a physical event without considering the budget and seeing what you’re working with. The same goes for throwing a virtual event. Just because it’s going to be online doesn’t mean it’s free.


You should do your research on the average price of the type of virtual event you want to host. Research every detail and see what components you need to make the event successful. This way, there will be no ambiguity and no surprise expenses that you won’t know how to cover. 


2. Set Clear Goals


To make any event successful, physical, or virtual, you’ll need clear goals. Think about what you want to accomplish with this event. Do you want to engage your audience more? To raise awareness? Or to motivate people to stay home during quarantine? Whatever your end goal is, it will determine how the whole event plays out.


When you set clear goals for your virtual event, you’ll have something concise to work for. You won’t be lost in a sea of ideas and possibilities because you’ll know exactly what path you need to take in order to reach the goals you set. This is especially important for people who have never hosted online events before. This is because hosting online events seems easy in the beginning, but the more you look into it, and the more time you spend planning them, the more complex they seem. Having goals helps you avoid doubts and feeling overwhelmed entirely.


3. Choose the Right Platform


With physical events, it’s all about choosing the right venue. You have to consider the theme of the event, the number of guests, and what exactly will be going on during the event in order to pick the perfect venue. Even though virtual events may seem more complicated, the same factors come into play when choosing the right hosting platform.


You don’t want the platform to lag and you don’t want people to get kicked out because the server can’t handle the capacity. In order to determine what kind of platform you need, therefore, you’ll need to consider how many people will attend. 


If you want a more intimate atmosphere, holding a webinar or a Zoom event might be the right choice. If you want something more upscale and packed with people, consider going with a platform where people can interact as virtual avatars. Also, consider the nature of the event and what you want to accomplish with it. This will all narrow down your platform choices and help you find the one that meets your needs perfectly.


4. Get the Right Help


Just like with hosting a physical event, you’ll need the right people to help you organize the whole thing. It’s best to choose
event planners who have experience in hosting and managing all types of events. Just because you are moving your event online doesn’t mean there will be any less work and preparation involved. In fact, if you’re new to all of this, there might be even more work involved.


Hiring a team of people with experience is, thus, the smartest option. It saves you from making any mistakes and jeopardizing the success of the whole virtual event. It also gives you time to manage the rest of your business, minimizes your stress, and helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed. You’ll still be in charge of your virtual event, you’ll just have people on the job to ensure things are running smoothly and there are no hiccups in the way. Your vision might be perfect, but the execution definitely needs to follow suit.


5. Spread the Word


When marketing for a physical event, you’d be spreading the word by putting up a billboard and placing ads everywhere you can. Offline marketing has an advantage over digital marketing when physical events are concerned because it makes it easier to focus on the local audience and get the word across your immediate area. Since there are no geographical boundaries with virtual events, offline marketing simply won’t cut it.


Instead, you’ll need to invest in your digital marketing campaign. Use all the tools you can get your hands on content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, Google Ads. They’ll all help you get as many people as possible to see and hear about your virtual event. If you do your job well, the platform will be full on the day of the event and you’ll have nothing to worry about.


One trick you need to remember about digital marketing is that it’s not enough to just get the word out there. The more you engage your audience, the better the final results will be. In other words, your audience needs to be provoked by your advertising enough to like, share, comment, or subscribe. This helps make your ads even more powerful as your event will start showing up on screens of people you didn’t even target initially.


As you can see, turning a physical event into a virtual one is entirely possible. It’s going to require some delicate planning and top-notch organization, but you’ll definitely manage it. Your audience is bound to be impressed with how well you’re handling the situation and reward your efforts with more attention and business. We’re confident only good things will come out of hosting a virtual event and that you’ll find the perfect way to get your firm to shine.

Mianna Korben
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