In 2020, a company called Bizzabo conducted a survey to gather information about the shifting landscape of events. As they analyzed the results, one thing was clear: Virtual events are the new focus.
93% of event professionals plan to invest in virtual events moving forward. 68% of event marketers reported that a hybrid solution that can manage both virtual and in-person events will play a key role in their 2021 event strategies.
The Challenge Remains: How Can Hosts Encourage Engagement and Networking?
The survey also helped identify some of the most challenging aspects of adapting in-person events to virtual events—the top two being engagement and networking. This is where virtual event platforms come into play. They include rich interactive features such as:
- Chat
- Audience polling
- Q&A
- Social media engagement
- Sponsorships
- Gamification
- And more
These tools go well beyond what is offered in traditional webinar software and provide a virtual “space” for people to experience your event.
VGM Group Hosted Their Annual Employee Awards Ceremony Virtually
Like most companies, VGM Group recognized the need to shift engagement strategy when the majority of employees moved to working from home. This included finding unique solutions for annual employee events including the annual shareholder’s meeting and employee awards ceremony.
The shareholder’s meeting blended pre-recorded video content with some interactive components for attendees to engage with. Of 1,000 employees, just over 400 households attended the event that included a social media wall and interactive polling.
Retooling the formal annual awards ceremony into a first-class production was a substantial shift in tone and scope. The company opted for a mix of live video, music, and pre-recorded content instead of only pre-recorded material. The event had two live hosts, as well as a two-person panel that provided additional commentary and interacted with content from the chat and the “cheer walls” which were setup for each finalist.
Moxie Is Here to Help
Our marketing team is uniquely positioned to tackle these types of events from start to finish. We have the right people and skills to handle everything from the initial strategy to event coordination, design and video, attendee follow-up, analytics, and post-event strategy.
