As events technology continually evolve, we find ourselves at a time when meetings can be done through a virtual event platform or event management software. People around the world are interconnected through the internet and it makes sense that coming physically to events can be considered more cumbersome. If you are an organiser of virtual events, you would want to research for the best virtual event platform before you can delve into the details of the online event itself. Without this platform, your webinar simply cannot happen.
Here are 7 features of a reliable platform:
- The best virtual event platform is easy to use.
There are some self-event planning software that would let you tinker on the software without guidance. You should steer away from these choices because the best virtual event platform should be easy to use. The interface should be straightforward and event deliveries have to be streamlined with the assistance of helpful, knowledgeable staff. Using a platform that is difficult to use not only wastes your money, it also makes you lose precious time that you could be using for other aspects of event planning.
- The platform provider should be non-invasive.
When using a virtual event platform, you may find yourself bombarded by additional adverts or promotions from your provider. They may even go the extra mile by spamming your email with thank-you notes calling you to try out more components of their service. This should not be the case. What they should do after the end of your webinar is to provide a recording of the event and touch base with the attendees if they had a good experience using their software. Giving you the chance to provide feedback to their service is highly commendable as well.
- Meetings should start as scheduled.
Since online meetings may be more difficult to organise, it comes with no question that you should be able to inform all your attendees regarding software requirements before the day of the event. A good platform would allow you to send alerts to your audience and notify you once they are already set up for the event. This way, meetings can go as scheduled. You would not want delegates to wait for one hour just because some of the attendees are still accessing the software. Find out more about event attendance software.
- The Microsoft virtual event platform should be all-inclusive.
It may be common for Microsoft virtual event platform providers to label their product as all-inclusive. The only way that you would find out is to see if all major components of your online event is taken cared of by the app. If they would require you to pay additional fees for every component of the platform, then that isn’t an “all-inclusive” service. Here you can find online event registrationand event planner software.
- The platform should be brandable.
This is an aspect that many event organisers would forget when looking for a virtual event platform. The platform should be brandable if you would want to impress your registrants and make it clear that they are attending your organisation’s event. Your provider should be able to match your company’s branding with the different elements of your attendee’s event experience. Your company logo and name should be on the initial branding, the registration page, the emails, and even within the web room. Sometimes, it is the software company’s brand that they would see instead of yours and this can be highly confusing.
- Live troubleshooting is a must.
The criss-crossing of different technologies during a webinar or online event may lead to malfunctions such as the presenter’s signal dwindling or microphone inputs not working. A good virtual event platform provider would be highly assistive to your presenters and attendees in a way that they do not assume that anyone is an expert in webinar delivery. There is a learning curve associated to any technology, and they should be willing to teach you and your attendees how to go through it successfully — if at all it is needed. During contingencies when they must do live troubleshooting, they should be able to resolve technical issues in the fastest way possible.
- Customer support is key for event management platform open source.
Last but not the least, an event management software source provider should continually provide you with good customer support. The truth is there are so many good choices when it comes to a virtual event platform. However, there are only a few companies who have mastered the art of customer support in selling their technology products. Look for a company that is willing to adapt to your needs and that communicates clearly to you for any enquiry and concern you may have.
Event Networking Platform for Online Events
Despite the event networking platform being used by individuals in front of their computers, it should contain certain features that would allow delegates to interact and network with one another. Here are some ways by which attendees of any online event can have a more interactive experience:
- Group Chats
During webinars, it is important that your attendees are given the chance to make their own threads and correspond to messages accordingly. This is one way to generate further discussion during and after presentations. For online meetings that require teamwork, giving attendees the chance to create different chat rooms will lead to a more productive event.
- Social Media Integration
Social media integration is another aspect of an event networking platform that should be present during webinars. Often, online attendees would want to share titbits of the event to their own networks. By letting them share quotes and event materials through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, they may be able to generate more buzz regarding your event. Furthermore, it puts them at a place where they can give live updates to their own following during the event.
- Polls Participation
Last but not the least, an event networking platform should allow attendees to participate in polls. This will make them feel like their attendance counts and that their opinion matters. In any event, polls are one way to elicit audience feedback for presenters. When done properly, polls can also be a form of entertainment – interims before serious discussions start.
Now that you know what the features are of a dependable virtual event platform, you should be able to discriminate among your choices which one would be best for your needs as an event organiser. Remember to know your product intimately since that leads to your event’s success.