How To Do A Virtual Event?

A virtual event can be done as easy as taking your smartphone pointing the camera at the subject and live streaming to your favorite platform.

If Streaming A Virtual Event Is Easy Then Why Do I Need Virtual Events Biz?

As stated above, it is easy to stream a virtual event. What is not easy is making the virtual event experience engaging to the audience.

A virtual event experience is not the same as a in person experience. There is something to be said in regards to the ambiance of a live performance. All five sense are manipulated by the performance. The waft of fresh popcorn, the sight of the performance venue, the live sound and the visual of the artists.

Can your smartphone convey all this to your viewer?

Television Has Solved the Problem of Audience Engagement

There are over 60 years of television experience that prove how to capture audience involvement. To capture audience involvement there are two major components that have to be within in any virtual event.

The Virtual Event Has To Resemble Television

Television is all about the visual appeal of the program. This is not by accident. This is by design. When you examine the look of television programming you will notice that the programs all look the same. This is because television has 60 years of figuring out what works and what doesn’t. The visual appeal is pleasing to the viewer. It keeps the viewer captivated to continue watching. Everything about the visual of the program is completely worked out in a preproduction phase. The second component is audio. The visual aspect was (and still is) considered the main component. However, quality audio of a production can make or break a viewing experience just as equally as the visual component.

Virtual Events Are Better Than Television

Television is very scared of virtual events. Why? It costs a lot of money to produce one television show. Yet, a 12 year old in their bedroom, with a computer, some free software, and a smartphone can produce a quality program, post it to a social platform and have millions of views. Bad for Television. Good for us!

Here Are The Steps To producing A Virtual Event

As we said in the first paragraph, a virtual event can be done just by pointing a smartphone at the performance and live streaming. And as we said in the following paragraphs, this is not the best way to produce a virtual event that is engaging to the audience.

Step 1: Select the type of event you want to have

Is your event a live performer such as a comedian? Is your event a presentation for sales? Is your event a meeting? Each of these events needs to be produced differently to engage its audience.

Step 2: Select the date and time of your event

The type of audience will determine the date and time of your event. If you are having a meeting it is doubtful that a Friday nighttime of 8 PM is a good choice. The type of event should coincide with how the audience would view the event. A comedy performer on Friday night at 8 PM is an example of a good choice for a date and time.

Step 3: Production of the event

Production of an event is the most important. This is what the audience will see, hear and participate. Let's use the example of a television variety show. The artists don't just come out and perform. There are quite a few things that happen before the artist makes it to your television screen. These are:

1. The artist is pre-interviewed of what they want to do
2. Producers discuss how they think they can shoot the performance
3. The artist is contacted on potential performance changes needed to their act
4. On set rehearsal
5. Camera blocking
6. Mic setup
7. Final flow of the performance from beginning to end
8. Live broadcast of the performance
9. People to make the production happen

Step 4: Production equipment

Any quality video production equipment will work for a virtual event. Cameras, microphone, lighting, computers for live stream, internet service, video switcher, audio board are some of the necessary equipment to live stream a quality event.

Step 5: Advertising of the virtual event

Advertising of a virtual event is specific to the audience that you are wanting to attend. Fortunately, for most virtual events there is already a captive audience. A captive audience is an audience that already has an interest in the performance. This may be a college orientation program, a mandatory meeting or any audiences that must be there as part of their work. Every virtual event must be advertisied or you will not have any viewers. No one wants that.

Step 6: People to produce the virtual event

With any event live or virtual, it is the people who work behind the scenes that make the event a success. You are guaranteed to fail if you do not have the right people to produce a quality virtual event. You will need people for cameras, sound, lighting, directing, assistant to the director, IT personnel, production assistants and in some case a caterer.

Step 7: Know your rights of what you can and cannot do

A broadcast of a virtual event is basically the same as a broadcast television show in the eyes of the law. That means if you are producing a virtual event you must abide by all copyright laws. For example, if you are a college and are hosting a virtual event of a singer, all the music performed must have the proper paperwork in place detailing the artist can perform the copyrighted material. You can be held for big bucks if you infringe on someone’s copyright. Even if you win your court battle you will be out a lot of money to your legal team.

Step 8: Live Streaming

There are many platforms to live stream on. To select the best platform, a review of what they can do to best live stream your production is very important. Some live streaming platforms work better for select types of programming. Choosing the wrong platform can cause issue with the viewer. An unhappy viewer is an unhappy customer. The live stream platform is an important choice for your virtual event.

Virtual Events Biz Makes Your Event Look and Feel Like Television

When you really break everything down, there is really isn’t anything different between a broadcast television program and a virtual event. They are the same thing. They are television. The audience sits at home and the program is watched on a screen.

Where television is more of a broadcast to everyone, a virtual event is broadcast to a niche market. The viewers of a virtual event have more interest and have an investment within the niche. This audience will expect far more entertainment, information, and engagement than an audience of an over the airways broadcast program.

Your live stream, believe it on not, is in competition with all other media. The professional media invests a lot of money to get eyeballs on their screens. Where virtual events has the advantage over professional media is the fact the virtual event is specific to a niche group of people. A niche audience will seek out programing that is specific to them. The audience is out there. It is up to you to find them and bring them virtual events that they desire.

When you work with Virtual Event Biz we take care of all the production work. All you have to do is decide what the date, time and type of event you are having. We then assign a professional producer to your event. You will discuss in further detail what it is you are trying to accomplish with your virtual event. Your producer will put together a streamed line program that will be professionally produced and streamed to your audience.

Virtual Events Biz has the experience and expertise you need for a quality virtual event at a cost that will fit into your virtual event budget.