3 Words of Advice When Planning an Online Event

As I helped our small, non-profit organization transition our large, in-person event to an online experience, I began reading industry articles, attending webinars, and speaking with those who I knew had already, or were in the process of, making the switch. These are the best three words of advice I gleaned, and have applied, as I worked with our team to create the new event experience.

1. Flexibility. We’ve never done this before. Most of the industry has never done it this way before. Most of the audience has never attended online events before. You can cross all of the T’s and dot all of the I’s, plan for contingencies and perform technology rehearsals, but invariably, there will be something that needs troubleshooting on the fly. Events are inherently like that. Everybody, and I mean everybody, will need to be flexible.
2. Imagination. We have a unique opportunity in history to use our imaginations in ways they’ve probably never been used before. The online audience is very different from an in-person one. They have various distractions around them. Their attention spans are short. They are most likely at home with children or pets or the refrigerator. Things that have worked in the past for your event will not work now. You have the freedom to use your imagination to rework and rethink the components of the event. Don’t let this change scare you. Capitalize on it.
3. Simplify. So many things happen online. There is so much stimuli coming at us all the time; television commercials, movies, online events and meetings, you name it. Make it easy for the audience to say yes. Yes to attending, yes to watching, yes to participating, or yes to learning. Remove barriers of distraction as much as possible. Maybe you need to simplify the programming. Over the years it’s possible that things were added to provide variety for the in-person attendee that now may not be necessary for the online registrant. What is the ultimate goal of the online event? Can things be shorter and still deliver the same quality content? Do the colors or button styles or designs need to be changed? Simplicity can take many forms.

I have received a lot of advice and have learned a lot in the planning process. Keeping these three words in the back of my mind has helped me make better decisions and stay focused on what’s most important.

Have you had to transition an in-person event to online? I’d love to hear
what you’ve learned. Email me or comment below!

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