Sleek’s top tips on creating networking opportunities at virtual events
In our last blog, How to create an engaging virtual event your audience will want to attend, we briefly touched on the importance of creating networking opportunities for virtual events. This week we wanted to progress further with networking as for most attendees at events, networking and the opportunity to meet interesting new connections ranks high as a motivator for attending events.
With most events taking place virtually these days or in the coming months a hybrid format where some attendees will continue to attend virtually, many organisers are left lost about the best practices and opportunities for networking for virtual event attendees.
So how can you continue to create elements of face-to-face interactions or recreate the moment where you bump into someone at the coffee line?
Identify networking goals
Similar to our advice given in our blog on ‘identifying your events target audience’ an important tip is to identify your event and networking goals. Through identifying your goals you will be able to focus your networking ideas towards effective strategies that will be both effective for your community, event sponsors and/or internal teams.
The type of event will determine if the networking you’re hoping to achieve is for attendees to engage with you i.e. if you’re holding a conference you will want the attendees to be engaging with your content and sales team, whereas if you’re hosting a team building evening your focus will be more towards attendees engaging with each other. Similarly, if your event has sponsors a key part of their reason behind taking part in your event will be the opportunity to network and engage with your audience.
When setting our virtual networking goals, some useful questions to help identify opportunities are:
Who is the most important person, company or brand you want to connect with? By identifying our ideal networking persona, it eliminates other options or invites that may not help achieve the overarching goal and opens up opportunities to create more meaningful and purposeful networking opportunities.
What content or networking activity/event will your ideal networking persona most likely connect with? Identify the most effective way you will reach this person - will they participate and connect with a speaker or Q&A session or accept an invite to a virtual coffee catch up? If your goal is to create interaction between attendees, identify activities or ways that they will be able to connect with each other.
How many people can you realistically connect to in a meaningful way? While it may be tempting to want to talk to as many people as possible at the event, set a goal so that you can then focus entirely on having meaningful conversations and not just going through the numbers.
Where possible, share these goals with your team as it ensures everyone is on the same page when reviewing if you’ve achieved the set goals.
Networking Opportunities within virtual presentations
Conversation is key in any event no matter virtual or in-person. Being in a virtual environment with more distractions around attendees, it is essential to include conversations between all involved - presenters, attendees, sponsors etc. The more comfortable attendees feel the more likely networking will occur.
Have live presentation where possible
Live presentations compared to pre-recorded recordings instantly allow for easier and more purposeful conversations. One of the best benefits of a live event is the opportunity to ask questions and converse with speakers in real-time. By using live video in your virtual event, you can create a similar experience.
Try to use live video for the most important addresses and keynotes. This will help to keep the exchanges meaningful and remind people that your event and its content is being produced by real people that they can interact with.
Create break out sessions during presentations
A simple way to create networking and engagement is to have speakers break their attendees into groups for discussions. Ask a question to the group and in their break out groups get them to come together to discuss the topic and present their answer to the whole session. It is an easy way to get attendees to switch their cameras and microphones on and talk with each other!
Implement a chat box in your virtual platform
Selecting a platform with a live chat feature is a simple addition and an easy way to add Q&A to your event. It may sound simple but without live chat, how do you expect fellow attendees to engage with each other or with speakers? Let attendees know before your virtual event begins that they are welcome to ask questions during live sessions. To boost more of the chat function add in a moderator to prompt discussions. Ensure the presenter knows that there will be audience participation and that they, too, should keep their eye on the chat to respond whenever possible.
Virtual Networking Event Ideas
Virtual networking events are an essential way to break the ice between attendees and create a more engaging atmosphere. If your event is based around presentations, it is important to create other opportunities for attendees to continue to network or if you are creating a team-building virtual event, an activity can be a strong way to start the event.
Virtual Meeting Hubs
If you’re running a virtual conference or event day, selecting a platform that allows you to create a space for a virtual meeting hub is an accessible way for attendees to connect with each other throughout the event. Just as you would have this space in a regular, in-person event it is important to recreate it in a virtual space. Allow attendees to have coffee catch-ups here, talk with event sponsors or continue conversations with event speakers. Create a space where networking and conversations can continue.
For event sponsors, this can be a useful space to create 1:1 meetings with attendees to ensure they receive the networking opportunities they signed up to the event for.
To create more conversations and interactions, themed breakout rooms can be implemented between sessions to give attendees opportunities to continue conversations and connect with each other. Themes could include activities, topics of conversations or guest speakers. Attendees pre-select which room they want to enter and they are grouped with other attendees who have selected the same activity. For larger event groups this is a creative way for attendees to be broken into smaller groups to give each attendee more of a chance to join in conversations and get to know each other better.
Gamification
Gamification is one of the more recent features to enter the virtual event trends and has proven to be a popular networking tool among hosts and attendees alike. It is an effective way to motivate people to get involved in an event. Attendees can earn points for various interactive activities, such as attending sessions, taking part in live polls and live Q&As, using the meeting hub, posting on social media using the event hashtag and visiting the exhibition hall (to name a few). Points are a way of earning entries into the live prize draw at the end of the event. The more points, the more chances to win the prize.
To personalize gamification, another option is a 3D virtual platform where you can create a virtual event with avatars and a virtual event space such as an expo hall featuring an exhibitor floor, auditoriums, meeting rooms, a lobby, social spaces, and more. Attendees can design their avatar to represent themselves and can interact as they would in a physical space walking around exploring the event, sitting down in a meeting room and having discussions with other attendees, raising their hand to ask a question in a presentation and ultimately experience networking activities such as breakout rooms or one-on-one meetings in a more personalised setting.
Social Virtual Networking
In any event there is always an option to add more creative, social networking activities. Perhaps there is a select group of attendees that have been high achievers in your team this year or you’ve identified a target audience that you want to engage further or simply you would love to give your attendees a creative, fun activity before the event day starts. Having a more relaxed, sociable environment introduces a more intimate and effective networking environment.
Virtual Happy Hours
Consider inviting a professional bartender or mixologist to your event. Just as some of your speakers will host their own breakout sessions, a bartender can host a 30-minute or 1-hour long session where they teach attendees how to make a series of cocktails. Your attendees will have a lot of fun and get a chance to connect while mixing their very own margaritas or cosmos!
A similar idea is to have a professional chef host a cooking session. Your attendees, who would have gotten the grocery list ahead of time or can receive ingredients in a gift box before the event, will have a fun time cooking together and preparing this meal. Once the food has been prepared, everyone in your virtual networking session can sit down together, share a meal and connect.
Virtual Escape Rooms
A big trend to come through virtual events are virtual escape rooms. The digitized versions of the popular in-person puzzle-solving games make for fun and engaging additions to any virtual event. It can be an alternative option for events with larger group numbers, to easily break down into sectors or company teams. They’re an exciting way to not only get your group collaborating and creative thinking, but the interactive puzzles also promote learning, networking and a spirit of play.
Exercise Sessions
Wellness activities are important at any event, and there’s no reason to remove them when you go virtual. Include sessions in your event that get attendees standing, stretching, and moving their bodies or build a mini-workout class that attendees can live stream throughout the day for a quick boost of energy or offer free morning yoga via live stream.
If your event goes over a couple of days, get attendees joining together for a virtual run, HIIT or yoga session together before they go on to sitting in front of computers for the rest of the day.
#SpeaktoSleek
Networking is a major part of why people attend events, and while in-person makes this process a lot simpler there are easy solutions available to continue to create those serendipitous moments virtually.
Sleek are able to work closely with you to understand your event requirements and audience to help create virtual networking personalised to your community - #speaktosleek here.