In a world that is rapidly changing and benefitting from various technological advancements, the live event format sure hasn’t changed very much.

Seemingly the COVID19 –Corona Virus is adding to the long list of events that require Event Industry Professionals to apply their change management skills. It is also the latest topic that is raising some questions about how we produce and execute live events today.

With many events being cancelled or postponed, what are the options for corporations with upcoming events?

What would, if forced to, a current live event format supported with the use of today’s virtual and remote technologies, look like? Would it be a viable solution?

In order, to tackle these questions Let’s start where all event experience answers start. With a handful of tried and true questions.

1. What are we trying to accomplish?

2. Who is our audience?

3. What do we want them to get from the experience?

4. What key messages do we need to deliver?

5. What actions are we trying to drive?

It’s true these 5 questions are absolute pillars of what all Event Experiences are built on to an extent. For the sake of discussion, we are going to assume that we’ve done the above exercise and we know what we need fulfill – Currently most of our events can be broken down into a pretty recognizable format, with content driving results to the key identifiers above.

  • The General / Keynote or Plenary Session
  • Breakouts / Workshops / Concurrent sessions
  • The Exhibitor / Trade Show Floor
  • Networking Reception

Switching your Live Event into a Virtual Event

Live Streaming your Keynote has been a viable option to reach remote audiences for a while now, dependent on its uses and how it is packaged with respect to the rest of your event can even be a cost-effective solution.

Taking it a step further, why not combine the Live stream solutions and facilities with a VR solution– Utilizing live stream portals to host or serve a pre-recorded keynote session in VR format- bringing your remote audience in from the ether into a room digitally designed to create a truly unique GS experience.

Breakout sessions with a focused panel talks about very specific topics – The Livestream and on-demand video option is certainly the option with live Q&A. Also, the use of the PODCAST format could be a viable way to reach your attendee base

All these solutions are within reach with the use of current technologies and proper planning and focus. Some additional features to complete your Virtual Event Experience include a branded portal or Mobile Device App format – allowing you to control launches/releases / and still giving your attendees the ability connect via social media or quick chat methods provide within the app.

If any above solutions sound interesting than you might have found yourself asking the same question too. It is a quite different Event, but we do believe you would be able to deliver an interesting experience while operating under travel or physical interaction constraints.

At Alliant Events, we relish these challenges and if any of this interests you, then give us a call.

Have more questions about virtual events? Check out our Virtual Events FAQ.