6 Key Differences for Planning In-Person vs. Virtual Events
If you’re an event organizer, host, or manager looking to move your in-person event into the virtual world, there are a few key differences to keep in mind as you move forward with your planning process.
I’m a virtual event producer who moved from managing mascots, dance cams, and DJs at live sporting events to creating fun and engaging virtual events.
Watch the entire video on YouTube or scroll down for the summarized key takeaways.
1. Your Attendees Location
At in-person events, you’re controlling the attendees’ location because they come to you but in the virtual event space, you can control what the attendees see on screen but not where they physically are. You’re now competing with attendees’ home lives, apartments, offices, etc. They’re surrounded by family, friends, roommates, partners, cats, dogs, you name it. So when you’re thinking about your content or your timing for your event, think about your audience’s time and at-home environment.
A positive about your attendees’ location with virtual events is that your attendees can be anywhere. Your local event no longer needs to just target local attendees. You’re able to expand your event reach nationally and even globally.
2. Event Ambiance
When you’re planning your virtual event, think about your event ambiance. This is an element that your in-person venue, music, or design usually builds but in the virtual world, your event experience is closer to television production. Think about what your attendees are seeing (which might be different than what you’re seeing as an event organizer) and more importantly, how do you want your attendees to feel?
Think about your event scene by scene, especially thinking about what the climax is of your virtual event. What part of your event do you want to be the most memorable?
