2020 brought with it not only words like “Coronavirus” and “pandemic”, but also “Virtual”, while 2021 introduced the term “Hybrid”. Both these modes of attending Events brought with them a few issues, one of them being Networking.
For a lot of people, networking opportunities are an encouraging factor to attend events, making it extremely important that you, as an organizer, provide that opportunity and boost networking at your Virtual and Hybrid Events. Doing this will also make your event memorable to your attendees, convincing them to attend your upcoming events as well! (Two birds with one stone, now who doesn’t like that?)
To give you a head start in figuring out strategies to boost networking at your Virtual and Hybrid Events, here are a few tips and ideas!
Lobby
Arranging for a few hours of “Lobbying
Session” during the Event when attendees can interact with each other by
introductions and small talk is a great way to connect with them and even
getting them to connect amongst themselves.
ibentos’s Virtual Event Platforms are incorporated with a Virtual Lobby which also has numerous branding and marketing opportunities for you and your sponsors. ibentos’ Virtual Lobby is also a great place and opportunity for your attendees to network and explore the platform.
Q&As
and Live Chat Box
Conduct Live Q&As to interact with your
Virtual and Hybrid audience. You can further encourage your Virtual attendees
to participate by incorporating a live chat box into the Virtual Platform where
attendees can comment, ask questions, and even volunteer to answer a few
questions!
*Tip: Incorporate a “Raise Hand” feature into
your Chat Box, available on your Virtual Platform, where attendees that raise
their hands can not only gain attention, but also be attended onstage to join
the speaker. This “Invite to Stage” feature can also be provided to your
in-person participants.
ibentos offers a LIVE chat box feature as part of its Virtual Event Platforms to help boost engagement, participation and networking.
Efficient
Emcee
To ensure that no audience is neglected at either end, ensure that your event is being managed by an efficient emcee who can seamlessly communicate and transition between the Virtual and Physical ends.
Utilize
Social Media Marketing
Social media is a great way for not only your
attendees to interact with each other but also for you to connect with your
attendees. Create your own hashtags to create excitement and a common ground
for people to connect on, and also let your attendees share and repost and even
comment on your posts since these are great ways for attendees to discover
other participants of the event.
ibentos is known for having an outstanding in-house marketing team to help you generate leads and maximize participation.
A chance to network is a great incentive for
your attendees, and providing them with those networking opportunities will
make your event memorable for them. You can utilize your social media,
newsletters and surveys to stay in touch with your past attendees to maintain
the network at your end as well.
We hope these tips helped provide you with not only a head start but also some clarity, so go ahead and make it (net)work!
ibentos
provides a comprehensible, easy-to-customize Virtual Event Platform to cater to
all your event needs. ibentos also caters to your ROI needs as an organizer and
also provides your attendees with an engaging and immersive experience to boost
networking, participation and customer retention rates. With ibentos’ engaging
and easy-to-use platform, networking and participation is easy and
communication is seamless.
Resource: https://ibentos.wordpress.com/2022/05/26/boosting-networking-at-virtual-and-hybrid-events/