Video is an extremely powerful medium and plays an important role in marketing and executing your virtual events. Utilizing live video creates a personal connection between the presentation, host and audience, giving you the ability to address your viewers directly, who can each respond in return. Producing video content where the host or presenter looks directly into the camera creates a conversational experience for your viewers, providing greater engagement and participation.
Our Haute Media President, Darrylee Cohen, shared some great advice on The Nonprofit Show yesterday morning about the power of using video in virtual events, specifically for non-profit organizations. Darrylee and The Nonprofit Show host, Julia C. Patrick of the American Nonprofit Academy, discussed 4 key topics when utilizing video – continue reading for all of our best advice and watch the live show recording at the link below!
Live Interaction During A Virtual Event
Virtual events offer several ways to interact with a live audience, including live polls, chat windows, live Q&A, breakout sessions and more! Utilizing the live chat feature is a great way to let your audience connect and easily communicate with each other in real time, something that is not as easy to accomplish in-person. With the live chat box, your viewers are able to interact in one place no matter where they are tuning in from, even if they are as far as Hong Kong. Breakout “rooms” and Q&A sessions provide a feeling of intimacy and exclusivity during your virtual events, allowing your attendees to engage with their peers or even talk with the host directly and ask questions.
Getting the Right Background or Studio Set Up
When it comes to speaking to an audience on camera versus in real life, it is best to treat it just as if it were an in person event! Setting the right background is key to enhance your story or theme, whatever it may be. Using professional lighting, audio, and cameras will make you look, sound, and feel your best!
Feeding Matters is a wonderful example, they chose a kitchen environment for their virtual event background to connect with the theme of their event and help tell their story. It created an intimate connection between the speaker and audience and was perfectly fitting!
Communicating on Camera vs In-Real-Life
Communicating virtually versus in real life allows you to reach a much wider audience and gives you the option to stream your events across multiple mediums. Virtual events can be live-streamed to various platforms and embedded on your website, social media channels, etc. allowing your audience to view from anywhere in the world. Virtual events are mobile friendly, so your viewers can tune in from the comfort of their own homes or they can watch on the go using their smart phone or tablet.
Production Costs and Timeframes
With virtual event production, (versus in-person event production) you can save money on venue costs, vendors, etc. but utilizing technology platforms and preparing for a virtual event still requires a significant investment and time. Production costs and timeframes always vary based on the specifics of the project but some common costs for virtual event production include pre-recording speakers, editing presentations and video content, designing themes and transitions, renting or building out a stage or studio environment to create the perfect background, conducting rehearsals and technical checks with your remote participants, etc. Planning ahead is key and keeping your virtual event relevant and timely for your viewers is a top priority, as with any live event! Your virtual event doesn’t need to be lengthy as long as it tells your story while keeping your audience engaged.
The creativity is endless when it comes to utilizing video in virtual events. You can create an entirely unique online experience with stages and backgrounds, speakers and entertainers, real-time worldwide networking, and more! An added bonus is longevity! With video, you are able to create multiple pieces of content from one recording; so you can use your live virtual event recording for various marketing purposes over extended periods of time. Video is a creative solution that will help strengthen your virtual events and hiring a professional to provide a seamless stress-free structure and manage any in-moment technical difficulties is a choice you won’t regret!
Contact us at HautePhotoVideo.com to learn more about our videography services and virtual event production!