Online Events: How to keep your audience engaged during a virtual event?

Remote working and online events are becoming more and more popular. And they will be a big part of our future.  But keeping hold of your audience’s attention during an online event can be a challenge. So, how do you keep them engaged? And better yet, how do you make them remember and care about what you’ve got to say?

After running countless online conferences, interviews, and Zoom-based events over the past years, I will explain to you what it takes to make a virtual event memorable.

Planning an online event without thinking about its goal and audience engagement is like building a sailboat without material for the sails. Good preparation is the key to build the right event: it involves careful thinking about your end goals and audience!

5 Top Tips to keep attendees engaged during virtual events 

1. Make sure that you cooperate with a professional streaming company with an experienced technical team. According to your budget, this can be a large studio or a small provider. I work with several partners and happy to advise you.
2. Create variety! Consider running a poll to get your attendee’s thoughts on a specific topic. The results can be used throughout the event to make your audience feel more connected to what’s being presented. Breakout areas in the form of virtual rooms for your attendees can foster more intimate discussions. These smaller virtual rooms could also be used for workshops or talks from other supporting speakers, giving your audience more autonomy and variety. You can also keep your viewers engaged through Q&A sessions. I like asking my attendees to write their short answers on a piece of paper. Afterward, they can show me this paper via their camera.
3. Keep moving! Make sure people keep moving during the event because that’s a great energizer to keep attendees attentive. Think about several short breaks with exciting music or stretching exercises while the camera is off.
4. Create interaction and engagement by organizing a quiz or competition with a prize. This will make people ‘eager’ and it will be a fun addition to the content of your event.
5. Invite inspiring guests or speakers to your online event. The quality of your virtual event hosts is just as important (if not more so) than it is for in-person events. Your speakers need to be confident in front of the camera and enjoy being online. They should be energetic, entertaining, and be able to hold the attention of the (virtual) room.

These are my 5 top tips to keep your audience engaged during a virtual event. I hope you found these online event tips useful.

Are you looking for someone to plan your webinar, or need a host to help your next virtual event happen smoothly and make an impact with your attendees? Get in touch with me for a virtual cup of coffee and hear how I can help you!