Virtual Event Planner – How to Select One for Your Event

Hosting a virtual event is not a simple task. It takes a lot of efforts to pull off a successful event. You have to make sure the arrangements are proper and are according to the requirements. Still, there are lots of things to manage, and because of which the chances of errors are always high. So that is why many people go to professionals to organise their event.

These event professionals make our life much easier. They make sure that all the necessary arrangements are made according to clients’ needs. And everything is in the correct order. This helps you to focus on other things and not just on the preparations.

But since the past few months, almost all the events have either cancelled or postponed. And not everyone affords to cancel their event for them stakes are too high. So what can they do? How can they host their event without disobeying the government’s guidelines. The answer is to move your event to the digital medium, host a virtual event.

But there is another problem, just like physical events, not everyone can host a virtual event by themselves. They need assistance, a professional one. So, what can they do? Simple, hire a virtual event planner.

But what is a virtual event planner? And how to select the right planner? Let’s look at the answer to these questions one by one.

Virtual Event Planner

A virtual event planner is an agency or a company that helps you to organise a virtual event. Just like physical event planner, virtual event planners are also professionals. And are well-versed about the medium in which they are working.

A digital medium is new for many people, while not all people are fully versed with the medium. And that is where a virtual event planner comes. They combine their speciality in both event management and virtual event technology. A virtual event planner can decide the most appropriate solutions for your event needs. And can provide you with optimum results. So moving forward to the next question, how to select the right event planner. Let’s find out.

Selecting the Right Virtual Event Planner

1. Solution for Your Event

The first thing you need is to discuss with a virtual event planner is what you are looking for. It means you need to tell them what kind of event you want to host – is it a meeting? Conference? Trade show? Or a private event? Then you need to disclose the requirements of your event. How many people will be attending? What activities will be happening at the event? And so on.

Once you are assured that the planner can organise the desired event, you can move ahead with the next question.

2. Experience and Portfolio

Unlike a regular event planner, a virtual event planner should possess expertise in both event and digital industry. To test this, ask the planner about his/her experience. How many events did they organise in the past? And out of them, how many were virtual ones?

Also, you need to ask the scale of the events they organised in the past and their previous projects. How were their clients? Is their portfolio diverse? And most importantly, what type of those events were? Did they organise any event previously that was similar to yours?

Once you get all your answers, you need to ask for client’s reviews or testimonials. These reviews/testimonials will act as the parameter of the quality of their work.

3. Budget 

After finding the experience and reliability of the event planner, you need to discuss the budget for your event. For this, prepare a list of required arrangements and services. Now compare your list with the price charged by the planner. Here you both need to be careful. The event planner might quote a very high price. Or your offer can be too low for the services you need. So you both need to be on the same page. For smooth negotiation, we would suggest you do some research. Look how much a virtual event planner charges for their service on average. Or what is the estimated cost of organising a similar level of event and so on.

This research will give you an idea for how much money is needed for the event. Or what should be the ideal budget? Also, you will have a meaningful conversation while discussing the budget.

4. Engagement Features

Now that you are discussing the budget, you need to ask for features available at the virtual event platform/software. Besides, the most crucial are those that help in audience engagement.

Remember the audience’s experience will decide the success of your event. And this experience depends upon the features offered by the virtual event platform/software. Also, it is easy to get distracted in a virtual event. So, look for innovative features to excite your audience. Some of these features are Gamification, Social Wall, Leaderboard, AR photobooth and many more. Simple features like Live polls, chatting options and surveys are also necessary, like other unique features.

5. Networking Tools

Networking is very essential when it comes to virtual events. Often people are looking for new potential connections in different events. And this expectation increases with the virtual event. Because here, you can expand your network by simply chatting with people. This makes it easier for those people who are not comfortable in the crowd. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to attract more people to your event.

We would suggest tools like AI Matchmaking, Networking tables, 2-way interaction, B2B meeting scheduler and more.

6. Security

Many people are these days concerned about their privacy in the digital world. Security of their data is vital for them. This concern may prevent them from registering for your event. So, make sure the virtual events platform/ software used by the event planner is secure. Ask for basic security measures like a 2-step login system and data encryption.

7. Tech Support

The last thing that is left is the support. Ask your event planner about the support they will provide you. Is it for common problems or for technical ones? And what is the backup for technical issues? Or how they are going to deal with such an issue? And so on. Make sure you get maximum support from the event planner or the virtual events platform team.

We hope that this article will help you in selecting the right virtual event planner. Share your thoughts on virtual events? Would you prefer to hire a virtual event planner or only the virtual events platform?