As the “new normal” becomes the “standard,” we have all become masters at Zoom calls, virtual meetings, webinars, online events, and many other digital events. It’s been over half a year now since virtual events became commonplace and there are many mistakes we have made, but many more lessons we have learned. Here are our most important lessons learned and how they can be applied by meeting professionals moving forward:

Recorded Content Provides Reassurance

As much as we miss the “live” part of in-person events, virtual events offer us innovative options. We have found that pre-recording of the presentations give the presenters more liberty over how they want their content to be presented and alleviates the pressure of having to do the presentation live. By choosing to do pre-recorded content, presenters can focus on putting the best version of their content and providing valuable information to the attendee more effectively.

Be Strict About Your Deadlines

The liberty that virtual events give people is invaluable. However, this same freedom can play against you as an event planner. Sticking to a deadline to receive content or information regarding presenters will help you maintain a manageable schedule and will prevent you from having to chase down presenters at the last minute. Being strict about your deadlines ensures that everything during your virtual event will go over smoothly.

Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse!

There is no reason why you should skip rehearsals in live events, and it’s the same for virtual events! Setting time aside for rehearsals with your team and presenters will ensure that, much like sticking to a deadline, everything will go smoothly. Treat your virtual events as you would your live events.

Don’t Be Afraid to Invest in a Production Team

Although there’s no lights or stage, it still pays off to have a dedicated production team. Having someone whose sole job is to make sure your event runs smoothly from the technical side will always be needed regardless of your event’s nature. To that same point, invest in technical support for your chosen platform. It provides reassurance that attendees will be taken care of as they navigate and attend the event.

We, much like everyone else, continue to learn throughout this unprecedented process. We here at Zenevent have found ways to streamline the transformation of live events into virtual events and take these lessons to heart for each event as we continue to bring new solutions to the event industry.