The previous two years have brought in several significant changes in the way we perceive information, the way we carry out things, and basically everything. There has not been any sector that didn’t get affected by the adversities that the last two years brought. One such industry was the global event industry. However, left with no other choice, the organizers used the existing sources efficiently and came up with the concept of virtual event with an online meeting platform.
What are Virtual Meetings?
One can define virtual meetings simply as the meetings that happen online. The organizers require a virtual meeting platform, suitable equipment, and a stable internet connection to host a virtual meeting. It is to note that the only point that differentiates online meetings from their in-person counterparts is the mode of hosting. Where physical meetings and events are conducted in-person, their online coequals are hosted over the internet.
Virtual events come as an extraordinary option for companies that are dispersed all across the world. Not only this, online events have emerged as a savior for every professional during recent times.
What are Some Key Features of an Online Meeting Platform?
- Customization:
Now that different types of organizations have started to host meetings online, they have understood the needs and features that their brand demands. However, having a platform that meets the requirements of all the businesses is hard to find. But what you can have is a solution that meets every organization’s condition. The most efficient Online Meeting Platforms are customizable; It allows the organizers to design and add elements as they want. Having this feature in a virtual event platform helps the organizers with effective branding and enhances their reach.
- One-Stop Solution:
Though virtual events are easier and quicker to host, they require the same kind of planning and brainstorming. To host a physical event, you need a venue and other requirements such as logistics, caterers, and more. However, in the case of virtual events, everything gets replaced by an efficient virtual event platform. While choosing a platform, make sure the web solution is an all-in-one solution for the organizers.
Having a platform with all the features required to host an immersing web meeting will enable the host to save money, time, energy, and effort. Otherwise, they will keep juggling between two three platforms that will affect the success of their event.
- Easy Accessibility:
Another significant feature that makes a virtual event platform stand apart from the rest of the crowd is how easily accessible it is. We live in a fast-paced world, where every second matters. Since everything is so easily accessible, we don’t even wish to use things that require much effort. The same thing goes with virtual event platforms.
If the virtual event service provider requires the attendees to brainstorm their minds to join the meeting, nobody will bother themselves to do so. Along with this, bear in mind that not everyone is technically sound. Hence, ideally, a virtual event solution is easily accessible and doesn’t need advanced knowledge to join an event.
Also, if you are looking for a virtual meeting solution, make sure it is multi-device accessible. Having all these features in a single platform makes it the best option to host web meetings.
- Audience Engagement and Networking Tools:
People find attending online meetings boring and tiresome, and rightly so. It is because of the improper planning of the organizers. They don’t spend enough time looking for a web solution, and as a result, it affects their audience engagement rates. But, several platforms come with some innovative features to keep the attendees hooked to their screens; it helps the organizers maintain a constant audience engagement rate throughout the event. Several tools that make virtual meetings interesting are audio/video calls, live chat, live polls, surveys, Q&A sessions.
Also, most of the attendees join an event to interact with different minds and communicate with them. While it is easier to do so in the case of physical events, it gets a bit challenging with virtual ones. But, again, some expert platforms come with avant-garde networking tools, which enable the audience to communicate with fellow attendees and have one-on-one interaction.
- Real-Time Analytics:
One of the most prominent advantages of virtual events over their physical equivalents is that they allow the organizers to collect real-time analytics. While it is not possible to keep a check on the attendees’ activities in a physical event, it gets easier in Virtual Town Hall Meetings with an efficient virtual event solution.
This feature enables them to get an insight into the in-event audience engagement activity and data. This data is of significant importance to them; the reason being, it lets them analyze the impact of their strategies and measure the success of their event. Not only this, with Real-Time Analytics, the organizers get an idea as to how they should plan their upcoming strategies.
- Security:
As a host, you would never want to compromise with the security of your attendees. If the attendees trust you with their confidential information, you should also keep it by maintaining the privacy of the data. The thing that can help you with this is a highly secure online meeting platform that is safe from online threats such as hacking and data leakage.
Hence, another factor that makes a platform efficient is its security levels and commitments towards its users’ safety. A platform with guaranteed security will make it a reliable and credible source for its users, enabling the organizers to expand their brand reach.
- Pre-Recording:
There are two modes of streaming a virtual event; pre-recorded and live. The type of content that the organizers want to deliver to the audience depends on them. Though both the formats have their benefits, they have their own limitations as well. While the live events have higher audience engagement rates, the pre-recorded events are filtered. Hence, an ideal platform comes with both modes that let the organizers deliver events according to their needs and demands.
- Top-Notch Sponsorship Options:
Last but not least, an efficient virtual online meeting platform should come with captivating sponsorship features. Everyone knows how big of a role sponsorship plays in the execution of any event. However, a sponsor will invest in an event only in case of benefit. If an event is not providing it enough visibility and branding opportunities, they will pull themselves out of it.
Hence, an efficient platform provides features like Dynamic Banner Functionality; it allows the attendees to get in touch with sponsors directly. This feature enables the sponsor brands to increase their brand engagement.
While hosting virtual events, the biggest challenge that lies ahead of the organizers is selecting an efficient platform. The features in the above mentioned Virtual Meeting Guide are the ones that make a platform the most suitable to host web events. While looking for a online meeting platform, ensure it has all the features we have discussed.
