The virtual meeting season is in demand right now! Many invitations are coming in via email or posts on social media. This year it’s a little different. Rather than having a long-time preparation trying to find a reasonable and good place to have your presentation, you’ll be using your laptop or computer as your main stage.
For many, this is often going to be exhausting because of the significant learning curve. Virtual events are harder to follow and have interaction with.
To assist you, we’ve created an inventory of best practices that may facilitate your preparation for any online event you’ve selected to attend this year or for the near future.
Set your purpose
To get the most out of your online event, you want to have a purpose. That way, you’ll be more likely to realize something from the experience.
You can ask yourself, what do you want to achieve? Some examples could be:
* Get a business opportunity
* Learn more about the most recent algorithm update
* Discover ways to extend efficiency within your SEO processes
* To become assured in marketing your services
Schedule all the meetings
Many events will provide you with their schedules prior time — be at liberty to put them in order.
These schedules can facilitate your appearance at the conference with a clear mind of how you’re going to spend the time. Entering with a clear mind will allow you to concentrate on the content of the event and your intentions day by day, as opposed to frantically trying to choose what sessions you’re attending.
Choosing your conferences
Once you choose what your goals are and you’ve got the event timetable, rummage around for what’s going to have the most beneficial content for you. This will be especially helpful when the event has multiple tracks, only a few break times, etc.
When you are selecting your session, it’ll come to the method of elimination, and it’s much easier to eliminate sessions once you have some form of a goal in mind.
Things you must consider when choosing sessions are:
* The topic
* The speaker
* The time
* The provision of on-demand videos post-conference
Your goal is also widening your prospect this year, so rather than choosing presentations with the identical topic or speakers that you just attended last year, you’ll have an opportunity to see someone new, confer something, but haven’t had time to find, among others. If they will be available after the conference, try to look at the topics you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Building a network connection
Another thing you wish to grasp when planning your virtual event agenda is when you’re visiting the network. Some conferences will take time to create a connection, but others don’t.
You need to dedicate a time to meet attendees through conversations and adding them on social media.
This can be different within the virtual setup, as you’ll not be meeting for coffee or chatting within the hall. However, we’ve got lots of applications like Zoom, WhatsApp, etc. which are countless ways to connect with our old friends.
Review the subject at the end of the day
At the end of the day, take a while to review. Reminisce about what your goal was. What you probably did throughout the day to meet your goal may be an opportunity to move forward. This can be an excellent practice to confirm you’re making the most out of the event.
Gather the essentials
Okay, it’s the first day of the conference and you’re close to breaking your computer. BUT! Before you do that, you wish to make sure you have got everything you would like to achieve success.
Grab a clean piece of notepad
Having clean paper for notes will help you stay focused and motivated while attending any virtual conference. So, grab a brand-new notebook before starting a conference. Always ensure that your attention stays on the conference.
Taking down notes during a virtual conference
With that new pad of paper, you’ll wish to form the most effective notes.
Here are some things to write down in your note.
* What you learned
* How will you be able to apply it
* What are you able to share with your team
Make sure that you’re on the right track to capture all the ideas from each session. At the top of your notes, write your goal in all caps. This is so you’ll become more motivated to be in the session. Besides that, create a column where you’ll be able to take down “what you absorbed”, “how you’ll use it in your daily routine” and “what you’ll be able to share with your team”. This would keep your notes pleasant and arranged. At the end of the day, it’ll become easier for you to review all the ideas you bought from the session.
Take your break to get some snacks, water, or tea
Be sure to have a lot of water and your favorite caffeinated beverage as well!
When you are in front of your computer observing and listening to the speaker for a while, you will feel or thirsty even though you’re not the one who’s talking. However, you’ll absorb that data, thus you would like some energy to remain focused. Some snacks you can have donuts, nuts, and bittersweet chocolate bars.
Time to show up
You’re almost there! The only thing left to do is show up. Virtual events can be hard to attend especially if you know that after the event, the content will be available. You will gain a lot from being part of the virtual event. So, what are you waiting for? Show up and enjoy viewing!