Rethinking your corporate events during COVID-19

By Ángela Colón |

Ángela Colón shows how COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of corporate communication.

COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of corporate communication. We have adapted from connecting with our coworkers at the office to hosting online video calls. In terms of event planning, “the $1.5 trillion global business event industry has seen events either closed, rescheduled, or gone virtual since COVID-19.”. In this scenario, it is important to reconsider how to host your events and develop a strategy that adapts to your business needs and which helps you reach your intended audience. Here are some tips into how to adapt your event planning strategy into the COVID-19 context.

1. Consider the best platform that adapts to your goals

There are several tools to host your events like Zoom, Skype, Facebook Live, Instagram Live and Google Hangouts. The tool you choose to use depends on the nature of your audience and the way you want to engage with them. For example, some cosmetic companies like to use Instagram Live to engage with their audiences. This is because they have a large number of followers in their accounts so that they can reach a greater number of people when hosting an event. “Most livestreams show comments and attendees in real-time. And some, like Instagram, make it possible for you to go live with a friend—a good option for a Q&A or co-presentation,” says freelance writer and editor Katie Sehl. In other cases, Zoom can be your best ally. This platform allows you to host webinars and meetings. The webinar option might be more suitable for giving a conference and a presentation to the public. On the other hand, the meetings are more focused on interactive relations and engagement. Think about Zoom meetings as a way to host your networking events and create conversations with your audience.

2. Always strive for audience engagement, even if the event is online

Digital meetings can also be fun and dynamic! Here is where you can start considering coming up with a poll, start a Q&A session, divide your session into breakout rooms and make the participants interact! Engagement is a fundamental part of your event since the level of participation may influence the number of attendees to your next event. So, keep in mind the importance of engagement. In the case of Zoom, “participants can now react during a meeting by sending a thumbs up or clapping hands to communicate their excitement without interrupting the presentation,” says Kristen Klein, manager, customer marketing at Zoom Video Communications. As for Facebook Live or Instagram Live, you can encourage engagement by having a Q&A session or asking for feedback at the end of an event. There are many online tools you can use to create a survey and ask your audience how they liked your livestreamed event.

3. Keep it short

It is important to consider that online events have a major limiting factor: the screen. “Digital events cannot be as long as in-person summits because most people will not have the mental bandwidth to sit in front of a screen for seven or eight hours,” mentions freelance journalist Jonathan Greig. If your event has many speakers or is big, you need to consider distributing the event in parallel sessions so that the participants can join the session they are interested in and deepen their engagement.

4. Promote the event

One final and important recommendation for your event planning strategy during COVID-19 is to promote your event online. Maybe you were doing this before the pandemic started. our website and platforms like Eventbrite won’t be sufficient to get the level of audience you are looking for. Work on your digital strategy, do some posts on social media, create some nice graphics and tell your audience why they should join your event. Since the event will be digital, try to always include something attractive (e.g. engagement opportunity, Q&A session, interactive session). Get creative! Always remember: online can be fun and dynamic!