Virtual Events

Considering a Virtual Event?
Our staff is your partner in planning.

Many of our speakers are available for remote or “virtual” events—which might be an ideal solution to consider when planning your event, as often there is some flexibility on speaking fees and extended travel and accommodations expenses are rare.

Our staff is here to help construct the best possible event—virtual or in-person. In order to take full advantage of the virtual format, we have a few recommendations:

Make the event unique to your organization. 
With the influx of free content now online, it’s important to distinguish your event from other videos available. Program format is key—we find that a conversation between the speaker and a dynamic local host allows for a variety of topics important to your organization to be covered, and makes for a more engaging overall experience for your viewers. 

Choose a platform that fits the needs of your event. 
There are many virtual platforms to consider and costs for each vary. It’s worth checking out options before making your decision—Zoom Webinar, Crowdcast, Web Ex, Extended Session, and All in the Loop are a few of the platforms we find our partner organizations have had success using. Ultimately the decision will depend on the needs and budget of your organization, and our staff is happy to offer additional input based on our experience.

Determine if you’d like the event to happen live or pre-recorded. 
There’s a certain excitement around watching an event happen live in real-time, though considering pre-recording the event can minimize the possibility of technical glitches along the way. In either case, we recommend a pre-event rehearsal session so that the speaker, host, and organization’s staff are on the same page about what to expect the day of the event. 

What about Q & A’s with viewers? 
While Q & A’s in a virtual setting present their own unique challenges, most platforms offer some solutions—whether that is to have audience members “raise their hands” or enabling a chat feature during this portion of the event. Another solution we recommend is asking for questions from viewers the week before the event, which not only offers an opportunity to remind viewers of the upcoming date and details, but allows time for the host to review questions in advance to choose the best as they relate to your program specifically. 

If you’d like to have an in-depth planning session with one of our staff, please complete the “Request Fees and Availability” form found on each speaker’s page or our contact page, and indicate that you would like more information about a virtual event.