Allseated 2022 Virtual Event Guide
Creating meaningful virtual events boils down to two things:
1. Clear, detailed understanding of client needs
2. Virtual event technology solutions that meet those needs
Welcome to the Allseated’s 2022 Virtual Event Guide.
When COVID hit in 2020, it forced the events industry to rethink why it produces events and how to deliver events. Virtual events, hybrid events, traditional events. There’s been a lot of discussion about how these events are different from one another, but at the end of the day, events are events. The difference is simply in how their delivered. And to be fair, in the beginning, there wasn’t much virtual events could offer compared to being on site at a traditional event. That said, virtual event technology has evolved and, if using the right technology partner, virtual events provide comparable experiences to their traditional, on-site counterparts.
Which technology solution is best for delivering virtual events? It’s an important question, but the more important question event professionals need to answer first is: Why do we produce events?
What are events for?
“Before the pandemic, events had not changed in three decades, but people had changed. We were still shoving hundreds of thousands of people into ballrooms, into backyards, or into convention centers, and just making them look at stuff. We made events about us as the events industry, not about the experiences that our attendees were going to have,” Chief Imaginary at The Event Nerd, Damany Daniel explained in an Allseated Exchange Podcast episode. “We were still saying, we’re the most important part of your life. Separate from all the things you’re doing and hang out with us. And now the world says, no…. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Perspectives are changing. It’s no longer about having events for the sake of having events. Now, events are about addressing client needs, offering opportunities for shared experiences.
Understanding client needs should be the first priority. Tim Simpson, Brand & Engagement Chief Strategist – Maritz Global Events, said during an Allseated Exchange Podcast episode.
“Let’s go back to answering a fundamental question, which is: What am I using my experiences for? Planners, strategists, organizations, whatever, are not asking the question. They should be asking: what am I actually using the experiences for, should I be using them for, and will I be using them for going forward? Instead, people are looking at their organizations, their bottom or top lines, their objectives. They really should be saying: Hey, our people have likely changed their wants, needs. Their preferences have changed. So, let’s ask the question so that we can understand that and apply it to what we’re actually using the experiences for. Then, talk tools and strategies,” Simpson advises.
“Understanding is the core of design thinking. Looking at examples of client engagements that I’ve done over the last several years, 60 to 70% of the time is spent understanding [client needs]. Product innovators, product marketers, or designers – think about the product life cycle. It starts with an identified need. It doesn’t start always with an idea, but even if it does start with an idea, the idea comes from a perceived pain point or opportunity. Understand needs first,” he suggests.
Dahlia El Gazzar, Founder of Dahlia Plus Agency, echoes the sentiment in another installment of the Allseated Exchange Podcast. “It’s realizing that it’s not only about a virtual platform, but you also need to know event participants to personalize their experience…. answer the question: How are you going to tailor events, content, and experiences to your attendees?”
Consuming passive content has given way to people sharing experiences. Increasingly now, events are about understanding needs and providing corresponding experiences. Whether delivered on-site, virtually or in a hybrid scenario, for events to succeed, participants must feel, connect, and experience together. Events are about discovering common ground, building trust, creating mutually beneficial relationships. After identifying participant wants and needs, it’s time to find a delivery solution.
Find the right virtual events software platform.
Don’t just throw something together and hope it works. Do your homework. Find a solution that delivers what you, your partners and your audience need.
Not all virtual event software providers are created equal. With the arrival of the pandemic, traditional, on-site events disappeared overnight. Figuring out how to deliver events virtually presented an unprecedented new challenge. The limited technology available at the time fell short. The only option was basic video conferencing. Virtual events couldn’t come close to providing the in-person experiences people were missing. The trouble was, no technology specifically designed for the events industry existed. Virtual event technology had to be created from scratch.
For virtual events, most technology providers (commonly tech start-ups resulting from the pandemic) primarily provide apps that broadcast content. The apps offer passive content with text-based chat. They feel more like a conference call than an event. Additionally, these technology providers are coming from other areas outside of the events industry. A few software providers can meet some, but not all needs.
For additional requirements, they point clients to other vendors. Or software vendors aren’t providing tools specifically designed for the events industry. They’re cobbling together different pieces of software intended for other purposes. The result winds up being a huge project management headache, often with pricing dramatically increasing, and you still can’t deliver the experience your participants expect.
“Some current and evolving technology allows these different players to create truly immersive, interactive experiences that bring people together across different platforms and tools. Moreover, you’re exponentially expanding your audience and creating conversations. You’re connecting people that, otherwise, would never have met,” David Adler, chairman and founder of BizBash, said in a recent Allseated Exchange Podcast episode.
EXVO by Allseated provides a flexible all-in-one solution to deliver virtual events.
Give organizers, stakeholders and participants what they want. Offer the same things people love about traditional on-site events. Deliver the experience virtually.
For 10 years, Allseated has served the events industry providing industry-leading event planning, design, and delivery tools to support on-site, virtual, and hybrid event delivery strategies. Backed by years of research and collaboration with events industry insiders, Allseated’s virtual event platform EXVO is built by events professional for events professionals. Known for taking user feedback seriously and evolving with the market. Allseated created EXVO, to provide the in-person experience in virtual events.
“Before the pandemic, there was no software specifically designed for the events industry. The concept of virtual events within Allseated was something our developers had on the road map but needed to escalate to market years in advance to meet the needs of the pandemic world,” Allseated’s Director of Marketing, Meredith Vogel says.
Think of EXVO as your in-person event’s digital twin. EXVO offers a 1-to-1 representation of a physical venue in a 3D virtual space. Accurately duplicate an existing physical space down to the smallest detail or create a unique space that’s all your own. If you can imagine it, you can create it in EXVO.
Stakeholders (hosts, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees) interact naturally. Explore the floor, listen to speakers, browse exhibits, and network one-on-one or in groups. Connect through live video to accelerate trust and conversion. Easily expand to a global audience. Enjoy an in-person experience in a fully customizable, branded, monetizable, virtual environment.
Choose from a variety of venue model, floorplan, small room, and speaker stage options. Add digital branding such as live or on-demand media activations, multimedia hosting, and sponsor signage. Integrate client-provided content including live stream, video, and slide shows. Connect and share with 1-on-1 and group conversation, group chat, and instant messaging. Understand participants with real-time critical data. EXVO includes a user-friendly interface and 24/7 live chat support:
· Help organizers plan, design and deliver events more quickly, creatively and cost-effectively
· Give stakeholders worthwhile returns on their investments with multiple interactive branding options to help attendees gain deeper connection to stakeholders’ brands
· Allow participants to discover and engage naturally in an intuitive, self-guided experience where they can choose where to go, who to talk to, and the content that’s important to them.
Compare Basic Virtual Event Platforms to EXVO by Allseated
The Metaverse is here. Your space is waiting.
Described as the next iteration of the Internet, the Metaverse is already here. It’s redefining how we do and experience everything.
While well-known companies like Facebook and Microsoft have been talking about the Metaverse, the Metaverse has already been in the works through Allseated, according to Forbes.
With the versatility of its platform, in addition to virtual events, Allseated is expanding EXVO’s use to provide spaces in the metaverse to support enterprise-level corporate needs. Create the perfect space to support brands and products. Deliver interactive custom content for internal and external audiences. Explore, engage, and work together through shared in-person experiences. Collaborate on R&D. Support human resources and internal training. Demonstrate products and accelerating sales. EXVO provides space in the Metaverse to build a unique brand experience for potential and current customers, partners, and internal teams.
Whether you’re looking for the best virtual event technology to deliver an event or you’re ready to claim your corporate Metaverse space, EXVO by Allseated has your solution. Learn more.
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