A Smooth Transition to Digital, by Leslie Bailey

A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO DIGITAL

3 steps to launching events that will be valuable even when face-to-face returns By Leslie Bailey

When planning for annual events, planners and coordinators know what to expect: venue contracts, session topics, attendance sizes, sponsor activations and other year-after-year items on our to-do lists. But what about the afterthoughts, the nice-to-have, maybe-we-can-fitthem-in-the-budget components that are discussed but lack a follow-up conversation?

Digital and hybrid events have often fit into the latter category, but they have catapulted to the top priority for every organization as COVID-19 forces cancellations and postponements of inperson gatherings. What can you do to shift your mindset and prepare for a digital-first engagement strategy? There are many best practices to help lead you on a digital path that’s right for you, your organization and most importantly, your audience. As you get started, consider these three key steps.

Consider the interactions that are most likely to engage your audience. Would a chat suffice for interaction during a session, or will they engage with polls as well?

1. GET READY TO GET FAST The planning and production timeline for a digital event is much shorter than a physical event. While knowing that you have less time to plan may make you hesitant to include a digital event, it shouldn’t. Put simply, digital elements are quicker to create and build, especially with assistance from a digital event provider. In addition, a digital event’s tasks and elements, such as speaker rehearsals, vitual expo halls and sponsor activations, can be more flexible with scheduling and keeping to said schedule.

2. TAP EXISTING TALENT TO DRIVE YOUR DIGITAL STRATEGY While it may not be obvious in the beginning phases of implementing a digital event, many of the members who are already on your staff can be utilized. For example, an education coordinator could be tasked with gathering speaker and session content, while scheduling rehearsal and live day times. A client services manager could be tasked with collecting sponsor content for booths or activations, while at the same time, coaching sponsor representatives on how best to leverage the networking opportunities within their space on the live event day(s). Right now, all the staff members at any organization are looking for ways to stay relevant and do what they can to ensure that their organizations survive and come out ahead. Think adaptively and keep everyone involved, and you’ll uncover more skillsets than were noticeable or acknowledged before.

3. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Gathering insights into the technology-knowledge level of your audience can be very useful when designing your digital event environment. Consider the interactions and session formats that are most likely to engage them. Would a chat suffice for interaction during a session, or will they engage with polls as well? Are they likely to stick around for an endof-day happy hour in order to chat and share ideas? Will they want multiple resources available for download? These are some questions to ask during your planning phase so that you can execute on them seamlessly in the production phase. A smooth experience for participants is a key factor for all digital events, but it’s especially vital in the initial stages as it sets the tone and expectations for them.

All things must come to an end, and this challenging time will not be around forever. But do not expect business as usual. The next chapter of business relies on your organization’s ability to engage an audience online. When business does start to pick up and the world begins to move again, digital events should be incorporated into your overall event strategy. So many of us have learned that sharpening our understanding of digital events and our skillsets can arm organizations against further unforeseeable circumstances that could arise. There’s a global community of digital event strategists eager to share ideas, learn from others and further innovation within numerous industries. Don’t you want to join them?

PCMA Education Manager Leslie Bailey is a part of the strategic planning and production team that live streams the PCMA Convening Leaders face-to-face event. She is also responsible for the content creation of the DEI webinars, as well as being the facilitator of the Digital Event Strategist online course. Bailey has over 10 years of digital event experience from both the planner and producer sides, giving her insights into all aspects of planning and producing a digital event.