What are some effective ways to build and maintain an online presence in the Live Events industry?

I’d agree with that. Better to go hard and deep on one is two platforms specific to your niche than wide and shallow on anything and everything. LinkedIn + Instagram seem to be the picks for me

Figure out which ONE platform the majority of your potential clients are on and go deep, not wide. For me, the natural voice was LinkedIn, as its B2B. And post consistently. Consistence beats commitment every time.

Before looking to other platforms, any professional does well to build a website that accurately portrays them. Because we are all speaking to different audiences at once (e.g., employers, sub-contractors, fans, talent, etc.), a website easily accommodates what might otherwise seem like a multi personality disorder. From this central location, the professional can then more easily identify which platforms best suit their different audiences. Some examples include, -LinkedIn is ideal for speaking with colleagues. -Quora provides plenty of runway to earn street cred in areas of expertise. -Google, YouTube, and Amazon are search engines that torque up your energy.

Selecting the right platform is key! Evaluate different platforms based on your requirements, budget, technical capabilities, and audience preferences. Consider platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToWebinar, YouTube Live, Twitch, or specialised event platforms like Brella, or Eventbrite.

In my experience, Having a dedicated social media page for your business/event property works very well. Regular posts with event updates or just general information/news helps in engaging your audience and keep them hooked. This also helps with impressions and may result in adding organic followers to your pages & events. Sending email communication with event updates and frequent reminders on the same.

There are no shortcuts to earning a reputation. In fact, the path traverses a warzone laden with landmines. One of the worst ways to try and break through enemy lines is on a bandwagon. Do not follow the crowd; unlike zebras, people become better targets in a herd. Fads come and go, and they take their followers with them. Always focus on what you know; get nerdy about it. Engage in friendly, healthy debates with other nerds about the nerdy details. Believe it or not, this is highly entertaining to many (e.g., Big Bang Theory). And what is show biz about, if not entertainment? Invite colleagues into your spaces, and perhaps the invitation will be returned. In this way, you get to choose the people with whom you are compared.

Creating valuable content and maintaining an online presence during live events are crucial aspects that can significantly enhance engagement, reach, and overall success. You need to: - Develop a strategy - Understand your audience - Optimise online presence

Creating unique and valuable content is always the key to success in live events. You’ll have to find out what is unique in your content and focus onto that it will keep you audience engaged into your live event.

To create content that is relevant, engaging, and useful for your audience, you need to understand their needs, interests, and preferences. Here are some tips to help you generate such content: Know your audience: Conduct research and create buyer personas to gain a deep understanding of your target audience. Determine their demographics, interests, pain points, and goals to tailor your content accordingly. Address their pain points: Identify the challenges and problems your audience faces and provide content that offers solutions and valuable insights. This could be in the form of how-to guides, tutorials, case studies, or expert advice. Bob Fickling

Managing transportation for a corporate event with multiple locations can be challenging, but with careful planning and coordination, it can be done effectively. Here are some of the best ways to manage transportation for such an event: Assess transportation needs: Determine the number of attendees, their locations, and the distances between the different event venues. This will help you understand the scale of transportation required and whether you need to arrange for shuttle buses, car rentals, or other means of transport. Hire a professional transportation company: Consider partnering with a professional transportation company that specializes in corporate events. Bob Fickling

On this note, your reputation is the most important currency in terms of live events. A truism in the live sound industry is “your last gig is your resume”, because you will get more gigs (as crew) from word of mouth over any other source. You may have a bad night or have a bad show and it may not be your fault, but you will never get further outside work from a bad night. On that note, always try to lift others up because you are more likely to get further work if you are good to be around. On a tour, you’ll get hired to be a roommate with a crew working 20 hour days and 80 or 100 hour weeks, but also to be able to do your job. The first bit is more important.

Building relationships is critical - almost every job I’ve ever gotten was because I knew somebody. This is why knowing HOW to build a relationship is so important too! To paraphrase JFK: “Ask not what the relationship can do for you; ask what you can do for the relationship”. Don’t go into a relationship asking for something; instead, go in with a plan to help the other person (even if it’s just “can I buy you a cup of coffee?”!) and establish the connection FIRST. Once there’s an actual connection with a human being (and not just the position they hold), you’ll stand a much better chance of success in asking for the sale, etc.

LinkedIn is an excellent digital location to make first contact with other professionals. Barring a few exceptions, the platform hosts legitimate professionals with sincere interest in furthering their careers. Like any other pool, the more people you connect with, the greater likelihood of finding other talent that compliments your projects. Attend online webinars with hosts and/or guests with whom you'd like to work. Like conferences and other live events, webinars are a great chance to get someone's email. Follow up by sending a thank you email, and don't ask for anything (yet). When you do go in for the ask, make sure you can explain how your proposal benefits the other person. Trust is built on exchange.

"It's not what you know, it's who you know." Cliche? Sure. But there's a lot of truth in that statement. Every time I've networked and got into communities, I learned just how little I know relative to some other folks. I also learned what kinds of unique skills and perspectives I bring to the table. Building relationships forces you to grow. It puts your ideas into the market. It makes you better at everything you do. In events, your clients and customers are *STICKY*. There are companies who haven't switched vendors or locations for decades. If you win their hearts, you'll win their wallets.

Don't just post and create content when you have downtime, then go silent when you're busy. In fact, you need to post more when you're busy. You have more ideas (client experiences) that you can share to prove you know what you're doing. When you do get busy, leverage automation. Build a "Greatest Hits" list that you can bump or remix when you're busy.

Consistency is the true benchmark for competency; success without repetition is a dead end. It takes a tremendous amount of work to compile a decent resume, portfolio, etc. When prompted, Google spits out a list of the 100 Most Influential People of the Millennium, of which most died old. Concentrating on being the best at what you do is the surest way to gradually and continually grow your reputation and sphere of influence. Slow and steady wins the race ;)

Consistency is key. Maintaining consistency and a strong online presence during live events is crucial for building brand awareness, engaging your audience, and maximizing the impact of your efforts.

An online presence takes time. Unless you nail your hooks, content, pictures, and have an established network, your first few posts probably won't go viral. And that's okay. I found I had to post for almost a year before I got the feedback I needed to change direction. Every so often, take a look at who's engaging with your posts. Is it your target audience? Is it your competitors? Also look at what's getting re-shared to other people's networks (on LinkedIn - a reshare is huge. It's massive social proof for people outside your network).

The bottom line is the bottom line ("A is A," AR). Is your bait getting more nibbles? Is your net increasing? Campaigns need time, but how long does it take to know whether or not an idea/strategy/campaign is working? It takes exactly as long as it takes you to get fed up with not getting paid for your efforts. This is why an exit strategy needs to written into every initiative. Ask yourself in the early planning phase, "What if it fails?" And take a look at that hypothetical scenario. Where are the exits, and how do you get out gracefully? Giving consideration to failure allows you to manage it and learn from it, as opposed to being vulnerable to it. Every failure is a blessing, as it eliminates the bad ideas from the pile of good ones.

Be honest and helpful. It seems obvious and simple, but being trustworthy and helpful ensures you are top of mind as someone people turn to for help and advice, or to whom people refer their colleagues when they need help.

Building and maintaining an online presence in the live events industry requires strategic planning, consistent effort, and engagement with your target audience.