Quick turnarounds from live to virtual events.

As many of us are, you may be facing the challenge of trying to quickly turn a cancelled live event into a virtual replacement at the last moment. Unlike face-to-face events which require logistics such as travel, accommodations, event space, refreshments and banquet, virtual events have fewer parts, but they are just as challenging. This checklist helps you decide if you can do a virtual version:

• Have you already distributed your collateral printed materials?
• Can you make any and all support information available on-line as well?
• Are you able to alter your agenda to fit a virtual flow?
• Do you have access to a top flight virtual system at a reasonable cost?
• Are any of your support staff capable of coordinating all the technical details with the supplier/vendor?
• Do you have the systems in place to handle a very high bandwidth demand over several hours or even days?
• Do you have adequate recording set ups?
• Have you consulted with your speakers about their participation?
• Have you developed and offered sponsorship and advertising alternatives to your exhibitors?
• How are you going to keep accurate statistics for the event?

Once you have adequately answered the above questions and are ready to move forward, here are some steps to a successful virtual replacement event:

1. Immediately announce the change to a virtual event on your website. (Make sure you delineate the benefits and anticipated outcomes).
2. Communicate the situation via email and social networking to all registered attendees plus every member of your potential attendee group. (Some folks who were not planning to attend in person may now decide to do so on-line)
3. Offer a special "Virtual Pricing" which reflects the altered circumstances. (This has proven very successful)

• Make sure you explain the "what, when, where and why" so attendees can adjust their schedules and make arrangements to be available on-line.
• Set up a call-in system via telephone , email or Facetime/Skype to help people through the process of registering and attending.
• Provide a virtual agenda which would include links to information, real time or streaming presentations and of course recordings.
• Finally be prepared to follow up with attendees to answer questions, ensure connectivity. Blogs, chats and other forms of follow up communications are great for this.

Virtual events can become an important part of your "situational response" to these unprecedented times. The nice thing about all this is that, once you have done one, you can do more even on a monthly basis and it can become a fundamental part of business communications for you. Virtual events will never replace live ones, but as I have personally found out, they can sure close a huge business gap and quickly as well!