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The impact that COVID-19 has had on event planning has affected industries not only across Ireland but spanning the globe. The pandemic, resulting in social distancing and stay-at-home measures, has devastated a sector that at its core is about bringing people together. Precise Events examines the benefits of live, virtual and hybrid events in this post and tells you how we can support you to still host a great event, with the addition of some COVID proof hacks.

Live Events

Live events are in the fledging stages of recommencing, with some big gigs due to take place in Ireland this year. There is still trepidation around committing to planning live events among people in the industry, with widespread cancellations from the past two years still seared on many memories.

The pull of a live event, particularly in the corporate spectrum, is still strong, and so rather than shy away from planning your next conference or corporate event, go forth and consider these opportunities to safeguard it.

Minimise in-person physical interactions

Harness the power of tech to reduce the physical hand-off between event staff and participants. Self-check-in kiosks located at multiple entries to the venue will mitigate the risk of large groups of delegates congregating in one area. Enabling attendees to check themselves in reduces the up-close interaction sometimes required when validating tickets with events staff.

Events that keep people moving

A powerful tool to safe proof your conference is to make it a fluid event. Rather than traditional presentations delivered behind a podium, with the aid of a PowerPoint, an equally engaging yet more socially distanced method may be to guide audiences through the various stages of the talk, each one represented at a different station. Participants could be split across all stations to ensure the even disbursement of large groups.

Events that keep the flow of traffic moving through the venue will eliminate static crowds of people in any given area.Link delegates into presentations through large screens in communal areas, so that they can choose whether to enter the room in which their speaker of interest is or watch from a screen in another area of the building.

Hybrid Events

Hybrid events have experienced exponential growth in the last two years. Perhaps the most significant benefit of this blend of both the in-person and virtual event type is that it caters to the needs of a diverse audience.  

Getting the balance right with a hybrid event is vital to ensure that neither experience, whether it is physical or virtual attendance is inferior to the other. To guarantee success, Precise Events have these top tips.

Get The Platform Right

Getting the right platform to host your virtual audience is pivotal to ensure that they experience a seamless, uninterrupted event like their in-person counterparts. Engaging a relatively easy to use platform that supports break-out rooms and enables in house participants to both see and hear

from virtual attendees will foster an integrative experience.

Diversify Networking Opportunities

Corporate events offer excellent networking opportunities, and your attendees, whether physically or virtually present, will expect access to these opportunities. Create a space in which both cohorts can interact with each other. If you intend to utilise break-out spaces to facilitate conversation, arrange for physical attendees to join in with virtual groups.

A novel way to create a dialogue between both groups is to leverage off event matchmaking apps. Such apps can engage meaningful connections between participants through profile matching and support online networking.

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Virtual Events

Two years into the pandemic, many of us are old hat at virtual participation in events and conferences. Before exploring the innovative ways to deliver a successful virtual event, it is crucial to get the basics right. At the core of a virtual meeting or corporate event is seamless technology, so consider which platform will accommodate the needs of your participants, no matter what level of techspertise they hold. Precise Events can support you with your virtual event planning and have the following advice to help you to navigate the world of virtual events.

Invest In The Best Speaker

Captivating a large audience requires an engaging speaker who can tell a good story and has mastered the art of making even the most yawn-enticing content sexy. To hold court in a virtual space requires all of the said qualities in greater abundance. Ensure that you enlist the most charismatic speaker available to you; remember, it is often the performance of an events facilitator that gets people talking. If this chatter is positive, you know your event has been a success.

Engage the attendees

Break-out rooms are a great tool to get people talking to each other, but sometimes these opportunities don’t come until later in the day. A non-confrontational way to cut the first turf is to start the event with a health and well-being activity that energises and relaxes participants. Perhaps you can commence the day’s schedule with a fun workout to get people out of their chairs and release serotonin. Both mood and productivity-boosting, a little blast of body squats or jumping jacks, remind participants that real people are behind the screen and sets a positive mood for the day ahead.

Virtual event participants appreciate opportunities to engage in mediums that speak to their personality, so integrating elements into the online experience that appeal to introverts and extroverts is preferable. Have you ever attended an online event and the host put you on the spot to speak? Sometimes virtual events compensate for the non-physical environment and push human interaction that might not otherwise occur in a live setting. Make sure you accommodate your shy cohort by embedding opportunities to provide opinions and feedback through non-confrontational live polling and surveys.  

To find out more information about how Precise Events can support you with your live, hybrid or virtual event, get in touch today. From concept to execution, we can help you  every step of the way to bring creativity and innovation to your audience.