How to unleash the power of engagement in virtual events

Virtual events have surged in popularity, particularly since the pandemic. And with the global events industry projected to be worth a staggering $1,553 billion by 2028, they are a crucial component of many organisations’ marketing strategies.

But despite offering a wider reach and lead-generation opportunities, virtual events come with challenges. Marketers must find effective ways to captivate their audiences, handle large audiences and produce top-notch broadcasts that grow their brand awareness.

Build audience engagement

One of the biggest challenges is keeping the audience engaged. With a click of a button, attendees can leave if they’re not interested. So how do you keep their attention throughout?

As Zachary Bosin from BlueJeans by Verizon points out, a virtual event is a special way to communicate, and hosting one without engaging attendees will defeat its purpose.

“You’re trying to share relevant, new, exciting information, and you want people to retain that information. You also want them to be able to share it with others and amplify it,” adds Bosin, who is Vice President for Product and Growth Marketing.

Interactive features such as polling, hand-raising, live chats and Q&As can encourage participation. By taking advantage of these, marketers can not only enhance event quality but also gather valuable data that can be used to identify and follow up potential leads.

Basketball team the Phoenix Suns used BlueJeans Events to provide fans with a “second screen experience” during its games in the NBA isolation zone at Walt Disney World during the pandemic. By providing additional streamed video content that enabled real-time participation, the Suns organisation was able to offer unique experiences, engaging fans around the world through contests, giveaways, chat, polls and Q&As.

To combat virtual event fatigue, it’s also crucial to have the right hosts who can actively involve participants. As Bosin says, today’s attendees are tired of being spoken to through a bunch of tiles on a screen. “People start to tune out if the experience feels like a meeting, and especially like a boring meeting that they have to attend on behalf of their company.”

Multiple hosts are preferred over a single host, as they can bring more energy and perspectives to the event. Live panel discussions are also typically more popular than live solo presentations because they provide more opportunities for interaction. A virtual panel can be boring for attendees if the on-screen experience looks like a bunch of talking heads. Customising and branding the broadcast, as well as highlighting the speaker on screen, can improve the broadcast quality and keep attendees engaged. 

Scale performance

Managing large audiences while maintaining event quality is another challenge. Adobe needed a virtual event platform that would give attendees a truly engaging, immersive and unified experience for its first all-digital Adobe MAX Creativity Conference. It used BlueJeans Events to host parts of the MAX experience, delivering interactive digital activities to ensure a seamless and engaging virtual event. BlueJeans scaled the event to more than 30,000 participants and the event content received over 21 million views online.

Attendees also need an easy way to join the event virtually. Downloading software or apps to join could prevent them from attending on time or joining the event altogether. Using a solution such as BlueJeans Events allows attendees to easily join with one click, opening the event in any browser or device.

Adequate staffing should include multiple moderators who can troubleshoot tech issues and answer audience questions in the chat. This can help marketers manage large audiences while encouraging conversations among them.

Improve broadcast quality

According to a survey by IDG, the top motivator for attending a virtual event is the quality of the video and audio. As a result, marketers are under pressure to improve event technology capabilities, with 85 per cent of survey respondents indicating plans to evaluate a new virtual event platform.

Producing high-quality broadcasts is important to build a positive brand image, and with tools such as BlueJeans Studio, it’s now more accessible than ever. BlueJeans Events enables marketers to stream in 1080p resolution with Dolby Voice audio, creating an immersive viewing experience. And by optimising bandwidth, video quality can be further enhanced to provide an even better experience.

Marketers have the power to create more virtual events

As virtual events become an increasingly important, it’s crucial for organisations to find innovative ways to overcome the unique challenges these events present. BlueJeans Events provides a powerful solution that enables organisations to deliver interactive and engaging livestream experiences. With industry-leading scalability, robust security measures and BlueJeans Studio’s professional-grade production tools, businesses of all sizes can create compelling virtual events that inspire and connect audiences. Try hosting a virtual event by signing up for our 14-day free trial!

Explore our BlueJeans Studio demo here.

Maureen Beckman, Senior Marketing Manager, BlueJeans by Verizon