Hit Pause Before You Go Digital
Many people believe they must have an event because their organization is struggling with relevancy. However, before you hit go on your virtual or hybrid event, below are five quick questions to make sure that your event is set up for success:
1. Do you understand the business requirements? Imagine that you just attended the Robin Hood Foundation’s or Essence Magazine’s amazing virtual events and based on that experience you decided that you want to do your own virtual event. In reality, it is likely that your event has a completely different set of business requirements; so before you build an event based on another organization’s take 30 minutes and discuss internally with your team your own required functionality as opposed to the desired functionality. Plan within your specific reality.
2. Do your stakeholders want to hear from you? I understand you’ve decided that you must have an event, but are your stakeholders experiencing Zoom fatigue? Have they heard your content elsewhere? Have they told you they prefer to wait for an in-person meeting? If you have not taken the time to really understand the needs of your audience, you run the risk of planning a party for one.
3. Can we do the work? In speaking with my friends, I am often told they are working more than ever. Therefore, if an organization has not traditionally done a virtual or hybrid event, the initial event may require more work on the front end. Take a quick 30-minute inventory of your personnel, their skill set and ability to work well with competing deadlines, and identify if you have the required staff; if not, do you have the budget to hire a consultant?
4. Do I have the money for a platform? During this time of massive layoffs/furloughs, organizations need to ask themselves if they can afford a robust platform? Or, do you need a more economical solution such as, Zoom? Regardless of your financial reality, I recommend that you ask yourself the money question first and then document the tradeoffs you are making based on your decision in order to hold yourself accountable as the project progresses.
5. Can I deliver a diverse program? While diversity is an emerging trend, I have always believed that the best events showcase a range of speakers in age, gender, and presentation style. Within the digital landscape it is critical to consider these factors, as well as how your information will be made available to those with vision or language impairments during the virtual event.
Pausing before you go digital will take you roughly two hours of reflection. I believe it is important to ask these important questions to avoid financial stress, personnel burnout, and a stakeholder mismatch. When you take these few moments, your event will be built on a clear pathway for success and your audience will thank you for it.
