How to Get the Most Out of Virtual Events You Attend?
The world has seen a lot of changes lately. Remote working has become a thing, and hybrid competence (the ability to deliver an equal amount of productivity while working on-site and from home) has become a highly demanded skill these days.
As a result, the method of hosting meetings, seminars, and other types of professional, educational, or corporate gatherings has changed as well. The need to find a way to communicate, educate and train people worldwide is the sole reason behind the invention of ‘Virtual Events’. These virtual events are a perfect way for professionals to communicate with their colleagues and learn from the pioneers of the industry from any part of the world.
The ability to hold virtual events allows people from various parts of the world to participate in the discussion and share their opinion. In addition to enhanced connectivity, there are minimal chances of people failing to join because of flight delays and relevant issues.
Moreover, such events help them save a significant amount of money that is otherwise supposed to go into residence and travel. Virtual events are also more effective in terms of delivering results.
The ability to connect with a summit, conference, or any other event has made it possible for tech-savvy people and speakers to participate in multiple events in a day. Still, you may hear a few people who will complain about their inability to get the most out of virtual events they attend.
If you are also one of those people who don’t know how to get the most out of virtual events, then don’t worry.
We have come up with some practical tips that will help you do that. Read on to know more.
Evaluate the Purpose of Attending a Virtual Event
You would see advertisements regarding virtual events that will interest you. However, before you sign up for the virtual event, you need to use logical reasoning. Here you will use logical reasoning to evaluate the purpose of attending a virtual event.
You need to ask yourself a few questions before you end up including your name in the list of attendees who are going to attend that event.
Answering these questions will enable you to figure out the purpose of attending the virtual event. A few questions are given below:
- Whether the event covers topics related to your industry? Will you be able to listen to the pioneers of the industry?
- Are there any speakers related to your industry who will discuss how their companies are walking the walk?
- Do you have a substantial budget to attend the event? (Some events are free, though).
- How many sessions are there, and which sessions interest you the most?
- Will you be participating in Q&A sessions?
- Who else is participating, and how will you network with them?
Get Yourself Ready
Once you have figured out the purpose or agenda behind your attendance in a virtual event and signed up for it, it is time to get yourself ready. By getting yourself ready, we mean preparation to get the most out of the virtual event you will attend.
The first thing you need to do is confirm the event’s timing. As an attendee, you would want to attend the kick-off. Sometimes, the most exciting part of an event, be it a meeting, conference, seminar, or summit, is its beginning.
The beginning packs all the elements that will force you to stick with your seat and hear all the sessions that interest you attentively.
In addition, make sure that you have all your equipment ready to attend a long virtual event.
You may also need to grab a notebook and pen to take notes. It is also necessary to make sure that your colleagues, subordinates, and managers are informed about your engagement so that they can take up your necessary tasks in your absence.
Moreover, you also need to make sure that you don’t have any pending work at your disposal.
Otherwise, you may end up distracting yourself. Schedule the event on your calendar and delay any other task scheduled for that particular day. Finally, make sure that the login works perfectly for you to avoid any frustration.
Minimize Distractions
Now that you are ready to attend the virtual event, it is time to take distractions to a minimum. Make sure you attend the event from a place with the minimum passage. There is no way you can attend it while sitting in a café or office.
We suggest you participate in such events from home, where you have a private room with no entrance when busy. Still, ensure that your family members know that you are engaged in an essential task, and there should be no disturbance from their end.
In addition, make sure you have blocked off all the channels that are likely to disturb you during your participation in the event. For example, put up out-of-office and non-available notices on your email, WhatsApp, and other messenger apps on your phone. A better way to avoid distractions is putting your mobile on ‘Focus’ or ‘Don’t Disturb Mode’. If you have to eat during the event, it is better to keep your snacks near you. You may end up getting distracted even if you are ordering something from Uber Eats or trying to prepare one for yourself.
Get Your Attitude Right
If you are attending a virtual event that will be beneficial for you and your organization, then make sure you are in the right mood just before attending it. You should have high expectations from the event so that you can conclude your participation with many takeaways and a perfect roadmap to enhance your productivity and improve your working in your organization.
Moreover, let your colleagues and peers know that you are attending a particular event and are excited about it through Twitter and other social media platforms.
Promoting your participation through social media will not only urge your peers to attend the event but also notify other people who are attending that event.
Hence, you will have a better networking opportunity. Moreover, you must prepare yourself for the problems or difficulties you may face during the event because of the technology you use.
There is no point in getting frustrated over these minor issues. Just make sure that you have an alternative internet connection or set of equipment at your disposal for seamless participation. List your questions for the Q&A session beforehand for productive discussion.
Never Miss Out on Your Favorite Sessions
Sometimes you may miss out on an essential session during the virtual event because of various reasons. There should be a backup plan in your mind to deal with the issue. Generally, you can replay the sessions you have missed out on during the virtual event.
However, virtual events are usually quite different from in-person events. These events offer better interaction opportunities compared to in-person ones. Hence, it is better to go with the flow and attend the ongoing sessions and interact with the speakers participating in those particular sessions.
You can either replay missed sessions once you are done with a significant session or wait for the event to finish and download the Livestream video from the platforms that are streaming it.
Doing so will help you get the best out of your virtual event participation by watching the missed sessions.
The online video download of the virtual event Livestream will also help you share it with your peers, colleagues, and manager who couldn’t participate in the event. You can also make video clips from that virtual event as part of your next presentation once the video is available for offline usage.
An efficient video downloader can help you do that easily. Such a downloader will help you download the Livestream video from multiple social media platforms and streaming, so you are all covered up. All you have to do is copy the URL of the video Livestream and paste it into the given box and press the download button.
You will be able to download it in the best resolution without any compromise on the sound quality.
Prepare Notes During the Event
You need to be more capable of memorizing everything you will hear during the event. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare to make notes and jot down your key takeaways from the event. Doing so will not only help you remember the productive discussions that occurred during the event but also prepare a presentation or briefing according to those notes.
In addition, preparing notes will also help you note down the names of keynote speakers and participants you want to connect with after the event.
Conclusion
If you are not so fond of taking notes, make use of the micro-blogging platform ‘Twitter’ to tweet your takeaways and jot them down later. Doing so will not only help you save important notes for yourself but also allow you to network with other people who are participating in the event, including the keynote speakers. Simply put, taking notes of significant takeaways is essential, whether by writing in a notebook or sharing them on a social media platform with relevant hashtags.
About the Author / Akeem Okunola
