The meeting and events industry has been vastly impacted by the pandemic, with conferences across industries shifting from in-person venues to online experiences. Virtual conferences are the new norm and likely will continue to be a trend, requiring brands and attendees to rethink their strategy moving forward.
MERGE recently attended the 2020 Health IT Marketing and PR Community (HITMC) Virtual Event, where we had the opportunity to learn about the latest in PR and marketing in this new environment. We asked MERGE Account Supervisor and avid conference-goer Natalie Joslin to provide her perspective on how to get the most out of these unique virtual experiences. Here are five of her biggest takeaways:
1. Hold yourself accountable. While it can be easy to multitask during an online presentation or session, you want to be diligent about fully immersing yourself in the experience. Take time to plan and prepare in advance – review the virtual conference agenda, identify specific sessions to attend, block time on your calendar and even move meetings around, if necessary.
You wouldn’t multitask during an in-person conference, so it’s important to hold yourself accountable to do the same in a virtual setting. By taking proactive steps and giving yourself the time and space to be fully present, you will be better positioned to take advantage of everything the virtual experience has to offer.
2. Turn to Twitter. Use Twitter as a forum to engage throughout the week of the virtual conference—especially before, during and after a session. This is not only an effective way to continue the conversation after a particular session or event, but also can help you drive immediate engagement, connect with new, like-minded individuals across the industry, and grow your personal social presence.
3. Look for interactive sessions. While webinar-style sessions are typically the standard for virtual conferences today, forward-thinking organizations are getting creative with more interactive, collaborative online sessions. For example, HITMC’s Unconference Sessions are guided, open forum-style sessions that allow participants to provide topic input in advance and drive the conversation. This provides an opportunity to showcase your expertise, build new connections and directly connect with audience members in a less programmatic and more authentic way.
4. Increase your visibility. With attendees spread out and hidden behind their computer screens, it’s easy to get lost in the virtual crowd. By becoming an active participant, you can increase visibility of your brand and build thought leadership and authority in front of relevant audiences. For example, joining sessions early and having your camera on demonstrates you are actively engaged and paying attention. You should already know key discussion topics going into sessions based on the agenda, so you can plan ahead by coming up with specific questions or points you want to pose during the discussion. Giving yourself time to prepare will help increase your confidence during these interactions.
As mentioned above, the importance of social media cannot be overstated. Leverage Twitter and other relevant social channels, such as LinkedIn, to drive real-time engagement. Tweet about sessions you plan to join, key topics you’re excited about, etc., and remember to utilize dedicated event hashtags. This will ensure your posts show up in conference-related feeds and conversations. Establishing a strong social presence is key in ensuring your voice is heard and seen by the right audiences.
5. Go the extra mile. Although it’s easy to stay present and engaged during in-person conferences, attendees often return home to normal life and leave what they learned behind, creating a disconnect that inevitably puts conference interactions on the back burner. One key advantage to virtual events is having the same access to your normal, day-to-day resources right in front of you. If you want to schedule a follow up conversation or connect with someone one-on-one after a session, you have the ability to immediately facilitate those actions in a way that’s more fluid and aligned with your workflow.
Leverage the tools and resources you have available to drive these interactions and build new relationships—from chat features to direct messages to LinkedIn connections and beyond. Don’t be afraid to get creative, and more importantly, to put yourself out there.
Preparing for the “next” normal
The healthcare industry is inevitably changing, and while we don’t yet know when and how in-person events will resume, the reality is that conferences will likely be permanently impacted moving forward. Virtual events are here to stay, making it imperative for companies to adapt and build the right skillset to get the most out of virtual conference experiences.