Therefore, keep your mind on the many benefits of virtual events to get yourself, and attendees, excited about the experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Minimal stress<\/strong> – From not having to worry as much about the right clothing to cutting back on travel expenses, people embrace online events because they don’t feel as intense.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Data collection<\/strong> – As the event organizer, it’s usually easier to collect data about your guests since they already have to type in information and register for the event. This is wonderful for making changes for future events and for collecting feedback. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Repeated access to the event and materials<\/strong> – When you go to a physical event, much of the information you learn is forgotten. When an event is online, there are often online portals with recorded speeches, reading materials, and notes. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cost-effectiveness<\/strong> – This goes for event organizers and attendees. There are no plane tickets, food expenses, or venue payments. And that’s only a short list of expenses you cut when holding an event online. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Unlimited attendance and presentation potential<\/strong> – Physical venues have capacity restrictions. The internet does not. Your event can grow exponentially and you don’t have to worry about overflowing the room. Not to mention, virtual events allow for all sorts of presentation options. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \t\tBeginner's guide to hosting virtual #events on #WordPress (and how to make them successful) \ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nChallenges of hosting a virtual event<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As with all online activities, challenges tend to present themselves. Think about selling products online<\/a>. You’re at a disadvantage compared to retail stores since you have to ship the products and customers can’t hold the items first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all challenges, there are workarounds and solutions. So, it’s important to understand those challenges in order to prepare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check out the challenges of hosting a virtual event below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Technical difficulties<\/strong> – It’s possible your internet fails right before you start a virtual event. You may find that your camera doesn’t work or the platform has a glitch. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Platform limitations<\/strong> – Does your scheduling module allow for ticket sales<\/a> and video conference links? Make sure your platform’s feature list is right for your event. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- User error<\/strong> – At some point, an event attendee might say they can’t get logged in or they can’t see you on their screen. Have a plan for resolving these issues without interrupting the experience for others. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Security problems<\/strong> – Various online event and video conferencing platforms have seen their share of hacked streams and security breaches. The solution to this is usually creating a strong password and using a system with elements of encryption. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lack of physicality<\/strong> – Part of building relationships and trust involves being able to shake hands and read emotions. In-person events provide physical and emotional contact that’s tricky to duplicate online. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Commitment difficulties<\/strong> – It’s much easier to say no to an event that people attend on their computers. You should expect this, but also offer incentives for people to register and show up. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Time zone differences<\/strong> – Does half of your audience wake up and go to bed five hours after you? That’s worth factoring into how you schedule your online event. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How to host a virtual event on WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first step in learning how to host a virtual event is to acquire the right tools. After that, take a look at our guide for setting up and running a virtual event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you need to host a virtual event<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- A computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A quality webcam (sometimes built into your computer). <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- External headphones and a microphone (not your computer’s audio system).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Event\/webinar\/streaming software or plugin. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A WordPress site<\/a> to present your event forms and pages. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
1. Create an event and generate an invite link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The first matter of business is to generate a link for video conferencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal is to schedule a video conferencing call with a link to share with attendees. The following services offer free plans of some sort, but you may have to pay at some point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Zoom<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Google Meet<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Jitsu Meet<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Facebook Live<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- PGi<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- YouTube Live<\/a>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For this tutorial, we’ll use Zoom. <\/strong>Keep reading to learn how to set it up…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Create a free account with Zoom and click on the Schedule a Meeting<\/strong> button. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"schedule](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/schedule-a-meeting.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFill in information like the topic, date, and time zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure you select the Generate Automatically<\/strong> option for Meeting ID<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"handle](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/zoom-create.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nCreate a passcode if you’d like more security and set other features like having video for all participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click on the Save<\/strong> button. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"save](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/save-button.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAfter you create the meeting, locate the Invite Link<\/strong> and copy that or save it for later. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"make](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/copy-link-and-get-passcode.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n2. Set up an events calendar plugin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- Google Meet<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Zoom<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Platform limitations<\/strong> – Does your scheduling module allow for ticket sales<\/a> and video conference links? Make sure your platform’s feature list is right for your event. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Data collection<\/strong> – As the event organizer, it’s usually easier to collect data about your guests since they already have to type in information and register for the event. This is wonderful for making changes for future events and for collecting feedback. <\/li>\n\n\n\n