Back to Basics—What Are the Benefits of Virtual Events?

The team here at 6Connex lives and breathes virtual events, so we understand why companies invest the time and the money. One of the most obvious benefits—and the one that often drives companies to try a virtual event for the first time—is cost savings. However, almost every company that tries a virtual event discovers many more benefits and reasons to integrate virtual environments into their regular communications with prospects, customers, partners and employees.

Content may be king, but for many virtual event producers, it’s all about the money. Whether you are a demand gen marketer with a big pipeline goal or a media company trying to monetize your audience, virtual environments can open up a world of new ways to put dollar signs front and center.

Case Study: Voelkel ITK

Voelkel ITK, a German B2B communication consultant company, has been building relationships with strong brands in the German B2B market since 2012.

The Challenge

Voelkel ITK is a German company that advises larger organizations on how to effectively use online tools to communicate better, and at one point the company resold a local German virtual events platform as part of their services. When Voelkel ITK contacted 6Connex, they were looking to re-launch their virtual events offer and expressed interest in a partnership. Both Voelkel ITK and 6Connex wanted to have a solid product available for the German market, and each company was prepared to invest resources to launch a state-of-the-art virtual events platform to meet local market needs.

The Solution

In partnering with 6Connex, Voelkel ITK set out to re-establish its leadership position in the German virtual events market. To kick-off the re-launch, Voelkel ITK created a virtual event to showcase the vast benefits available in the new platform, and the team invited sponsors to participate. The goal of this initial event was to showcase Voelkel ITK’s innovation in the virtual events space and create a strong pipeline of leads. This goal was easily met, as attendees worldwide were quickly intrigued by the virtual event platform’s instant access to live presentations, webinars, training rooms, and social media / networking tools from the convenience of their desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

The Results

The inaugural event was a success and lead generation kicked in immediately following.  In addition, Voelkel ITK’s client satisfaction reached an all-time high.  The ability to effectively communicate product information, training, and education virtually proved immeasurable to business, and within six months of launching the new virtual events platform, the majority of Voelkel ITK’s clients extended their contracts for a new 12-month period.

“Working with 6Connex, we have been able to listen to the local market and become a strong voice in the German virtual events industry. 6Connex has proven to be a partner that not only delivers the platform, but also assists us on the business side of our partnership to make sure that Voelkel ITK are a competitive player in Germany.”

-Jürgen Voelkel, CEO Voelkel ITK

Case Study: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

NEHA currently serves 6,000 members to advance the environmental health and protection professional for the purpose of providing a healthful environment for all. Professionals who earn a Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian credential from NEHA are recognized as having achieved an established standard of excellence. These environmental health professionals master a body of knowledge (which is verified by examination) and acquire sufficient experience to satisfactorily perform work responsibilities in the environmental health field. Visit the NEHA website for more information.

The Challenge

NEHA provides content to anyone in the environmental/public health arena, addressing specific environmental and public health topic areas. Content covers a wide array of environmental/public health topics, such as air quality, food, water supply/safety regulations, daycares, pest control/mosquito abatement, etc. NEHA contacted 6Connex about implementing a virtual conference to allow participants to have instant access to pertinent information.

The Solution

6Connex set out to create an online event in which participants from all environmental health vantage points could receive professional development and training in areas that affect various environmental and public health sectors. In addition to offering training and networking, attendees could access detailed information on state and local regulations and guidelines. Furthermore, the virtual event would provide attendees’ with content on highly specialized environmental subjects, which is not easy to achieve in a traditional, physical environment due to budget limitations. For example, many topics in NEHA’s virtual conference focused on recreational and aquatic health facilities.

Tracking

In pivoting to a virtual event, NEHA allowed environmental health officials to track how information was received.

Capturing initial registration details and performing engagement analytics informed department leaders of how often their participants were interacting and with which content.

Sharing Crucial Information & Training

NEHA was able to efficiently share valuable information to more than 600 participants. The virtual conference encouraged intense training, providing participants with the opportunity to thoroughly explore every aspect of an environmental subject in detail. In addition, from an environmental health perspective, it is important professionals from all subject areas bring their concerns and knowledge to the table. During the virtual conference, professionals could easily consult with each other without incurring travel expenses or leaving busy work schedules.

The NEHA Virtual Conference consisted of a mix of presenters to make certain everyone was included in the discussions. This was particularly important, as policies, regulations, and inspections impact everyone in the environmental arena. For example, pest management has many facets and during a virtual conference, pest control personnel and university entomologists can come together to discuss how to effectively eliminate mosquitos/ticks. Likewise, food safety includes public health inspectors and restauranteurs.  States a NEHA spokesperson, “NEHA is a stakeholder in protecting public health. It is invaluable to this organization to get environmental information out.”

Attendees responded well to the convenience and ease of the virtual event’s features, including access to various content, webinars, training rooms, and social media/networking tools from the convenience of their desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

In addition, attendees appreciated the fact that materials were accessible from any location and available for download or review as often as necessary.  During the virtual conference, participants could also visit the booths of core public health non-profits as well as professional associations looking to spread awareness, such as the American Mosquito Control.

Case Study: NACDD

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) improves the health of the public by strengthening state-based leadership and expertise for chronic disease prevention and control both in states and at the national level. Visit www.chronicdisease.org/?About_NACDD for more information.

The Challenge

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors has a history of conducting training and technical assistance webinars for its members to provide ongoing information and training to Chronic Disease practitioners. Each month, participants call in to hear presentations from specialists regarding various Chronic Disease topics. To further educate and engage state departments and share information from the CDC, NACDD contacted 6Connex to orchestrate a virtual event. The virtual event would allow participants to instantly access pertinent information when the CDC does not have the resources to offer on-demand technical training.

“Professional development and workforce development is a vital part of our day-to-day work. Being able to provide valuable content virtually helps us offer training and technical assistance in a cost-effective and innovative way. Our organization works to ensure educational content is easily accessible and engaging for the audiences. The virtual conference serves (NACDD) is an innovative and cost-effective venue/ platform that allows collaboration between state leaders, decision makers, and practitioners working in environmental health and chronic disease prevention.”

Stephanie Mathews, MPH Public Health Consultant, NACDD

The Solution

6Connex set out to create an online event wherein Chronic Disease specialists could receive professional development and training not only in specific areas of Chronic Disease, but in the public health arena as well. In addition to offering training and mentoring for NACDD members, the goal was to educate policy makers and state leaders through partnerships with specialists. The 6Connex virtual environment made it possible for attendees to view information at their convenience and without incurring travel expenses. This was especially beneficial for hard to reach areas affected by U.S. territory travel restrictions.

“The virtual conference event allows us to feature all of the elements and benefits of a live conference event at a mere fraction of the cost. In addition, we can host a secondary virtual event long after the main event has occurred. The options are limitless. The 6Connex virtual platform far exceeds many of the other online virtual platforms I have seen. 6Connex’s virtual environment offers the most realistic interaction and aesthetics. Their features and options are the perfect way to engage audiences.”

Stephanie Mathews, MPH Public Health Consultant, NACDD

The Results

Tracking

Hosting the NACDD event virtually allowed public health officials to track how information was received. Capturing initial registration details and performing engagement analytics informed department leaders of how often their participants were interacting and with which content.

Sharing Content and Training

The 6Connex virtual event platform enabled the NACDD to efficiently share valuable content to its 6,000 participants across all states. In addition, engaging state health officials in important chronic disease discussions made them more aware of potentially broader, public health related issues.

Attendees pivoted easily from the traditional dial-in webinars to the new virtual format. They responded well to the convenience of a virtual event platform and enjoyed instant access to various content, webinars, training rooms, and social media/networking tools from the convenience of their desktops, tablets, or smartphones. In addition, attendees appreciated the fact that materials were accessible from any location and available for download or review as often as necessary.

There’s more to choosing than comparing price

With a half dozen virtual event and environment software platforms on the market, how do you know which platform is the right one to go with? In the absence of third-party virtual event platform reviews, this article will help you do your own homework and choose a provider wisely—considering more than just price and what’s in their brochure.

Imagine choosing a hotel as a venue for hosting an on-site tradeshow or conference. You wouldn’t think of selecting a hotel without a site visit to observe firsthand how easy it is for attendees to get to the hotel, the quality of the hotel infrastructure, the level of staffing dedicated to helping you and your guests, amenities, and more. The same—if not greater—attention to detail is required when selecting a virtual event platform provider.

There are around a half dozen virtual event and environment vendors on the market. The vast majority are new, small start-ups with very limited investment in technology and staff. Since the service is fully hosted by the vendors, provided as “software as a service” (SaaS), the following criteria will help you dig into the behind-the-scenes details that can make a big impact on functionality and user experience. It’s easy to compare price, but you really want to make sure that the business is viable and reputable, the technology is reliable, flexible, and easy to use, and there is sufficient staff available to help you after the sale and ensure there are no technical issues when your event goes live.

We’ll delve into how to investigate eight specific categories when choosing a virtual event platform:

• Service
• Device and Browser Compatibility
• Innovation
• Configurability and Branding
• Security and Privacy
• Performance, Scale, and Reliability
• Reporting and Analytics
• Webinar and Content Agnosticism

Introduction

Over the past few years virtual events have emerged as a new channel for companies to connect with prospects, customers, partners or employees, regardless of time and location. Virtual events have become an integral component of the corporate marketing mix, helping innovative companies to extend their brands, energize their communities, and generate a steady stream of qualified leads. Marketers are eagerly tapping into this new tool.

Virtual events take place within a highly interactive, online environment with rich content, multiple locations, live chat rooms, and webcast sessions, all accessible to an audience once they have provided basic registration information. Often the look and feel of these spaces borrow from physical events, setting the stage for intuitive and smooth navigation. Layered on top of the design are a variety of actions, ranging from 1:1 or pubic chat to social channel interaction to content consumption to direct calls-to-action.

Because they can track every click by a potential prospect to highlight specific interests, virtual events can generate highly qualified leads for the organizers, allowing them new avenues to reach a broader audience. The audience wins by quick and easy access to company content, product experts and a peer community, from the comfort of anywhere, on any device.

You can define your event type by its scope, size, and objectives. Common categories
include: product launch, job fair, user conference, earnings calls, town hall meetings, pharmaceutical dinner meetings, etc. But a product launch in one company may look different in another, and event variables such as speakers, sessions and content will ultimately define your event.

If you’re thinking about “going virtual” for the first time you’re probably also wondering where to start. This virtual event playbook is designed to help guide you towards success with suggestions and tips across all types of virtual events, regardless of industry or use case.

Want to keep reading? Get the full ebook.

Looking for new ways to expand revenue beyond dues?

Are your sales reps feeling challenged selling sponsorships for face-to-face events? Are they competing with new online media sources who serve your same audience?

Today’s association executives need to identify new sources of revenue that complement rather than compete with their traditional offerings. Virtual events and environments may offer just the right solution.

Download the datasheet to learn more about opportunities with association virtual events & virtual environments.

Metrics are key to the success of any virtual event or virtual environment.

6Connex gives you 24/7 access to 35+ reports via an easy-to-use dashboard. View metrics at-a-glance, or download reports in four simple steps. Even schedule reports to be delivered automatically to your inbox.

Download the datasheet to get more details on all the virtual event reports available in the platform.