Over the last year, most of us have experienced the dreaded video conference call difficulties. We’ve all lived through meetings where a participant won’t mute while chewing. Zoom has changed the way we interact with people in virtual space. This has opened the door for more virtual events to keep everyone safe during the pandemic, but an online event can suffer from some of the same problems that plague conference calls. Whether it’s a large conference or a small commencement, practice absolutely makes perfect for running a virtual event. Here are a few reasons why you need multiple rehearsals for virtual events. 


Speaker Performance

Some of your speakers will have tons of experience with professional presentations. Others might not have any. Not everyone is a professional keynote speaker, and even if they are, the virtual meeting may still require a bit of a learning curve. By providing opportunities for rehearsals, your speakers can become more comfortable with the material and the platform. 


Reduce Mistakes

It should go without saying, but having several rehearsals ahead of your actual online event will help you reduce mistakes. You can spot where the challenges might occur and create processes to mitigate them or eliminate them from the broadcast. This will help make transitions smoother between speakers, plan for audience participation, and more. 


Test Technology

While in-person conferences still require technology, there are some added challenges in terms of virtual events. Unlike hosting a conference in a ballroom or other space, where you have to test microphones and such, you need to work with every participant and their own technology. Internet connections, microphones, headsets, and webcams will be different across the board, and everything has to work in harmony.  


Event Coordination

     Finally, you need to know all of the moving parts of your presentation. While you can have an outline to follow and provide details to your video team, you need to make sure everyone participating in the conference knows when each aspect will happen and prepare before the event goes live. For example, if your keynote speaker goes on at two o’clock, but your previous segment runs over, you need to communicate with them and know how to do that virtually. 

Do you want to work with a team that has experience in creating seamless virtual events? Check out our services and email me at mo@aaramaba.com to discuss your event.