Updated with new resources: 4/30/20. New resources are added to the bottom of each section.

Julia Spangler, Sustainable Events Consultant, now offers Virtual Event Coordination services for small- to medium-sized events. Learn more >>

Virtual events are surging in popularity in the wake of the coronavirus. As more people find themselves living in a state of lockdown with no definite end date, planners are considering whether to cancel their events altogether or convert them to virtual.

Converting to a virtual event is a great way to preserve the investment of time and energy you’ve put into planning your event, while also still providing a valuable experience to your attendees.

In previous articles, I’ve talked about virtual and hybrid events as important tools for combating climate change, because they reduce an event’s carbon footprint from travel. Though I would prefer we were all learning about virtual events in a more positive situation, I’m planning to personally make the most of this learning opportunity, because once event professionals learn how to execute virtual events, that’s a tool we’ll always have in our toolbox for the future.

Even when live events are able to resume, virtual and hybrid options offer other benefits to enhance your event. For example, many individuals face barriers to travel from disability, illness, political situations, or cost. Including a virtual attendance option makes your event much more accessible to a wider range of attendees.

Here are some of the virtual event resources I’ve come across in the last few weeks, for you to use as a starting point in your own virtual event exploration:

Determining Your Approach

Meeting Nerd: Cancel completely or convert to digital? That is the question.
This article provides a helpful thought process for determining whether you should postpone your live event until a later date or switch to virtual delivery.

PCMA: Online Events Grow in Wake of Coronavirus
This article describes different approaches to virtual events, including a unique “multi-hub” approach that connects small groups from multiple locations.

Social Media Today: How to Shift From Physical to Virtual Events and Maximize Event Outcomes
This article shares examples of events that have gone digital this year, and different options for presenting your content in a virtual format.

PRA: The Show Must Go On! Why You Should Consider a Digital Experience when an In-Person Event is Cancelled
This white paper describes 5 strategic reasons why it might be worthwhile for your organization to proceed with a virtual event in place of your cancelled in-person event.

Case Studies

PCMA: In a Crisis, Can Your Meeting Go Digital?
This article shares a case study about an event that converted from in-person to digital in only three days.

MeetingSource.com: Event Planners Look To Serve Attendees Online
This article shares a case study from the Ohio Safety Congress which made a last-minute switch to virtual delivery.

PCMA: Turning Your F2F Meeting into a Virtual Event
This article shares candid details about a real event that converted from live to virtual, including details like how pricing was determined for the virtual offering.

EventEQ: Washington Performing Arts Gala
This case study describes the last-minute pivot from an in-person gala to a live-streamed webcast and silent auction.

Associations Now: Associations Prep and Debut Virtual Conference Options
This article describes three association events that shifted from live to virtual delivery for their planned spring conferences.

PCMA: Using a Webinar Platform to Create a Virtual Conference
This case study describes the process of one company converting their 3-day in-person event to a 3-day virtual experience with only a week to prepare. It describes how they handled existing registrations, streamlined the content schedule, and even maintained their CSR commitments to their originally planned destination.

Bizbash: 6 Tips for Pivoting an In-Person Event into a Virtual Experience
This case study goes into further detail about the Washington Performing Arts Gala’s switch to virtual (same event as EventEQ article above). The organizers discuss the tech setup, decor, social media engagement, and donating un-needed items from the live event.

PCMA: How a Dairy Producers Conference Doubled Its Reach With Virtual
This case study describes a conference pivoted to virtual with only a week’s notice. The article describes their approach to streaming educational content, converting their exhibit hall, and more.

Planning & Designing a Virtual Event

MeetingsNet: How to Create a Virtual Conference
This article lays out your 5 first steps for creating a virtual conference, plus provides insight into what a virtual expo hall experience can be like.

MeetingSigns.com: Hybrid or Virtual Events? Tips for Keeping Remote Events Engaging and Different Than a Typical Webinar
This article provides suggestions for making your virtual event more engaging than a webinar, such as interactivity, coherent branding, and personalization.

TSNN: How to Make Virtual Events Engaging
This article shares tips from a veteran hybrid event planner for making sure your attendees feel informed, included, and entertained by your virtual event.

Endless: How to Turn Your In-Person Event Into a Virtual Event
This comprehensive guide walks planners through the process of designing a virtual experience that will meet the needs of attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors. It also covers multiple technical approaches to delivering content, and how design engaging content that can stand up to at-home distractions.

ILEA: Live Streaming in the Time of Coronavirus
This article delves into some of the technical AV aspects of creating a livestream event. While not a detailed how-to guide, it highlights some considerations like the value of having expert AV staff, and how to make a livestream broadcast feel more like a three-dimensional space.

Cvent: Virtual Events: The Ultimate Guide
This article covers many aspects of designing a virtual event, from choosing a format to measuring success. I found the most helpful sections to be about preparing attendees to use the technology, attendee engagement, and networking.

Harvard Business Review: Virtual Offsites that Work
This article gives step-by-step considerations specific to hosting offsite meetings and strategy sessions in a virtual format.

Endless: Virtual Event Planning Checklist
This reusable 10-page checklist walks you through the process of planning a virtual event from start to finish. You have to submit a lead generation form to download the checklist.

Harvard Business Review: Virtual Meetings Don’t Have to Be a Bore
This article offers tips on how to inject personal warmth and interactivity into virtual meetings.

MeetingsNet: Top 10 Ways to Make Your Virtual Events Not Suck
This article provides great actionable tips for creating a more enjoyable virtual event experience, from personally welcoming attendees to varying your session formats to offering entertaining icebreakers.

PCMA: 5 Things Virtual Event Organizers Can Learn From Jimmy Fallon 
Jimmy Fallon has been hosting an “at-home” version of The Tonight Show during quarantine, featuring cameos from his young daughters and other fun features that lean into the home setting and don’t try to emulate studio production. This article highlights 5 ways planners can do the same.

PCMA: Solving for Pricing, Sponsorships, and Skills Challenges When Going Digital 
This article provides helpful insights on how to price virtual events vs. live experiences and how to navigate other financial and organizational ramifications of switching from live to virtual.

Marketing

PCMA: 8 Steps for Marketing Your Virtual Event
This article describes how to create a strategic and effective marketing plan for an online event.

Multi-Topic Resources

PCMA Digital Experience Institute
This arm of PCMA focuses on education, research, and thought leadership related to digital experiences and events. They offer a certification (Digital Event Strategist), webinars, and on-demand education.

Event Manager Blog: Pivot to Virtual – A Two-Hour Special Online Event
This webinar will be available for replay starting Thursday, March 19. Topics covered include crisis communications, managing the virtual experience, monetizing digital events, and networking in virtual events.

MPI: How-to Guide: The Strategic Value of Virtual Meetings and Events
This guide is designed for teams that are planning on developing a permanent, intentional virtual meetings program, not just switching to virtual for the short-term. Topics covered are a comparison of different virtual formats, how to measure virtual events, and key roadblocks to overcome.

Book: Impactful Online Meetings
This book is written by an event professional with 10 years of experience running virtual events. It covers a variety of topics including online conferencing software, attendee engagement, real-time group discussions, tips for visual presentations, and break-out rooms.

PSAV: Global Virtual Events Day
This series of 8 sessions occurred on April 2, 2020, and covered topics from speaking tips, optimal at-home tech setups, how to serve a multilingual audience virtually, sponsorship strategies, and more. Read a recap of the main takeaways at PCMA.

Virtual Event Vendors

I haven’t vetted any of these vendors, but I’ve seen these companies mentioned in online discussions and articles about virtual events, and they may be good starting points if you are looking for help with a potential virtual conversion.

Broadcast Studios for Live Streaming

Networking & Interaction

Virtual Team Building
Collaboration
Event Apps with Networking Tools
Other

Tools, Software & Platforms

Webinars & Virtual Meetings
Virtual Meeting Environments

These platforms attempt to recreate the physical 3D environments of an in-person event, such as a trade show / exhibit hall, keynote session room, and the ability to interact with other attendees using avatars.

Online Fundraising
Sponsorship Tools
Academic & Technical Posters

I’ll continue to update this post with new vendors and resources as I hear about them.

Do you have a resource you’ve found particularly helpful, or a vendor who has provided great virtual event service? Share them in the comments.

Resources for Converting Your Event to Virtual: Vendors, Advice, and More

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