5 Things You Must Know for Virtual Events (from A Virtual Event Production Company)
The virtual events world is racing at the speed of light and here’s the truth:
Meeting Planners only have one chance at getting their annual meeting, national conference and sales meeting right before the 1-star reviews and grumpy member feedback start rolling in - people are tough customers!!!!
Seth Macchi, nice guy and the virtual events expert you need!
As a keynoter, exceeding expectations by 150%, education, entertaining and motivating attendees is my job - but what about the rest of the conference? I couldn’t just accept the average Zoom look for everything else - which made me seek out Seth Macchi of Live Events Media Group.
One of the Southeast’s premier live event production companies, LEMG has been around a long time and Seth joined the team a few years ago to take LEMG to a whole new level of tech - so when I heard about their new VX by LEMG platform, I knew he’d done it.
Below is my interview with Seth about the challenges and opportunities that virtual events are providing us as event professionals and organizations - and his veteran wisdom on how to tackle the new horizons in attendee engagement, conference design and more. Thanks to Seth for being an open book for me and all of my clients!
PS: Want to see Vx by LEMG and part of my new keynote in action? Register for free here for our event on 9/1 at 7pm ET (or the replay delivered to your email!) - and check out the trailer for the event below!
Rachel: What do you think the biggest challenge for virtual events in 2020 and 2021 is?
Seth: The biggest challenge by far is educating our clients as to the viability of a virtual experience. ROI is super important to most of our clients for sure, but it's more than that. I believe that many of them feel that they are taking a "career risk" by trusting us to convert their usual in-person event to a virtual one. But the fact is, many events perform as well or even better than their in-person counterpart and the entire experience becomes a really positive adventure. We designed Vx by LEMG from the attendee experience perspective so it's imperative that we provide a vehicle for the attendee to be as engaged as possible.
Rachel: I love that - I wouldn’t have thought about how some events would be event BETTER virtual, but you’re right! Plus - less hangovers from the night before with some attendees (laughs).
As event professionals, what do you see as some positives when it comes to virtual conferences and events?
Seth: The first positive that events pros can enjoy immediately is hope. Hope that there's still a way to connect, communicate and enjoy the other humans in our community while still accomplishing our meeting goals. Hope that there are still options for our clients who need us to offer solutions for their meetings. Hope that, although the world is changing, we can still create environments that reflect the uniqueness of each of our clients.
Rachel: Seth, you’re preaching the truth! What do you think is the biggest frustration when it comes to picking a virtual event platform is for clients, corporations and associations?
Seth: Picking the correct platform from a client perspective can be a frustrating task. Especially if you feel your only options are standard business offerings like Zoom, Webex, Blue Jeans, etc. Our job as event pros is, again, to educate our clients on what options are actually available for large format meetings and events. That they can still have "multi-room" setups complete with General Sessions, Breakouts, Networking and Expo Spaces. They can still have the same (if not much better) sponsorship opportunities. Registration can be simple and can offer attendees a single login for all event activities. And the user can have a highly interactive experience complete with watch parties, chats, games, giving, parallel mobile experiences and much more. It's an exciting time in the virtual event space!
Rachel: One thing I love about working with you and the team at LEMG is your energy and positivity, so I’ve got to ask - what has been the most fun part of building Vx by LEMG?
Seth: Watching the combined knowledge and excitement of our entire team come together to create something much bigger than any one of us has been so fun. Being a part of a team that rose to the occasion has been humbling. And we're excited about the future. Getting to work in that environment every day has truly been a career high note. (Rachel’s note - check out the LEMG team on their instagram - Shout out to Michael, Derek, Anna, Damon, Ben and Tom!)
Rachel: Seth, I hope everyone reading this is getting as inspired as I am. Thank you so much, man. As we close, I’ll end with a simple question - what's the 1 piece of advice you would want to give to someone planning their 1st virtual event?
Seth: The biggest transition that I'm noticing between in-person events to virtual ones is in pre-production. The pre-production of a virtual event, when executed well, is more intense and organization is key. Having a great Project Manager to walk you through the process definitely takes the pressure off and sets your event up for success.
Rachel: Fantastic. You heard it here 1st, y’all! Seth is a powerhouse of energy, vision and help - so don’t hesitate to reach out to him at seth.macchi@liveeventsmg.com and on LinkedIn here.
—
Want to know more about this all in 1 solution? Here’s my favorite parts:
HIGHLIGHTS OF VX BY LEMG:
TURKEY SOLUTIONS: means full AV and video production + entire event ecosystem
MULTIPLE SPACES: general session, breakouts, networking, expo, etc
HIGHLY INTERACTIVE: chats, games, polls, giving, auctions, etc
VIDEO ON DEMAND: within the platform itself, show elements are immediately available as they happen so the attendee can go back and rewatch elements that they missed or want to see again
CUSTOMIZABLE LOOKS: complete the look and feel that each client requires and wow attendees
Sounds pretty awesome, huh?!