From creating an engaging agenda – that doesn’t leave your audience hitting the snooze button – to troubleshooting technology glitches, there’s no room for error with your virtual event. Here are 4 common mistakes to avoid when planning your next virtual event. Continue reading “4 Common Mistakes that Successful Virtual Events Avoid”
A pharmaceutical company, launching a global-wide Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) study, needed to host an investigator meeting (IM) series as well as a recruitment training series.
Given the large scale of the study, combined with the challenges of the pandemic, the client needed to proceed with the investigator meetings and recruitment trainings while also providing flexibility and accessibility to site staff and sites involved in the study.
Due to the complexity of this study involving OCD, the specialized training involved the interaction and management of patients from initial communication throughout the lifecycle of patient care and the many touchpoints in between. In order to maximize the patient recruitment capabilities, it was imperative to make comprehensive training accessible to every staff person at every site who interacts with the patient at each touchpoint, in addition to the HCPs, site coordinators and principal investigators.
This was the client’s first fully virtual event series; they needed guidance from the Miller Tanner Associates team to plan and execute these meeting series to ensure accommodation of multiple time zones including North America, Canada, and Europe.
The Miller Tanner Associates team worked with the client to determine their goals and created a thorough strategy to execute multiple virtual meeting series for the investigator meetings and the patient recruitment training as well as an on-demand training option through VALTs, (Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source), MTA’s proprietary learning management system, for those unable to attend the live sessions. By offering multiple meeting options, attendees could choose based on their availability, enabling a higher participation among those invited.
To maintain the efficiency and efficacy for the study team, both the IM and the recruitment meeting series were live streamed events with pre-recorded content. MTA provided speaker coaching, remote recording, and editing of the remote pre-recorded content.
Additionally, MTA designed and implemented brand uniformity throughout the VALTs study portal, vendor portal, and the landing page of the virtual platform used for the meeting series. The landing page featured speakers’ bios to be repurposed for use within VALTs.
The pre-recorded captures were live streamed using an elevated virtual platform. To create a more engaging virtual experience, the speakers and moderator provided live Q&A throughout the meetings. These sessions were then repurposed within VALTs.
Need to expand your training? Contact us to learn more about VALTs.
Do you have questions about virtual events? We have answers.
A: Virtual event solutions are a very effective alternative to a canceled face-to-face event. Even when you can’t meet face-to-face, our virtual solutions offer an option to deliver your message to a virtually-engaged audience.
A: We have over 10 years of virtual event planning experience. With a virtual event planned and managed by Miller Tanner Associates, your organization can streamline everything from staff training to annual investor recaps. We have created an innovative approach to virtual event planning and management that is focused on delivering a fully-tailored experience that suits your individual needs and goals. Years of experience have taught us exactly what works in the virtual event space. Now, we are able to make virtual events as powerful as meeting face-to-face.
A: Our approach is to partner throughout the process to plan your virtual event experience. First, our team identifies your virtual event goals so that we can recommend the best technologies for your virtual needs. Platforms are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to virtual meetings and it takes expertise to determine the best fit for your specific event goals.
Secondly, we guide you through the entire virtual event planning process and can assist with everything from managing registration, providing redundant systems, optimizing your presentation materials, coaching your presenters, creating an effective agenda, providing tech support, and ensuring audience engagement throughout the event production.
A: There is no limit restriction for the number of participants for a virtual event.
A: We have a team of experts working alongside you to provide technical and practical support throughout the duration of your virtual event.
A: MTA’s support will provide assistance to make sure your virtual event runs smoothly. If it is a system issue, MTA will work diligently to get everything up and running. We have specific processes in place to avoid and remedy any issues that a participant or presenter might have when participating in a virtual event.
A: Because of our expertise and security parameters, your event is secure. Our systems are geographically disparate and resilient. We use established and constant internal auditing processes. Individuals are issued unique credentials for virtual meeting access. Security is paramount for each and every event that we host.
A: This is an important differentiator for clients in the life sciences industry. However, many other industries find it supports their requirements as well. As part of our virtual event solutions, we developed a proprietary tool VALTs (Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source) which supports 21 CFR Part 11 requirements such as trustworthy e-signature and reliable electronic records with associated audit trails. Through our dynamic client reporting, clients can monitor training completions and produce electronic training records for their files through a secure system.
A: MTA provides post-event reporting that will identify the attendee by the unique URL they were provided when registering. This will show the client who attended from registration and the duration they were in attendance.
A: This is one benefit of having a professional meeting planner support your virtual event. With over 10 years of experience in virtual event planning, Miller Tanner Associates has developed best practices and a variety of strategies to ensure that your virtual event is engaging and interactive. Once we understand your event goals, our team designs an event that keeps your audience attentive and captivated throughout every session.
Let our team of expert planners handle the details from start to end. Are you ready to get started planning your virtual event? Contact our team to learn more about how we can support your virtual experience.
Virtual events have been a Miller Tanner Associates’ (MTA) event option since 2010. In the beginning, virtual technology’s limitations only made it a viable option for a very focused event goal. Over time, as virtual technology improved, MTA broadened our use of virtual events suggesting it as an event option to a wider audience. We saw the virtual event format as another tool to use in designing events for our clients.
Today there are many competing virtual platforms and there are many devices in which to use for a virtual event. We recognize technology options move fast and we want to maximize the efforts of many versus developing only one virtual platform option. Just like there are many face-to-face event venue options, there are many virtual platform options. As a result, MTA has created comprehensive virtual training solutions that support a collaborative, engaging virtual experience.
Knowing the reasons why you want to gather and invest your time, drives the conversation about what event format should be used.
Of course, in this time of a global pandemic, virtual is the primary event format available but there are many virtual event platforms from which to choose to accomplish the event’s goals. The clever and expert use of the right technology is the foundation of a successful virtual event.
We’ve just launched a new e-book designed to provide valuable information, best practices, and successful strategies for producing a seamless virtual event. MTA has spent the last 10 years learning the best features of the many virtual platforms on the market and we want to share that knowledge with those that are interested in learning more.
This e-book provides:
If you need guidance along the way, reach out to our team at www.millertanner.com. Thank you in advance for the opportunity to share our knowledge of planning virtual events.
With every crisis comes opportunity. For the event industry, the opportunity is the ability to pivot to successfully produce virtual meetings and virtual events. In today’s market, virtual solutions have become the only event option available and the event industry has shifted to meet the demand.
Since 2010 Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) has been planning virtual meetings and in 2016, MTA started producing successful virtual events. There is a distinction between meetings and events, and it’s helpful to understand the differences and similarities.
A virtual meeting is a virtual screen-to-screen (S2S) gathering of remote attendees gathered to listen to a speaker present on a certain topic, receive training, and/or meet to collaborate. Usually less than 4 hours in length (3 hours is preferred for maximum audience engagement), a virtual meeting is considered a basic virtual format type:
Conversely, a virtual event contains the same basic structure of a virtual meeting – a S2S gathering of remote attendees – however, the agenda and the technology involved are much more complex. Virtual events are designed to create an experience, not only to deliver a message. There is more leadership effort in connecting with the virtual audience on a multitude of different levels. Their agendas can provide virtual options over several days and they usually involve the use of multiple virtual platform features such as:
Foundationally for both types of S2S formats to be successful, they must utilize a virtual platform that offers the features needed to achieve their messaging goal. The market has many virtual platform options, in which to choose and each has value. The trick is knowing the market’s virtual platform options/features and being able to successfully utilize them for either a meeting or an event.
Additionally, both virtual meetings and virtual events require:
The event format type may have shifted, but the end goals remain the same – to have a successful meeting or event. You are investing in bringing everyone together for a reason and you should successfully accomplish your goal.
When planned with a knowledgeable and talented team either a virtual meeting or a virtual event should achieve your results. The event industry’s opportunity is to be able to pivot from a face-to-face event format to a 100% virtual platform format and still be able to produce exceptional results.
Contact our team to help you design the right virtual solution for your event goals.
What if you could bring training directly to your remote, global sites without the added expense of travel and logistics of a face-to-face event?
Now you can. Continue reading “Bring Remote Site Training With Virtual Events”
What if you could bring training directly to your remote, global sites without the added expense of travel and logistics of a face-to-face event?
Now you can. Continue reading “Bring Remote Site Training With Virtual Events”
Maybe you’ve been wondering about hosting a virtual event, but you’ve had one of these thoughts…
“I’ve had too many past issues to trust technology with something this important.”
“I have 1,000 attendees. Wouldn’t it cost us an arm and a leg to have a meeting that large?”
“Wouldn’t I also need to host a live, face-to-face event as well?”
It is easy to understand why most businesses seem skeptical about risking the success of highly important interactions with their stakeholders. That’s why many companies decide to engage participants interactively through a face-to-face event.
But the truth is that a virtual event can be the solution to many of the problems and worries many of our clients have regarding cost, flexibility and accessibility.
Virtual events are a highly effective way to deliver content. If you’ve never hosted a virtual event, here are a few reasons you should consider it:
Perhaps the most obvious benefit to virtual events is the cost savings. You can deliver the same great content to your audience for a fraction of the cost because you don’t have to worry about airfare, accommodations, meals, entertainment, and more.
Plus, planning a face-to-face event takes a lot of time – securing venues, organizing travel, planning agendas and securing speakers, etc. Trust us, we know how time-intensive face-to-face events can be!
One of the biggest benefits of virtual events is that they can take a lot less time to deploy. That means less planning time – for you, your team or your corporate event planner.
Not to mention, less planning time means you may have the ability to deploy a virtual event quicker if need be.
And, if that weren’t enough, conducting a virtual event gives your team their travel time back. Just think about how much more productive your team could be if they didn’t have to spend 15 hours traveling!
If you’re tight on budget and time, but need to deliver a message to people scattered across the globe, virtual events are a fantastic option for your business!
Have attendees scattered across the globe? Virtual events can reach people with the same content whether they are located in Singapore or San Francisco!
Plus, the experience doesn’t stop at the end of the event. Live virtual events can be recorded so attendees can easily go back and access the content shared, and share the content with new teammates as teams evolve.
The bottom line? Virtual meetings offer unprecedented reach and access by bringing the content to your audience.
Virtual event technology continues to improve, which means that you are less likely to experience crashes, glitches and freeze-frame foolishness like you may have several years ago.
Plus, when you work with a corporate event planner, you’ll get access to state-of-the-art technology and top-notch technicians to ensure your virtual event goes off without a hitch.
For instance, at Miller Tanner, our technology team handles not only the meeting logistics, but also is available to troubleshoot any issues a participant may have in real-time ensuring a successful outcome. We have deployed invites right up to the event start and had additional attendees join right on the spot.
Virtual events should no longer be intimidating, confusing, or complicated. Virtual events are cost-effective, efficient, and allow for tailored management access before, during, and after your event.
There’s a lot to love about virtual events. If you haven’t given one a try, there’s no better time than now to start.
Have you hosted a virtual event? If not, what’s holding you back? Contact us to learn more.
But we’ve also learned that humans are designed for connection and people miss being face-to-face. In general, in-person events are the preferred format to fully engage with others and with the content that’s being delivered.
As regions of the world begin to reopen, companies are exploring how they might extend and further engage their audience in the future considering the juxtaposition of these distinct meeting formats.
Given the unpredictable nature of these times, there must be a safe, effective, yet flexible way to accommodate for the unexpected – abrupt changes in the lives of speakers and/or audiences such as illness, childcare, travel restriction, and community outbreaks. While at the same time, the future also needs to include space for when the purpose of gathering requires a face-to-face meeting experience.
Enter the hybrid event model.
Hybrid events present the unique opportunity to bring together two distinctly different audiences — virtual and face-to-face (in person)— for a single dynamic experience.
Hybrids of the past were primarily about delivering the content that the attendees were missing in person; now it’s about offering an equal experience for both audiences. Hybrid events are not a substitution for the face-to-face portion of the event, but rather are the event itself in a new, multi-dimensional format. It’s about creating a universal, captivating experience for both audiences.
In Miller Tanner Associates’ (MTA) 15 + years of planning hybrid and virtual solutions, we’ve discovered the configurations of a hybrid event are practically limitless. That’s its superpower!
You can:
Hybrid events are the next event format trend offering a new innovative event approach to reach both remote and live audiences.
Want to explore beyond the basic hybrid event? Contact our team to learn more.
Virtual events may have originally started as the solution to a global problem, but it’s quickly become clear that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Offering the ultimate combination of convenience, flexibility, and versatility, remote online events are completely changing the way we collaborate.
If you want to host something truly unique, special event ideas aren’t limited to in-person experiences. In fact, a virtual event can offer all of the same dynamism and memorability as a traditional, on-site event – as long as it’s properly planned and executed. With the right approach and a few handy tips, you can pull off a virtual experience that your attendees never forget.
Whether you’re hosting remote or in-person events, being able to engage and captivate your audience’s interest is the most important thing. You want your event to be something that guests remember as valuable, not as an exhausting waste of time.
If you’ve ever been a virtual event attendee yourself, you already know that it can be draining. Sitting down for hours and staring at a screen for an extended period of time is tiring, no matter what context it’s in. There are constant distractions from the on-screen action (whether attendees are at home or in the office), and the lack of face-to-face moments can make it particularly challenging to stay focused.
Luckily, you’re going to be prepared ahead of time with fun virtual event ideas to combat these factors.
Just about every one of us has participated in a remote event that’s left us half-asleep at our desks, with our mind wandering to what we’ll be doing once the screen shuts off. Unfortunately, it’s probably that far fewer of us have attended a virtual event with the perfect combination of fun activities, quality content, and thoughtful details – but that definitely doesn’t mean these exceptional events are impossible.
Whether the goal of your event is to educate, persuade, or celebrate, putting time and effort into the audience experience makes a world of difference. From the Miller Tanner Associates’ event planning experts to you, here are some of our favorite virtual event ideas for planning an online experience that your attendees will love.
Virtual or in-person events should all begin with a design concept. What is the event experience going to look and feel like? Just because your audience isn’t going to be attending in person, that definitely doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the event design.
The majority of virtual event hosting tools offer a variety of advanced design options that allow you to add a special touch. One great way to make your virtual event stand out is by centering it around a specific theme, incorporating that theme into every element of the design. You can create a fun virtual environment with colors, images, icons, graphics, feeds, and pages, all tied to the theme.
The invitation is the one and only time you’ll get to make a first impression on your event audience, so use the opportunity to wow them right away. First, send a fun invitation email with all the pertinent details.
Then, think about ways to keep building anticipation for the event. You could set up a feed to share hints about what’s to come, a video of attendees introducing themselves, or even a pre-event message board to encourage conversation.
Think of your event hosting platform as a virtual stage – and it’s your job to put on a show. Break up sessions with entertainment to give attendees a short break, keeping spirits up and engagement high.
Think of ways to get the audience involved, whether they get to play parts as entertainers themselves or simply get to participate in the “on-stage” action. Even your speakers can join the fun!
Don’t assume that the entertainment portions of your event are the only time you can make sure people have fun – your attendees can (and should!) have a great time during sessions as well.
There are many different tools that can be used to add interaction, interest, and even humor to your live sessions. Polling, quizzes, and word cloud questions are all smart ways to keep sessions engaging, and real-time Q&A feeds can be both fun and functional.
Searching for fun event ideas for small groups? Even when you’re going virtual with your event, there are still plenty of options out there.
Build-in video breakouts during or after each speaker session, giving each small group a creative challenge to tackle. Or, shake things up with virtual break rooms, where attendees can enjoy some social interaction during their free time. Competitions and games can have the dual purpose of entertainment and engagement and are especially productive when you base them on the event’s key content.
Ultimately, the best ideas for virtual events are the ones that take interactivity to the next level. Whether you use one of the many tools available through your event platform or create fun activities all your own, the purpose of your planning efforts should be centered on driving engagement.
In order for your virtual event to really work, people should feel connected, interested, and involved in what’s happening on their screen. Keep this in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to making your next virtual event a win for everyone.
Here at Miller Tanner, we know a thing or two about professionally, well-planned events. We’ve been in the event coordination and management business for nearly a quarter-century, long before virtual events were even a twinkle in a tech-savvy host’s eye. When the earliest versions of virtual events started to take off, we’re proud to say that we were hard at work pioneering the best way to encourage attendees to have fun, participate, and work together in a remote setting – and we haven’t stopped building on the concept since.
With more than a decade of experience as pro event coordinators in the virtual space, the Miller Tanner Associates team has learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. We know how to create a remote experience that feels anything but giving guests all of the benefits of in-person engagement without actually requiring them to go anywhere.
From planning programming content to working out the technical details, we’ll make sure that you have everything you need to host a virtual event that is a smashing success.
Get more information about how Miller Tanner Associates’ services can be your secret to the best virtual event you’ve hosted yet: contact our team today!
In effort to help readers to summarize the information found within this post, we’ve recapitulated the article in question and answer form.
The most essential aspect of a virtual event is to be able to attract and capture your audience’s attention. This is true whether you’re presenting remote or in-person events. You want your event to be remembered as a worthwhile experience rather than an arduous waste of time.
Almost all of us have been part of a distant event that has left us half-asleep at our workstations with our minds straying to what we’ll do when the screen goes dark. Unfortunately, few of us have seen a virtual event that perfectly combines entertaining activities, high-quality material, and thoughtful details – but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of such events.
The majority of virtual event hosting solutions provide a number of sophisticated design features that enable you to personalize your event. One effective approach to make your virtual event stand out is to focus it on a single topic and include that theme into every aspect of the design. Colors, pictures, symbols, graphics, feeds, and sites should all be linked to the theme to create a pleasant virtual environment.
Use the chance to amaze your event audience straight away with your invitation, which is often the only time you’ll have to create a first impression. Send a nice, eye-catching invitation email with all the essential information first.
Consider how you can engage the audience, whether it’s through giving them roles as performers or just allowing them to join in the “on-stage” activity. Make sure that your guest speakers know they are welcome to participate in the fun too.
