With coronavirus lock down gripping most of the world right now, our virtual lives have become more robust than ever. Teleworking, virtual classrooms, video chatting with friends, e-commerce, and telemedicine are some digital sectors with the biggest boost. This shift to everything virtual has also increased the notoriety of live streaming events and conferences.
Webinars and hybrid events – events that are held in-person but also incorporate live streaming elements – were not new before COVID-19. But they weren’t as popular as live events. Now, that’s changed. Live stream events are quickly becoming the new norm as companies, institutions, and organizations all over the world scramble to rework their previously scheduled events or continue trying to connect with their audiences.
As a company, you have little choice right now but to host your event virtually – or risk cancelling. Before you cancel, though, consider the major benefits to live streaming your company event. The team at Purple Patch Group, a London event company that’s recently started offering virtual event services, came up with the four best reasons to host a live stream company event.
Virtual Events Grant Flexibility
If you’re considering whether or not to cancel your upcoming conference or event, don’t! You have another option. With the flexibility of a virtual event, you can still connect to delegates, employees, organization members, consumers, or whoever your audience is. You don’t have to meet face-to-face to get your messaging out and make an impression.
With a virtual event, you don’t have to search for a large venue to accommodate your attendees. You only need a space adequate to film your main speakers. The presenters could even speak from their homes! Live stream events give your company more flexibility, but they also help out your event attendees. Those who would normally not attend because of travel, personal, or professional reasons can now watch the event from wherever they are in the world. Furthermore, if you record the event and make broadcast available after it’s over, people can tune in when they have the time.
Live Stream Events Reach a Wider Audience
Along with the flexibility of virtual company events comes a wider reach. Making a conference more accessible to suit people’s schedules will help you draw in more viewers. If your events are usually limited to guests hailing from your region or country, you can expand that demographic extensively by going virtual. People across the world can access your live stream if they so choose.
Aside from helping you reach a wider audience, live streaming company events can help you engage with them more effectively. It provides the audience with a better sense of authenticity. When they’re able to view a live event, they get a humanized experience by making the content more relatable and appealing to watch.
Moreover, with live streaming company events, you can promote better interaction from the audience. They can ask some questions that can be responded to in real time. This setup allows you to make the event more engaging for both your live and virtual audience. With all these things being said, holding a live streaming for company events can help your business establish trust and credibility with your prospects and existing customers.
Moreover, Delegates are also much more likely to attend your virtual company event because of lowered costs. For an in-person event, they might have to pay for travel and hotel accommodation, as well as food and other associated costs. They might also have to miss days of work. These expenses can sometimes discourage people from attending live events. With a live stream replacement, you eliminate those costs, making your event more enticing for attendees.
Reduce Costs with Virtual Events
Event guests aren’t the only ones who will save money on virtual events. Your organization will also cut costs by doing a live stream event instead. You won’t have to pay for a venue, caterers, crew, or decorations. With the money your company saves on these features of a traditional event, you can invest in the necessary tech and audiovisual systems to film and live stream a great virtual event.
By going virtual, you can broadcast from a scaled-down location, like a hotel conference room, your office, or even your own home. You can ask speakers and presenters to the same, eliminating their need to travel to your event.
But, in case you need them—your organization committee and some of the live audience—to be physically present at the event’s venue, you may consider booking one of the company travel shuttles in your area. It can help you plan and prepare a company event while making it much easier and faster for your live attendees to get to the location.
Better Brand Promotion
Live stream events and conferences are also a great opportunity for brand promotion. Footage from live events has always been a sweet spot for marketing campaigns, helping viewers relate more easily to brand names. The same can be done with footage from virtual events.
You can release the entire broadcast on your company website, so those who missed out have a chance to view it. You can also cut up the footage you took into bite-sized pieces to post on your social media channel in the months afterward.
All these things make live streaming company events more schedule-friendly. Since your target audience can always go back to the broadcast and rewatch it as many times you want, they can obtain and retain valuable information about the event more effectively. They can also search for small segments that they find interesting and appealing, making it much easier to convey the message you want to share with your target audience. Consequently, you may be able to increase your conversion rate over time.
On the other hand, that footage is also perfect for when you want to generate buzz for the next year’s installment of the event.
Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Live Stream Events
We’re living in unprecedented times. With the majority of our lives going virtual – at least for now – it’s not surprising that our conferences and events have gone virtual as well. Instead of letting the coronavirus lock down wreak havoc on your company’s event, consider making live streaming it.
