Virtual Event Success

I attended a play called over the weekend starring one of Jamaica’s most well-loved and well-known comedians. What happened in the hours before the play started is nothing short of comedy. I share the experience in this video. There are TONS of lessons on what NOT to do with your next virtual event.

After you view the video, please share what the event host could’ve done differently and how we can avoid these mistakes when hosting a virtual event.

So, hosting a telesummit, virtual trade show or virtual summit sounds like an awesome idea, huh? The list building and income potential are absolutely seductive.

So, you send an email to the best and brightest names in your industry asking them to speak at your virtual event. You Google “sponsorship agreements,” copy one and fire it off to companies who you think should sponsor your virtual event.

And since you’re not all thumbs when it comes to booking a conference bridge line or webinar service, this thing should be pretty easy, right?

Well, I have a message for you.

You suck. Epicly.

Because of you, sponsors, exhibitors and speakers are reluctant about participating in a virtual event. Your disorganization and unrealistic expectations are ruining it for those of us who know how to plan these things properly.

I heard that you pressured your speakers to promote your virtual event to their list 3 TIMES because you were freaking out about the low response. You called and emailed them endlessly, chastising them for not holding up their end of the bargain.

How unprofessional.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Your online information page for your virtual event looks like it was created using a magic marker. And the topic is on becoming a six figure marketer. Not with a sales page looking like that.

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I’ve been hosting virtual events since 2003. Over the years, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t when hosting a virtual event.

When I tell people that I’m a virtual event planner, they immediately share with me the negative experiences they’ve had planning their own. As I listen to their tales of woe, I can’t help but feel a sense of compassion.

In my experience, there are some common mistakes people make when producing a virtual event. So, I asked some of my friends, mentors and colleagues to record their top virtual event mistakes. All have attended virtual events as a speaker or produced one of their own and they didn’t hold back.

Here are 3 virtual event mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.

Mistake #1 – Not saying thank you

There is just one thing you can do after the virtual event is over that will guarantee that people say “Yes” to working with you again and again. Yet many virtual event organizers forget to say “Thank you”. Felicia Slattery, a professional speaker and business coach, shared with me recently that there are easy ways to show your gratitude. An email, a phone call, even a $10 gift certificate in a card will go a long way. Felicia said that it doesn’t need to be extravagant. Just remember to express your thanks after the virtual event is over.

Mistake #2 – Not having a clear theme

Just because you’re holding a virtual event doesn’t mean people will attend. Kendall Summerhawk, a millionaire business coach, recently shared with me that if the topics are too generic or if it’s old news, people won’t register for your virtual event. Kendall suggests that you should come up with 30 specific results that you want attendees to get after attending your virtual event. This exercise alone will help you really pinpoint the benefits.

Mistake #3 – Being a bully

So, what’s the best way to ruin people’s experience with your virtual event? Be a bully. Michele PW, a copywriting expert, explains how one virtual event manager pressured her into sending a solo email to her list to promote the virtual event. When Michele said she couldn’t, the virtual event manager became very rude. From that experience, Michele recommends that you should encourage speakers to promote a virtual event to their network using emails, Twitter, Facebook and other tools. Give speakers options in how to promote your virtual event and never make this a requirement for speaking.

To listen to additional mistakes shared by some of the top online coaches, speakers and experts, click here.

Virtual Event Launch Secrets

Earlier this week, I launched my brand new training program called Virtual Event Launch Secrets. It’s my crisis-management-in-a-box designed to help you produce a virtual event pain-free using my checklists, forms and templates.

You also get weekly coaching calls so you can ask your questions about the training, plus you’ll become a Virtual Event Apprentice where you’ll take a virtual event from concept to launch (you have to visit the sales page to see my Donald Trump inspired image).

I know you may have some questions about this program. That’s why I’m holding a 30-minute question and answer call on October 5, 2009 at 12pm EDT.

In this call, you can ask me anything about the program. If you’re thinking about registering, but you want to make sure the program will help you with your goals, join me on October 5, 2009 at 12pm EST over the phone.

Click here to get the call-in details.

Tonight, I attended a webinar on a topic that I was really, really, really interested in learning more about. My friend, Tynisha Thompson, founder of the Association of Book Publicity Professionals, was on the webinar as well. We both had Skype open so we could pass notes during the webinar.

At the top of the hour, the host had not arrived as yet. There was a voice recording that repeated the following message every 30-seconds which said:

“The webinar has not started. Please remain on the line.”

I ran upstairs to the kitchen to grab some water. When I returned to my desk, the webinar still had not started and it was now four minutes past the start time.

I skyped Tynisha saying:

“Wow, it hasn’t started yet?”

To which Tynisha replied:

“You know these webinars – there’s always technical difficulties.”

At around seven minutes past the hour, the host arrived and started to do things on his desktop to set up his slides. I could see him flipping through a variety of screens on his desktop as he prepped the very first slide for his session. While he was doing this, the recording continued to say:

“The webinar has not started. Please remain on the line.”

Anticipation turned to concern when the slides on the screen were changing at a pace that seemed like the host had already started his presentation, however, the only audio I could hear was:

“The webinar has not started. Please remain on the line.”

Sadly, the host was unaware that the audio portion was still not working even though the visual portion was.

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