5 Ways to Talk to Your Virtual Delegates

The engagement and satisfaction levels of virtual delegates are critical to the success of hybrid and virtual events. A well designed virtual delegate programme is a big step forward.

But, another key component of high satisfaction scores is how you communicate with your virtual delegates.

Here are 5 ideas to help:

 

1. Make Interaction Easy

The harder you make it for your delegates to interact means less people will engage. If it’s difficult delegates will just not bother. At one event I attended, I wanted to post a comment in the chat box. It should have been simple. But it wasn’t. I needed to leave the viewing page, go to a new web page, create a user account, post the comment and then I could get back to watching the session. In the end I did all of this because the panel debate was fascinating and I knew the speakers involved. But, it was a lot of trouble. Making interaction simple for your delegates is always best, especially if you want good engagement ratings.

 

2. State Which Channels are to be Used

Do you want delegates to send in comments and questions? If you are using a chat box, where is it located? How do people send in their questions?  Are there social media channels that you want used? If so, what are they and what is the hashtag for your event? If you use too many channels you may be creating a lot of work for yourself in responding to the comments. Plus you may also be diluting the impact of your event. If your delegates are familiar with one channel then it’s probably not a good idea to ask them to use a different one or a new one. 

 

3. Answer Technical Difficulties

Technical challenges for some delegates are common. And there are many reasons for this. Some delegates click buttons too quickly, some click the wrong buttons and some don’t know where to go to click the button. But you can make their life a lot easier by being able to answer any technical queries. Providing a set of FAQs that are easily accessible and having a contact help number in place will help solve a lot of the issues and give your virtual delegates peace of mind that you do care for them and their virtual experience.

 

4. Be Proactive on Programme Changes

Virtual delegates will be looking at their programme and they will expect everything to run on time and to time. Remember they may only tune in for specific sessions and if the programme has changed, they will not have a clue what is happening. I have attended hybrid events where changes have been made but not communicated to the virtual delegates. For the in-person delegates at the venue it’s less of an issue. If changes need to be made to the virtual programme, they need to be communicated swiftly and clearly. You could use an event app, message on social media or use a virtual host to keep delegates up to speed.

 

5. Engage a Virtual Host

One of the most effective ways of talking to your virtual delegates is by using a virtual host. The virtual host acts as the conduit between your virtual delegates and what is happening at the the event. The host can perform a number of functions. They can let the delegates know what’s coming up, provide advice on any changes and also help delegates understand how to participate fully in the event.

 

Be Your Virtual Delegate

Be your virtual delegate. Put yourself in their shoes and critique your communications. Do they make sense and are they easy to implement. You want to make sure that delegates have everything they need to get the most from their virtual experience. Be honest in your assessment and deal with any problems before you go live.