In their nature, virtual events require a few different technology tools in order to create a seamless, professional experience that goes without a hitch and impresses your clients and delegates.
We've previously covered all the technology you need for your virtual event and the pros and cons of an all-in-one platform vs tech stack. In this piece, we'll explore how to build the best event technology stack for your virtual event so that you're prepared and well on the way to creating a smooth virtual event.
If you need any further guidance, be sure to get in touch with our Virtual Event Experts to see how we can help.
Table of Contents
1. What is a virtual event technology stack?
2. Pre-event
3. During the event
4. Post-event
5. Top tips for building your event tech stack
What is a virtual event technology stack?
A virtual event technology stack is a combination of lots of different tech tools and platforms to create your own virtual event solution. More and more eventprofs are turning to event tech stacks as their go-to virtual event solution as it means you can cherry-pick the best platforms and tools on the market. There are several tools you'll need for each stage of your virtual event, which we'll cover below.
Pre-event
It's important to start as you mean to go on: get all your tech tools set up and ready to go so that once your event is ready to be promoted and people start signing up, it's a smooth experience for everyone and sets the tone for the event itself. You'll need:
- Project management tools. Ok, so these aren't specific to planning events, but they're super helpful and give clarity and transparency to the whole process. You can manage budgets, assign tasks to team members, manage suppliers and even store your critical path of the event as it progresses, all in one handy tool.
- A registration platform that integrates with your CRM to keep track of attendees.
- Event marketing software so that you can schedule your social media posts and create and send all email communications to delegates (also important for post-event).
- A virtual event platform. This is kind of an obvious one, but you're going to need a platform on which to host your virtual event. Depending on audience, event objectives, budget, and event format, there are a lot of platforms to choose from, so we recommend doing your research and choosing the platform that will help you best achieve your goals. Arena by Hire Space is a brand new platform jam-packed with useful tools and functionalities to help you meet those goals. From emojis to breakouts, Arena offers it all.
During the event
User experience is paramount to the success of your virtual event, so again, ensure all tools have been tried and tested and that they're going to help your attendees have a great experience. You'll need:
- A tool for attendees to check in or access your event. This is helpful for your ROI analytics and post-event comms, as well as adding a sense of exclusivity to your event.
- Live stream hosting platform and broadcast production software. You'll need platforms that will do the live streaming, as well as a tool (or person!) to do all the production for you. This will create a smooth viewing experience and will also give you peace of mind that if anything goes wrong, it will be fixable by an on-hand professional.
- Attendee engagement tools. This could be audience interaction tools such as live polling or Q&A software, networking software so your attendees can make valuable connections and also a data gathering tool so that you'll be able to see exactly which delegates were engaging with what, which sessions were attended, which sessions were not so well attended etc. This, along with attendee feedback, stands you in good stead to be able to hone your content and overall experience for next time.
- Event app. If you're organising a hybrid event, or just want to provide your attendees with a more rounded experience, you could create an event app to make the event more interactive and fun.
Read our piece on technology you'll need for your virtual event to gain a little more insight.
Post-event
So, your event is over and your tech has got you this far. However, it's also important to have a few tools to help you wrap up the event process and to reflect and analyse how you can improve for next time. You'll need:
- Data review and analysis tools. This is super important to help you measure the success of your event, evaluate ROI generated and assess how well you met your metrics. You can get all sorts of data from a virtual event, so it's really worth finding a great tool that tells you as much as possible and integrates well with your CRM too so you can follow up on the data, such as by reaching out to your generated leads.
- A feedback tool. Asking your attendees for feedback is a really important part of organising an event. Feedback can help you gain valuable insights into the attendee experience, but it also provides you with essential information on how you can improve for next time. You could use a platform to create a survey and then email this to all attendees, which you can then integrate so all responses automatically get sent to you to review and analyse. A tip is to include some NPS (Net Promoter Score) questions, to give you a benchmark of attendee sentiments.
- Video editing tool. A great way to extend the shelf life of your virtual events is to record your content and then release it on your blog and social media for those who couldn't make it. This will help you expand your reach, keep the event buzz alive and also help you position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Using a tool to help you edit and refine the recorded sessions will help you create a polished product that can easily be shared.
Top tips for building your event tech stack
- Make sure all of your tools integrate well with each other. There's nothing worse than different tech tools not working well together and creating a logistical nightmare for you! Event tech stacks can save you time and automate a lot of processes, but only when they're set up correctly, so make sure you completely understand how to do this and ask the tech providers for help if necessary.
- Do your research and ask for demos. Going for the tech stack option means you have the luxury of being able to choose the best of the best, so spend time doing your research, ask the providers for demos and get familiar with the tech. You're the one whose going to have to use it!
- Always go back to your event objectives and goals to make sure each tech tool you choose aligns with your objectives and is the best option for helping you achieve them.
We hope this piece helps give you some guidance on building your own virtual event technology stack! If you're ready to start organising, book a free consultation below with our Virtual Event Experts and we'll be happy to help.
If you need a little extra help with your events, Hire Space 360 offers everything the modern event planner needs to create memorable events, in-person and online. For just a small monthly cost, Hire Space 360 offers venue sourcing, access to our state-of-the-art online event platform Arena, help with registration technology, assistance with contracting and payments, supplier sourcing, and on-demand staffing and much more.
For more guidance and advice on how to plan unforgettable virtual events, check out our Complete Guide To Virtual Events.
Author
Izzie Lachecki
Izzie brings a deep understanding of the events world to Hire Space, and keeps busy by writing lots of Hire Space and EventLAB content and managing the Hire Space social media presence.
