Are you planning to organize a webinar or another online event? Keep in mind that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong, and out of all the troubles, the one that will cause the most damage will happen. During an online event, the sound or picture may disappear, the broadcast may be interrupted, the speaker, due to excitement, will display a document that is not intended for the audience, and the participants will not be able to figure out how to turn on the sound.
To prevent this from happening, it is important to choose the right video conferencing platform and pay attention to the signal quality, functionality, ease of use, and price.
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How to Make a Choice?
A video conferencing solution for online events can be free. However, in this case, be prepared for a minimal set of functions and poor picture and sound quality. Even if the webinar does not involve payment for participation, it is better not to save on the platform you use. Instead, you can choose an inexpensive webinar platform, saving on the number of options.
The success of an online event is 50% dependent on the right venue.
Requirements for the platform for holding and organizing online events
When you host an event online, you are competing for user attention with more than just other online events. Your competitors will include YouTube entertainment videos, social media news feeds, phone push notifications, and so on. For the user to choose you, it is important to be more interesting and useful than other sites. In addition, the convenience of the platform for broadcasting plays a key role.
As a rule, organizers hold 2-3 webinars to understand what features an event venue should have. Nevertheless, you can use someone else’s experience and find out in advance the basic requirements for functionality and other characteristics.
Main features
Most often, the service for online events requires:
- The capability to display images, video, and audio materials during the broadcast.
- Multi-screen for connecting several speakers at the same time.
- Possibility to add polls during the webinar.
- The function of demonstration of a desktop of the speaker.
- The ability to record a webinar and save a webinar recording.
- A drawing board to reinforce the main points during the broadcast.
- Text chat for listeners.
What other qualities should a digital event platform have?
Let’s consider a few more issues that are also important.
Accessibility from mobile devices
Many people access the Internet from their phones. If formerly, it was necessary to optimize web applications for mobile devices, now, many of them are initially created for phones.
Easy registration and login
The user may decide to participate in an online event spontaneously. If you need to send a letter for registration, fill out a form, and confirm your email and phone number, few people will reach the broadcast.
High-quality video and sound
Users registered for the event, received a notification and a reminder, entered the venue at the right time, and… could not make out anything due to poor sound. Signal quality issues or being knocked out of the webinar room can ruin all your efforts. Therefore, it is better not to save on this point.
To evaluate how reliably the online platform for organizing events works, it is useful to take part in one of the events as a listener. If this is not possible, you can read reviews about the platform and its quality on the Internet.
It is important that technical support is available 24/7 and solves customer issues in a way that suits them. For example, it may be convenient for the user to get advice on the site, by phone, by mail, or via a popular messaging system.
Platform Requirements for Training and Webinars
Webinars and different types of live online events remain some of the most effective marketing tools. With their help, you can attract more clients, develop a personal brand, and increase customer loyalty.
During the pandemic, the popularity of this format has only increased. Many are accustomed to Zoom webinars and appreciate their convenience and accessibility. However, this is not enough for organizers of training courses. The fact is that Zoom does not provide detailed statistics on those present. Therefore, Zoom is built into some other platforms, which allow you to see who was at the webinar and how long they stayed there.
It is important that users can easily understand the functionality of the online service, namely:
- At least, they should intuitively understand how to decrease or increase the sound, were to write a message in the chat, and so on.
- If the platform requires you to additionally install plugins or change settings on users’ devices, this will weed out part of the audience.
It is convenient if the program for recording webinars and the platform for their broadcast is in the same place. If the webinar is live, it is important to be able to record it. Later, you can send it to everyone who registered for the event or provide selective access by user requests.
The possibility to brand the program for online webinars will be an additional plus for anyone who conducts webinars for employees or clients. It is much better when you can make branding, logo design, and corporate active colors. This makes the platform look like the company’s own product to users and attracts them more.
Where to hold a webinar or some other online event depends on your goals and the capabilities of the audience. For example, for middle-aged and younger users, the mobile version of the platform is important. As for an older audience, simplicity and a minimum of functions are of fundamental importance.
If you use webinars to educate employees or clients, the ability to create courses and test on the platform will come in handy. Decide whether you want to download ready-made webinars or watch them later. We also advise you to pay attention to the availability of detailed statistics on the participants of events and webinars to plan your further affairs.
