Performance Matters - Digital Experiences - 22

1
Start with objectives
It's important to always start with defining your objectives. To create an event
with meaningful impact, objectives should reflect a deep understanding of
the needs of the audience and what success may look like for them. From
there you can imagine what is possible and begin to put plans in place.
Event objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant,
and time bound. Your established objectives will help provide insights into
what is needed to bring the right experience to life. From there, you can
explore event format and measurement best practices so that there's no
debate on how to best design for success for your next event.
2 Determine the format
Here are some considerations for determining event format for your experience:
IN-PERSON LIVE EVENTS
VIRTUAL EVENTS
Building connections. Leverage in-person experiences
to ramp up culture and feelings of belonging, which are
critical psychological and self-fulfillment needs best
achieved in person.
Introducing new products and tools. During events
there are typically new tools and products that are
introduced. While undoubtedly these products can
be featured online, it's great to get a hands-on
demonstration or be able to ask questions that are
specific to needs and interests.
Gaining hands-on experiences. Team building, role
playing, and networking can be done virtually, but
in-person engagement provides attendees the
opportunity to dialogue and learn from one another.
Needing flexibility. A virtual event is flexible by design;
there are options for fluidity of language, timing, level
of interaction, accessibility, monetization, and more.
(For more insights on inclusion and accessibility for the
workforce, go to page 11.)
Managing costs. With virtual, you save on the cost of
venue, travel, hotel, food, and other in-person overheads.
However, there will be an investment in technology to
ensure an engaging and successful virtual experience
for all who attend. (To learn how P&G virtualized learning
for their R&D teams, go to page 14.)
Tracking results and feedback. Online events
provide quick ability to track metrics such as level
of participant interactions, audience engagement by
speaker or topic, views by presentation or content,
and more. Use this data to evaluate the impact and
effectiveness of your event.
HYBRID EVENTS
Gaining greater reach across multiple locations.
In-person events have limits on the number of
participants for logistical or geographical reasons. A
hybrid event (one with virtual and in-person components)
can increase your reach by attracting attendees who
wanted to participate but couldn't before. Coordinate
shared experiences during the event through technology
such as roaming cameras in the event space or virtual
breakout sessions.
Providing greater safety. Hybrid events offer all event
participants more safety, comfort, and flexibility. With
fewer in-person guests, it's easier to space out people
and activities as needed. Guests can attend virtually if
health concerns or travel restrictions prevent their
in-person attendance.
Wanting the best of both worlds. By combining " live "
in-person events with virtual components, hybrid events
ramp up the excitement and connect audiences who
typically could not connect. Doing this successfully
means designing moments that bring value to both
in-person and virtual attendees. Include pre-event
communications that consider in-person and virtual
needs as well as post-event connections such as
ongoing networking and one-on-one sessions.
Performance Matters - Digital Experiences

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Performance Matters - Digital Experiences
