The 5 Nightmares of Virtual Event Organizers

We’ve all attended at least one virtual event, especially since these events have been part of daily life for so many people over the past two years. We loved it or we hated it… You’ve probably already witnessed one of these 5 fails during a virtual event. Here’s how to avoid them happening to you too.

The challenges of virtual events

1. The Facebook or LinkedIn live that “won’t start”

You’ve decided to go live on Facebook or LinkedIn from an external streaming platform. Everyone’s ready, you hit the “Start” button and… nothing. Total void. 😱 Don’t worry, it’s happened to us too. To keep your guests entertained while the technical team scrambles, prepare a short holding video like “We’ll be live shortly” with some pleasant music playing. That way, once the live officially starts, you won’t catch your guest yawning on camera, for example (yes, that’s happened to us too 🥱).

2. The guest who doesn’t show up or logs in at the wrong time

You informed your guests of the event schedule and the exact time of their segment. Everything’s going fine until one of your guests goes missing. The person is unreachable, by email or by phone. The closer their segment gets, the more you stress. Don’t panic! You have several options.

• Move a segment up: had you planned to air a pre-recorded video later in the day? Do it now.
• Contact the next people scheduled to speak to see if one of them could go earlier. You can then fit the late guest in a bit later.

In short, the idea is to avoid simply enduring a guest’s delay or cancellation, and instead turn the problem into a solution.

3. Screen sharing that doesn’t work (or works badly)

You explained to your guests how the platform works, especially screen sharing, but on the big day, panic sets in: it doesn’t work (or works badly), the video won’t play or has no sound, the file won’t display. In short, everyone’s stressed and the talk still hasn’t started. To avoid this kind of headache, I always suggest that guests send me their presentation and/or the video they want to show. That way, I can react quickly and share my screen for them. 📺

4. The guest having camera trouble

You did technical tests with your guest, but their camera decided it no longer felt like cooperating: the image is blurry, all you can see is their forehead, or, even stranger, the camera looks like it’s positioned under their chin. 😳 I have to admit we still haven’t found the miracle fix for this kind of problem. Of course, you can take a few moments to try to guide the person into frame, but you might have to accept that participants won’t get a great view of the guest, or will only see part of their face…

5. The guest who keeps repeating “Can you hear me?”

Even after two years, some people still aren’t used to virtual settings, and that’s okay! It’s one of the things I’ve learned: you can’t assume everyone is comfortable with technology. Even though we’re not the type to make fun of guests or participants, this tweet really made us laugh and we found it so fitting.

The solutions

For your virtual event to run smoothly for you, your team, your guests, and your participants, here’s our advice:

• Run technical tests beforehand with your guests to show them the platform and its features. This will also let you gauge their comfort level with the technology (or lack thereof) and understand that you may need to adjust your approach for your audience.
• Regularly send your guests instructions for using the platform along with the connection link. For example, you can make a summary sheet—fairly short, since people don’t read documents, much to our dismay—or a short video.
• Always be ready to act quickly in case of an unexpected change. My best advice? Surround yourself with a stress-resistant team that can come up with solutions in the blink of an eye. It’s always reassuring to know you can count on your colleagues if something goes wrong.
• Finally, accept that things might go wrong sometimes. Certain elements are simply out of your control, like the camera of the guy filming his double chin. But that doesn’t mean your event is a failure. 😉

Not sure where to start planning your event? Call on our services. We promise fun and zero stress. 🚀 ALSO READ: Seven key elements for a successful virtual holiday party