[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/04\/23\/pivoting-to-virtual-events\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/04\/23\/pivoting-to-virtual-events\/","headline":"Pivoting to virtual events: 3 keys to bringing your show-floor online","name":"Pivoting to virtual events: 3 keys to bringing your show-floor online","description":"Having to cancel the events that drive bottom lines and cement customer loyalties has become a stark, daunting reality for countless businesses in the wake of COVID-19, leaving the event industry reeling and companies scrambling to find replacements for in-person events. Here are three ways to assure success when pivoting to virtual events.","datePublished":"2020-04-23","dateModified":"2020-04-23","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/randy-frisch\/#Person","name":"Randy Frisch","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/randy-frisch\/","identifier":410,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a0a05f6ba80eef24abc9901fc83246ef746d5468c3633aa4cfb3f3abdf05e5dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a0a05f6ba80eef24abc9901fc83246ef746d5468c3633aa4cfb3f3abdf05e5dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pivoting-to-virtual-events.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pivoting-to-virtual-events.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/04\/23\/pivoting-to-virtual-events\/","about":["COVID-19 and Business",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/marketing-general\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]}],"wordCount":566,"keywords":["COVID-19 | Coronavirus","Virtual Events"],"articleBody":"Having to cancel the events that drive bottom lines and cement customer loyalties has become a stark, daunting reality for countless businesses in the wake of COVID-19, leaving the event industry reeling and companies scrambling to find replacements for in-person events.Imagine being one week away from hosting over 1,000 B2B marketers in San Francisco, prepared to deliver 16 talk tracks, with keynotes from customers and partners \u2026 and suddenly, you have to cancel the whole thing due to a global pandemic.Shortly after having to make the gut-wrenching decision to cancel their annual ABM Innovation Summit, I got to talk with Demandbase CMO Peter Isaacson on The Marketer\u2019s Journey Podcast.It\u2019s a devastating choice, and one many are facing as the virus continues down an unpredictable path. Marketers in every industry are now in the process of reevaluating their entire 2020 strategy, and for a lot of them, that means bringing their physical events online.Flexibility has always important in marketing, but now it\u2019s critical.3 tips for pivoting to virtual eventsPivoting to virtual events requires a completely different mindset than planning something in-person. Because, let’s face it, as people become more and more comfortable working from home, the offers for attending one more Zoom session or live-stream are becoming less and less appealing.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowYou can’t expect your audience to show up – let alone stay engaged – if you aren’t offering them something very different than the hundreds of other digital offerings now cropping up. After all, we’re now living in a world where getting a webcam is proving incredibly challenging.So how do you successfully make the leap from show-floor to the web? Here’s three pieces of advice that Isaacson offered up for pivoting to virtual:Reconfigure your contentBringing a physical event to a virtual space requires rethinking some of your content.While big keynotes may translate well to video presentations, consider what content would work well as a podcast, an e-book, or a webinar. Give your attendees a variety of options so they can engage on their terms.Invest in high-quality productionFor virtual events, the attendee experience hinges on the tech. Grainy or choppy videos will lose your audience. For the key presentations, invest high-quality AV to improve engagement and give people the best possible experience.Presenters, bring your a-gamePresenting on stage to a room full of people is one thing; presenting to a video camera while trying to capture that energy is an entirely different challenge.As Peter said, \u201cit becomes incumbent on the presenters to become even more outgoing, even more energizing and to really do whatever they possibly can \u2013 through humor, or insight, or storytelling \u2013 to communicate in a more effective way.\u201dThis content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowAdaptation is always a requirement of survival, we’re just needing to adapt much quicker than usual. Keep the customer experience at the heart of your plans, and odds are you’ll find success – or learn.Everything has changed.Learn how to get your businessready for the new normal\u00a0HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"23","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/04\/\/23\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Pivoting to virtual events: 3 keys to bringing your show-floor online","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/04\/23\/pivoting-to-virtual-events\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]