When we talk about event design, we usually imagine an in-person setup! However, the shift in priorities with virtual events has forced us to reimagine event engagement ideas and design elements. As attendees are navigating through virtual venues, the best way to hold their attention is to focus on design aspects that some of us tend to miss.
Let’s move beyond slapping together PowerPoint presentations on Zoom and calling it a virtual event. Instead, take a look at some design ideas to engage attendees in an unforgettable experience!
Set a Visual Theme to Prop Up Your Narrative
You are already missing out on the in-person connect, touch and feel in a virtual event. In addition, challenges like
attendee engagement and event dropouts can be avoided if your virtual event has a defined theme with solid visuals. Once you have a set of event objectives, try explaining the same to your target audience through creative storytelling. Then, focus on creating images and designs that reinforce your event’s narrative.
For example, The Augmented World Expo Europe 2022 is an event that talks about the future of technologies like Extended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and
Artificial Intelligence (AI). As the landing page depicts, the event has an interstellar theme throughout the event website. Because the new technologies can provide ‘Otherworldly’ experiences, the landing page shows a person using VR and transporting into outer space. The event has also used the space theme as a backdrop for the stage talks to provide a consistent experience.
A Stellar Backdrop Captures the Attention
For a virtual event, attendees might be tuning to your sessions from different locations. A recent new wave has even experimented with flying down speakers to one place with a proper setup, including backdrop, mics, lights, and décor. Some are even calling such locations virtual venues where you can record or stream sessions. From start to end, you have to weave in your virtual event design carefully to maintain a certain level of consistency and flow during the sessions. One way to go about this would be to use branded backdrops or different designs for new sessions.
The branded backdrops give the event a professional edge and make the audience feel like they are a part of something big! In addition, mishaps like unknown appearances, cluttered rooms and poor lighting can be avoided with themed backdrops. In addition, Zoom has added a new feature to its event platform. From April 2022, Zoom users will be getting virtual green rooms! The panelists, speakers, and the rest of your event staff can use the virtual backstage environment to stay backstage while viewing the live event feed. The experience goes beyond viewing! Speakers can even answer attendee questions and test-run their presentations in the virtual green rooms.
Even Zoom Webinar has new features for their audience! Now, the event organizers can customize the in-webinar experience by adding a branded wallpaper in all panel session videos and displaying the name tag of the speakers.