A virtual event is any meet-up that takes place online rather than in a physical location. When it comes to networking, virtual events have the opportunity to move from 2D to 3D with the right tools and planning.As we all do our part to lessen the curve, we’re spending a bunch of time at home and in front of our computers. Bring your own beverage!” And of course, enjoy yourself!Copyright © 2020 Harvard Business School Publishing. If You’re the Host. Event organizers can live stream to the main stage or break out session using either a built-in steaming studio, or integrate with an outside streaming platform. Are you trying to connect coworkers during this challenging time? They can click on profiles, connect, and chat with other attendees at any time.Pre-event attendees will also check speaker and attendee lists, which are searchable in the event app by company, title, name and so on.“Walls” are another great place to network. In this example, you might consider a room where people can go to discuss the future of the industry or a room that connects minorities with one another.What do you want attendees to gain from the experience?Why should they attend your networking event. (Click here to tweet these tips.) By offering virtual networking opportunities, you’re one step closer to having a virtual event that’s just as good as, if not better, than a face-to-face event.© Copyright 2020 ON24, Inc. All rights reserved,This website uses cookies. You will want to know how they felt about the available networking opportunities so you can plan an even better event in the future!Hosting a virtual networking event is new territory for most event planners, but as we all navigate this.Networking is a necessary part of professional life, and the lack of in-person events doesn’t change this.By following the suggestions laid out above, you can meet this networking need without having to sacrifice value and productivity. You can embed links in the event app or link out to another system.Depending on your goals, here are a few specific tools:What’s really great is that real-time push notifications can continue to push the envelope and help create a virtual event that still feels personal while driving calls to action and awareness. Your role in the event, whether you’re hosting it or an attendee, means you have different considerations when it comes to virtual networking. Welcome to the days of virtual networking. This individual can act as a guest speaker and present to the audience on a topic of interest, generating conversation. When you’re in the planning phase for your event, consider whether you want to offer networking, when you want it to be available to participants and how it will work with the content and structure you envision for your event.The social media and live chat widgets are always popular choices for virtual networking, but we also encourage using the speaker bios as a way for participants to connect with the hosts.

We’ve pivoted to organizing virtual networking events instead. Once attendees are discoverable, connection requests can be made and accepted — or not.Another networking tool is the “Smart Feed” section, which sits on your app’s home page. If we don’t include a networking element in a virtual event, it might as well be another webinar. To get started, we recommend taking advantage of other tools you’re already using. This starts with the planning phase and what you’re going to include in your registration page and marketing emails.Along with the event details and a summary of the topic, include easy access links to your social media pages so registrants can easily find you and other like-minded colleagues.