How to enhance virtual conferences with remote keynote speakers

With the unprecedented pandemic, live conferences and in-person events have temporarily evolved to virtual events. Moving events online provides an alternative solution to continue generating brand awareness and interacting with clients during this challenging time.

Getting the right speaker for your virtual event is still absolutely critical. For organisers of virtual conferences, there are two important points to ensure you book the right speaker and ultimately provide participants with the most valuable and compelling digital event experience possible:

Focus on content

Your chosen speaker should be engaging, entertaining and charismatic. Remember that the appearance will be via a video link. Keep in mind how the atmosphere of a virtual setting is different from a stage. Without a live audience to play off, speaking in a virtual event has a somewhat diminished entertainment factor. As a result, the clout of a speaker’s content is even more important than usual.

When considering the content and expertise of a speaker, think carefully about the demographic of your audience (e.g. age range, geographical locations, industry affiliation, job level, etc.) and what you want them to take away from the event. You could also consider using a speakers bureau to advise on the presentation style of different speaker candidates, and how well their content fits with the overall message of your event.

Use the format to your advantage

The lack of a physical venue for a virtual event may have its obvious disadvantages, but when it comes to booking speakers, you may, in fact, be able to get more bang for your buck. Since your speakers won’t have to travel, this means a potentially significant reduction in fees – which should help your budget go further. You may be able to choose higher-profile speakers or perhaps even invite additional speakers in various remote locations to also join the virtual conference and share their insights. This will not only increase the attendance of the online event but also add diversity to the digital event experience.

Conclusion

Although virtual events may not have the same overall impact as live meetings, one thing is for sure: booking impactful keynote speakers are equally important in a virtual setting as it is for an in-person event to ensure the success of your event. A virtual format opens up a range of new possibilities in terms of digital event experiences – so try not to fall back into old habits! Be sure to play to the particular strengths of the virtual setting and think carefully about which speakers are right for you in this context. This will help your event stand out from the crowd.

Take a look at Church House’s audio-visual facilities and services.