We Have Online Conferences!
More and more event organizers decide to move their conferences to the internet. It is hardly surprising - in the vast majority of cases, it is preferable to cancelling the event.
More and more event organizers decide to move their conferences to the internet. It is hardly surprising - in the vast majority of cases, it is preferable to cancelling the event.
So we felt that we should address the arising needs in the market and started looking for an online event platorm to integrate with our existing event registration platform. Since we understand the needs of event organizers and are aware of the challenges posed by the new format, we knew exactly what features we want. We considered several solutions but finally, we decided to go with a platform that first of all, allows both attendees and hosts to connect without installing any additional software. We find it crucial to make using the platform as seamless as possible. It was a key advantage but not the only one.
The ability to protect the conference from unauthorized access was equally important to us. While traditional webinars aim to reach as many people as possible and spread knowledge, we start seeing online conferences focused on selling knowledge. This is why we need a way to prevent unauthorized access.
It is true that we will never be able to guarantee that an attendee doesn't share their screen online or hasn't invited a friend over. However, this doesn't mean we should leave everything to chance. By employing unique access codes assigned to each registered attendee and Single Sign-On technology, we can guarantee that only a single device will access the transmission for a single attendee.
The next thing we wanted was the functionality available to the host. Obviously, they need to be able to present and share diferent files: PDF, PowerPoint, Word, and others; and play a Vimeo or YouTube video. We also knew that because it's for online events, we need features to allow attendee interaction.
At offline events, you don't need to worry about interaction as much. The attendee is there. If they're in the room, they're mostly focused on the presentation. However, it's a different story with online events. Each attendee is always just two clicks from Facebook and one turn of the head from a heap of dirty dishes or a coffee machine. This is why you need to engage them by encouraging interaction. You can ask them to take part in a survey displayed directly within the transmission, ask discussion-provoking questions in the chat, or ask them to turn on their microphones and talk to the presenters live. Definitely more engaging than just watching a stream.
One of additional options turned out to be extremely valuable. Namely, the ability to display a transmission from a recording studio. It looks very professional, while still being cheaper than an offline event. What's more, the studio can transmit video with a lag, which gives you some precious time to react in case of any issues. Another two nice features are the ability to record the webinar (up to 6 hours) and share the recording with attendees after the event.
If you're planning a virtual conference and would like to check whether our platform is adjusted to your needs or not, email us at support@conrego.com! We will schedule an online meeting to discuss your needs and show you how our software works in detail.
Łukasz Krawczuk