How to supercharge your event into a memorable experience

Simon Howard of Simon Howard Introducing tells us why event professionals should be channelling Bananarama for their virtual events...

If we were told in January 2020 that we’d be creating and hosting virtual workplace Christmas parties in December, we’d have never believed it, yet six months on and virtual events have become part of the ‘new normal’. 

At Simon Howard Introducing, we were early diversifiers, turning cancelled live events into online conferences in March, moving quickly into online gameshows, race nights, murder mysteries and bespoke interactive fun. We learned a lot, namely that there are certain things that you have to implement to stand out from the myriad of Zoom calls delegates experience daily. We realised that to quote Leon Spinks (or Bananarama!), "it ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it."

Simon Howard

Whilst we know that virtual events will never totally replace live events, there are many aspects that cannot be recreated, but we chose to focus on what we could do rather than what we couldn’t. This was invaluable and meant that we could move from an event to provide an experience. The feedback, engagement and retention rates have been phenomenal.

Having an engaging, adaptable host that understands the differences between in-person and virtual, really has been the ‘secret sauce’ to our success. We wanted to share our top tips from the last  six months and how you can use them to create unforgettable experiences too:

THE BASICS

The basics are so important. Ensure you have good lighting, pointed towards your face and avoid shadows; fancy kit is a bonus, but ring-lights can be very effective if positioned well. Find a clear, clean background that is not distracting to the audience.

In terms of audio-visual equipment, we’d suggest a test run on the equipment that you have. Spending on additional microphones or HD webcams does not have to break the bank, but a step-up from inbuilt laptop/PC devices can make the world of difference to delegate experience. Wear headphones to reduce interference.

All about the angles

Position the camera so as to fit your head and torso, slightly above eye level. Look at the camera! Engagement rockets when delegates feel like they’re being spoken to directly, as tempting as it may be to look at yourself on the screen. Practice makes perfect on this, record yourself and see the difference in perceived eye contact. We have seen many nostril and scalp shots online, and despite the content being brilliant, this took away from that.

Build a solid connection….

With your audience, but also with your internet! Every virtual event host’s nightmare is to drop connection mid-way through a show. If you can, we’d suggest connecting via ethernet cable to reduce wifi issues. Secondly, ensure you have a back-up plan in case of supplier issues that are out of your hands; smartphones allow internet tethering data permitting, as to 3g dongles.

Never assume tech abilities

We’ve become pretty au fait with Zoom these days, but for guests and other speakers, it can still seem overwhelming. We always run test connections, screen-sharing tests and set-up screening for any speakers on any of our events. We have dedicated tech support on every experience too.

THE FUN BITS

Hosts, however, animated you feel that you’re being, on the virtual stage, you need to up the ante even further. Record yourself and see how what you’re doing comes across. (Even after 15 years of hosting live events, I was astounded at how much different it is on virtual screen!)

Get interactive

One difference between an experience and a TV show is that the host can talk to the audience. Use this to your advantage. Observe your audience, speak to delegates directly and encourage interaction.

Think about all senses

Consider how you can make the event immersive. What are the delegates listening to? What are they doing? Can you get them moving? How will the event make them feel?

The act of surprise

Let’s put an end to monotonous meetings, death by PowerPoint and clock watching. Sit in the delegates’ shoes, consider what they might expect to happen next, and then totally shake things up. Think outside the box.

Have fun

Be infectious. If you’re enjoying it, the attendees are too! Sorry to finish with the F-word, but we feel it’s not used enough in a virtual scenario. Sort your ‘F-in virtual event out’ and make it more FUN!

Creating virtual experiences has been a hugely rewarding process for the whole team during 2020, helping teams reconnect, share positive experiences and have seamless virtual experiences. We hope that these tips help others to do the same. Tick every box and transform your next meeting into a memorable experience for all the right reasons.

Written By

Holly Patrick

Reach Holly on

A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.