Online conferences are no longer an alien topic; we all have gotten familiar with hosting our conferences on digital platforms with the help of the internet. Also, most organizations have cracked the code of planning and executing stellar shows. We all know you need a solid plan and an efficient online conference platform. If you have this, you are all set to deliver unique experiences to your attendees. It is not a hidden fact that we all were a little skeptical of hosting our conferences entirely on any digital platform. However, now that time has passed, they emerged as a powerful tool to connect with more people and expand one’s reach.
However, gone are the times when you would invite your audience over a regular virtual meeting platform, talk about your subject, and call it an online conference. With time passing and technology evolving, organizers have started to enhance their conferences by including several advanced and interactive elements. Hence, it is becoming necessary for the organizers to keep up with time and host online conferences that are 2022.
In this blog, we will talk about all kinds of elements you can include in your conference to make it look like a conference that is so 2022. So, without any ado, let us jump into the blog. Let us see how you can deliver immersive experiences to your attendees by hosting online conferences in 2022.
Major features and elements of an online conference:
As we all know, online conferences are not a single event; they are large-scale virtual events that include several activities and elements. All these different segments come together to deliver a unique experience to the audience. There are several elements and features that you can incorporate into your planning. A few of these elements are:
1. Keynote session:
Keynote sessions are the highlights of an online conference. It goes without saying that the keynote sessions attract the majority of attendees and set the theme for your entire conference. Usually, conferences that last for more than a day have keynote sessions. These speakers are generally celebrities or industry experts. Talking about scheduling the sessions, many organizers schedule them at the beginning or toward the end of the conference. And, the scheduling generally depends on how they want to structure it. But, if you want to schedule a keynote session at your conference, we recommend you schedule it in such a way that would compel your audience to attend your remaining conference.
2. Panel sessions:
The next popular conference feature is panel sessions. These sessions are conducted to get industry experts at an online conference. You can invite experts to your conference to share their opinions and views. It will enable your audience to come across multiple viewpoints and understand the subject better. Also, a panel discussion is hosted by a moderator or an MC. Having a moderator at the conference will give the panel discussion structure and save things from going off-beat. Not only this, but a panel discussion also involves audience participation, where they ask questions from the panelists are.
3. Plenary talks:
Another popular kind of feature of online conferences is plenary talks, which consist of presentations, seminars, joint sessions, etc. The specialty of these sessions is they feature industry experts and leaders and their focus is on one particular topic and subject. The intent behind these sessions is to educate the audience about something. They intend to deliver useful takeaways to the audience by the end of the conference. Not only this, these sessions or seminars are generally sponsored by some dedicated sponsors or even the main sponsors of the conference.
4. Breakout sessions:
Talking of the next feature of online conferences, breakout sessions commonly a part of the online conferences and other kinds of online events. These sessions require you to divide your attendees into groups of 10-11 people. However, since it will be an online conference, you can split your attendees into groups of 5-6 people. These sessions are all about giving a break to the attendees. So, you can either conduct some refreshing activities or you can host some discussion sessions. It will enable the attendees to know and understand each other’s points of view and interact with each other.
5. Casual sessions:
Talking of offline conferences, the organizers always plan a few casual interactive sessions that would allow the attendees to interact with each other, apart from the conference topics. These sessions are generally coffee breaks. And, the sole intention is to let the attendees relax a bit and use the time to build their networks. It goes without saying that the physical execution of a conference has some interactive sessions. These sessions boost the interactivity among attendees, virtual conferences will also have such kinds of sessions.
As the name derives, these sessions are hosted to bring the real, honest, and a bit laid-back side of the attendees to the table. And, as we said, the intention is to help them boost interaction among the attendees.
6. Networking sessions:
As you might have understood by the name itself, organizers host these networking sessions to help attendees boost interaction among the attendees. As we all know, most of the attendees become a part of the conference to boost their personal and professional networks and connect with like-minded people. It is why the organizers plan such dedicated kinds of sessions. Talking of online conferences, there are several online conference platforms that provide users with tools like live chat, matchmaking, video calls, and so much more. All these tools combine together to help the attendees to make long-lasting connections.
Gone are the days when attending some event on a regular meeting platform would be called online conferences. Times are changing, and online conferences are becoming more immersive and interactive. Hence, if you are also planning an online conference in near future, make sure you leverage all the correct tools that would help you deliver an immersive experience to the attendees. Always take your own time to plan a conference; never host anything without proper planning, and call it an online conference.
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