Planning and hosting a virtual property fair can seem like quite a task to a newbie. But it is important to remember that all you need to do is get your virtual fair planning right. This article provides you with the steps that you should follow to host a successful virtual housing fair.
Identify Your Goals and Target Audience
Identifying your goals and your target audience has to be the first step in planning any event. Knowing your target audience will facilitate your future event planning. It will help you tailor your property fair according to the needs and requirements of the target audience. Moreover, you should ensure that the event goals identified are measurable, attainable, and specific. Having an idea about the choices and preferences of your target audience will help you develop the agenda and plan the engagement activities.
Make a List of Activities
Once you have identified the event goals and the target audience, the next step is to create a clear agenda. In other words, you should make a list of all the activities that will be performed in the virtual event. In addition to this, also include the important details of the event like –
- Time
- Date
- Name of the guest speakers
- Names of the sessions
- Sponsor’s names
- Name of the participating companies
Make sure you send this agenda to the attendees well before the event. This will help increase attendance at your virtual property fair. You can use emails to send the agenda.
Select the Right Virtual Event Platform
With so many virtual event solution providers present in the market, selecting the most suitable one can be intimidating. Therefore, you should first identify your needs and requirements. For instance, if you want to conduct your event on a Hawaiian island, you would want a virtual event platform that allows you to customize the details of your event. Moreover, knowing your needs and requirements will help you match the platform’s features with your needs and select the best from amongst many. Remember to look for the following features in the virtual event platform you select –
- Fully customizable
- Advanced networking features
- Superior engagement features to boost
- Advanced security features
- AI matchmaking
Gamification, real-time analytics, 24×7 support are some of the other unique features that you can look for in the virtual event platform. This will further help you host a successful virtual property fair.
Set a Timeline and Budget
Now that you have identified your goals and target audience you can set a timeline for the completion of each task. Moreover, you can also create a budget depending on your financial situation and liquidity. Firstly, make a list of all the activities that you have to perform as a part of the planning process. Secondly, set a timeline for completing each task. Make sure that each deadline is realistic and can be achieved. Setting a deadline will help ensure that your employees stay on track and complete all the tasks on time. Moreover, having a budget will further help you arrange the funds beforehand and ensure a smooth event process.
Customize Exhibitor Booths
While hosting a virtual property fair or exhibition it is important to develop creative and attractive booths. It helps attract more customers to the event and helps increase the event attendance. You should look for a virtual event platform that allows you to customize the logos, colour, and design of your virtual booth. This will help you design your booth as per your preferences and attract more customers thereby helping you achieve your event objectives.
Use the Power of Social Media
Social media is without any doubt, the most powerful tool for the promotion and marketing of any event. Therefore, there can be no better place than social media platforms to promote your virtual property fair. Proper promotion is also important along with proper planning. Therefore, you should make the most of social media for your event promotion. Create an attractive event landing page and dedicated event pages on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Make sure you stay consistent and post content regularly. Moreover, provide the target audience with an overview of what they can expect from the event. You can also ask your sponsors and guest speakers to get the word out among the customers. In addition to the above, you can also leverage the power of email marketing and send out emailers that have the potential to induce people to register for the event.
Focus on Engagement Features
Great engagement features are the key to a successful virtual event. You must be already aware of the fact that online attendees have shorter attention spans than physical attendees. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep the attendees engaged by conducting various engagement activities. Virtual event platforms that provide advanced engagement features like gamification, live chat, live polls, Q&A sessions could be your best bet in this regard. You should focus on boosting engagement within the virtual property fair to reduce the attendee drop-off rates.
24×7 Support
Selecting a virtual event platform that provides 24×7 live support for the event will help ensure that the virtual property fair runs smoothly. It will help ensure that any issues, technical or otherwise, get resolved immediately.
Conduct a Rehearsal
Conduct a full rehearsal well before the event. This will help you be prepared and gain confidence for the actual event. Moreover, it will also help you conduct a thorough check on everything including the equipment and technical requirements. Additionally, it can also save you from getting embarrassed at the last moment.
Data Analytics
Data analytics is the most important part of any virtual event. Having advanced data tracking features can help you in making improvements to your future events. Moreover, unlike physical events, online events make it easier to track real-time data of the attendees.
Final Words
With the pandemic not showing any signs of ending and the rising popularity of virtual events, it can be said that virtual events are here to stay. Hope this article helped you understand the various steps that you must follow to host a successful virtual property fair.
