How to Get Chapters Started with Virtual Events

Share Guidelines for Engaging Chapter Virtual Events

Since the virtual world is new territory for most chapters, give them advice on designing engaging virtual events. Thom Singer, who’s known as a “conference catalyst” for both in-person and virtual events, said in a recent post:

“The problem with virtual meetings is too many people are simply trying to replicate the live meeting via video conference. Or they are doing talking head webinar broadcasts…without understanding that being at home and attending an online gathering is not the same as being at an in-person meeting.”

Help Chapters Prepare for their Virtual Event

Dozens of virtual event platforms are hankering for your chapters’ business right now. Sift through the options and provide a few suggestions to your chapters for different types of event needs. In the recording of the recent virtual idea swap from Mariner Management, you can hear how some associations are assisting their chapters with virtual meeting technology.

Once you choose a platform or two, create a quick-start guide for chapters. John Bellotti, chapter program manager at the National Association of Tax Professionals, relied on his instructional design background in putting together several guides for his chapters:

• Developing engaging webinars
• Technical guidelines for webinars
• Technical guidelines for simulcasts/webcasts
• Webinar and simulcast/webcast roles

Give chapter leaders practice on your selected platforms by using them for chapter leader training and networking. In fact, Mariner Management gave CRPs a chance to try out Zoom breakout rooms during their recent virtual idea swap.

Build a Chapter Virtual Event Team

One of John’s guides describes the different roles needed to keep an event on track. Some of these are great opportunities for virtual microvolunteering:

• Virtual host or emcee
• Technology point person
• Chat moderator
• Breakout room leaders

Chapters could also recruit volunteer reporters to write or record a video recap of sessions they attended. They can repurpose these posts or videos into website content and use bits of them to market future events.

Prepare Your Speakers

Presenting at a virtual event is quite different than presenting at an in-person event. Speakers can’t read the room. Unless they’re skilled webinar presenters, chapters should prepare them for this new experience. To ensure consistency in providing an engaging learning experience, require speakers to attend a pre-recorded webinar on adult learning best practices—another resource you could provide to chapters.

This webinar can also introduce speakers to the event platform. Make sure speakers are prepared to meet any audio/video requirements. A mandatory practice run will reveal problems with weak WiFi, poor quality sound (speaker phone syndrome), web cam placement, and bad lighting.

Pre-Event Attendee Preparation

Give chapters a checklist on preparing attendees for virtual events. This information could go out to attendees in a mix of emails and pre-event meetups.

• Introduce the virtual event platform.
• Provide web conferencing tips, for example, best audio setup, lighting, and background.
• Remind attendees they’ll get the most value if they dedicate time to the event—no multi-tasking.
• Preview the agenda and extra activities.
• Discuss ways they can network during the event.

If the chapter is hosting a virtual conference, encourage them to hold pre-event virtual meetups. These networking meetups get attendees excited about the conference and let them see who else is going. They’re also good for word-of-mouth marketing buzz.

Some members will always prefer meeting in person. Who can blame them? But as we’re seeing now, that’s not always possible, and it’s not the preference of all members and prospects. When chapters learn how to design and host engaging virtual events, they become more accessible and indispensable to everyone. They’re also prepared for whatever the future holds.

If you’d like to join your CRP peers in a virtual event, keep an eye on our upcoming events calendar.

With all this talk about virtual events, are you getting a little FOMO? Well then, download The Complete Guide to Virtual Event Creation to learn how to transition your conference or meeting to the digital realm with ease.

Help Chapters Explore Options for Virtual Education

Before the coronavirus shook up our world, we detected an emerging trend in the association community: virtual chapters. Increasingly, associations are establishing virtual chapters to host online education and networking events because members can’t or won’t travel to chapter events. Little did they know how reliant every association would soon become on virtual events.

While in-person meetings have been put on hold, the member desire and need to learn and connect is as strong as ever. Members don’t want to wait a few months to see how things turn out. If they have the time now, they want chapter programs now—and virtual is the only way to provide them.

Getting Chapters Started with Virtual

You can help chapters kickstart a schedule of online education programs by first getting chapter leaders comfortable with the concept. Use an online platform for chapter leader training so they can experience virtual education themselves. For example, host a webinar or virtual meeting about converting in-person events into virtual events.

Create a step-by-step guidebook as well since they’ll want to refer to something as they go through the process with their team. If CE credits are a concern, explain how to meet credentialing standards. Will they have to track attendance through polling or quizzes? Check with credentialing bodies because, in some industries, CEs can’t be earned online—although these rules have been changing during this crisis.

For chapters that need programming assistance, provide a list of relevant topics along with vetted speakers. For now, chapters don’t have to worry about speaker travel expenses, so they can cast a wider net for speaker talent.

You might even consider providing program templates. For example, you could suggest a panel on a hot topic, along with the types of members or experts who would be best for that panel, an event agenda, discussion questions, and marketing copy.

Introduce Chapters to Different Virtual Event Formats

We’ve already seen chapters making the switch to all kinds of virtual programs. NAIOP is offering their chapters access to their Zoom platform. They’re also highlighting chapter-produced programs on their website so chapters can see what their peers are doing—we’re sharing a few of those ideas below.

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE.

Chapters of the National Strength and Conditioning Association are turning their in-person state clinics and regional conferences into virtual events. Virtual conferences are sprouting up everywhere lately. Our friends at StarChapter recently hosted one: Pivoting to Virtual Engagement in the COVID-19 Era.

Why not have chapters pool their efforts? Instead of each holding their own virtual conference, perhaps a few of them can compare programs and partner together on regional virtual conferences or summits.

Remember also that virtual conferences don’t have to mimic the in-person schedule. Members might prefer them spread out over several days—or even weeks—so they’re not tied down to their computer for an entire day, not always possible when everyone’s at home.

VIRTUAL SUMMIT.

The team at Matchbox Virtual Media has mastered the art of virtual summits. Check out the one they’re hosting on Fridays about creating engaging virtual experiences. Speakers are pre-recorded so they can participate in a live chat with attendees while the presentations are aired. Although these sessions are only an hour long, you may remember this same format being used for the afternoon-long Association Success SURGE events.

WEBINARS.

NAIOP’s Wisconsin chapter hosts an In the Know: CRE Conversations with the Front Lines weekly webinar series.

VIDEO SERIES.

NAIOP’s Utah chapter produces a Weekly Market Watch video series.

LUNCH AND LEARN.

In our last post on chapter social connections, we told you about a weekly noontime series hosted by the Mississippi chapter of The American Institute of Architects called In Lieu of Lunch. “Using a virtual meeting app, member firms talk about what they’re doing and post discussion questions to the group. Guests are asked to each get takeout from a local restaurant, and the component posts the logos on their social channels to let local businesses know architects are supporting them.”

PODCASTS.

NAIOP’s Pittsburgh chapter produces MIC DROP: CRE Views with NAIOP Pittsburgh Developing Leaders podcast. For more podcast inspiration, check out Mariner Management’s post on podcasts as an option for chapter events.

STUDY GROUPS, LEARNING CIRCLES, AND BOOK CLUBS.

Encourage chapters to use a web conferencing platform to host exam study groups or group discussions about industry events, articles, or books. These informal events serve the dual purpose of socializing and learning.

How Virtual Events Help Sponsors Achieve Their Marketing Goals—and Chapters Achieve Their Revenue Goals

We’re at the phase in the coronavirus crisis when everyone is exhausted by their present circumstances and searching around for silver linings. Here’s one we’re seeing mentioned quite often: associations are having to shift directions and experiment with new ideas. Yes, these pivots hurt in the short-term but the long-term impact could be marvelous.

Take for example, virtual events. Members want to continue learning and connecting—more than ever, perhaps, given the economic and societal impact of this crisis. To meet that need, associations and chapters are hosting virtual events to replace their canceled in-person events. In the future, they may continue offering virtual events for professionals who normally can’t or won’t attend the usual events.

Sponsorship Goals

Thought Leadership

Many chapters have drawn a line between content and vendors—never the two shall meet. Unfortunately, this rigid attitude causes chapters to miss out on sharing the expertise of sponsors. These members of your professional community interact with a wide range of clients, leads, and partners. They have valuable knowledge and information to share with members.

Sponsors would rather teach than sell, so give them that opportunity—more accurately, sell them that opportunity. For example, give sponsors the opportunity to co-present a live or recorded session, perhaps a case study with a member client or a recap of research findings.

Other thought leadership options are:

• Panel moderator
• Keynote/speaker interviewer
• Q&A or chat go-between/facilitator

Sponsors could host Zoom or web-conferencing breakout rooms for session “table” discussions and informal roundtables. Allow them to invite purchasing decision-makers (VIPs) to exclusive deep dive sessions with keynote speakers.

Offer year-round thought leadership opportunities to sponsors who have expertise to share with members, for example, a sponsored webinar or video series. IASA offers active (speaking) and passive (advertising) sponsorships for their webinars.

Sponsored content is another option: articles, white papers, research reports, tip sheets, checklists, and templates. A sponsored pulse survey would be helpful to members right now given their interest in the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and responses to the crisis by others in their industry.

“Sponsors could provide information to help members with challenges identified in recent member surveys, issues related to changes in the marketplace, or new pain points as a result of the coronavirus,” said Dan Kowitz and Bruce Rosenthal, co-conveners of the Partnership Professionals Network.

Brand Awareness

Help sponsors get their names and faces out there by giving them the opportunity to host pre-event virtual coffee breaks or happy hours. They could also pay for the privilege of serving as volunteer orientation guides for your virtual event platform.

Display sponsor logos on slides and thank-you videos between sessions. Play video ads or informercials before sessions—and keep those ads with the recording for on-demand viewing. Just like in-person events, let sponsors make speaker introductions and run Q&As at the end of sessions.

Get creative with how you leverage your virtual event platform for sponsorship opportunities. For example, let sponsors host virtual happy hours, breaks, and lunch tables during the event. In their breakrooms, they can host fun activities during breaks, for example, chair yoga, lessons on juggling household items, trivia contests, or Jeopardy.

Exhibitor Goals

Show Off A New Product

A more challenging task is replicating an exhibit booth or tabletop exhibit, but associations are attempting it. Assign exhibitors a web-conferencing breakout room where they can showcase or demo their product/service. A company representative can act as the room’s host and provide downloadable materials or links to a special event landing page.

If you’re using an event app in conjunction with the virtual event, encourage exhibitors and attendees to take advantage of its appointment scheduling tool.

Turn a section of your website into an expo hall with a page for each exhibitor that includes promotional information, videos, and a link to more information. Encourage exhibitors to create a special landing page or URL so they can track referrals.

Meet Leads & Decision-Makers 

In an ASAE Collaborate discussion, the CEO of the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) wrote about their recent virtual conference success. Sponsors were assigned a time and Zoom breakout room for “meet and greet” sessions during breaks. They gave presentations and demos—the “virtual equivalent of exhibit hours.” Depending on the number of sponsors and exhibitors, you could assign limited hours like ATLIS did or provide a breakout room for the entire event.

You could also ask sponsors to host virtual pre- or post-event lunch and learns, coffee breaks, or happy hours. The sponsor pays for the opportunity, but also sends gift cards (UberEats or GrubHub) for snacks/beverages to attendees. While attendees break bread (or pop corks) together, they can discuss work-related and other hot topics.

Develop a Sustainable Sponsorship Program

Looking back a year from now, it will be interesting to see what new strategies, tactics, and programs came out of this crisis. It’s a good time to experiment and consider ideas you may have dismissed in the past as impossible, impractical, or inappropriate. It’s also a crucial time in your relationship with sponsors. To get through this financial crisis, you need to be there to help each other.

Keep your eyes open for sponsorship ideas from all kinds of sources, including other associations and for-profit organizations. We’ve seen good ideas in blog posts and webinars from PCMA, MPI, EventMB, MeetingsNet, and Meetings Today.

We found these resources valuable too:

• Partnership Professionals Network
• Matchbox Virtual Media
• Feathr webinar on retaining sponsor and exhibitor revenue after a canceled event

In an Associations Now article, Bruce Rosenthal said, “One key lesson learned… is for many years, most have put our sponsorship eggs in the conference basket. While this is an extreme instance, it’s really risky because of the presence of disease, weather, and other calamities. We have to ask what can we do differently in the future.”

You can help your chapters develop a more sustainable approach to non-dues revenue by showing them how to develop virtual and year-round sponsorship packages for their revenue partners.

With all this talk about virtual events, are you getting a little FOMO? Well then, download The Complete Guide to Virtual Event Creation to learn how to best to engage and showcase presenters, sponsors, and exhibitors.

How Virtual Events Help Chapters Recover Sponsorship Revenue from Cancelled Events

It’s not an exaggeration to say that nearly everyone in the association community is freaked out by the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis. A recent Partnership Professionals Network (PPN) survey found that 82% of respondents are extremely or very concerned that COVID-19 will result in less sponsorship revenue for their organization because of canceled events.

75% of the PPN survey respondents said their organization will incur a financial loss because of how they’re dealing with the sponsors of their canceled conferences:

• Refunding the total fee to sponsors (35%)
• Refunding a portion of the fee to sponsors (9%)
• Applying the sponsor fee to the same event next year (33%), which will reduce next year’s sponsorship revenue

Only 49% are choosing a better option: applying sponsor fees or a portion of them to other events (virtual and/or in-person) and/or digital marketing opportunities this year. Why aren’t more associations and chapters choosing this route—a strategy that allows them to retain anticipated revenue and sponsors to receive anticipated marketing ROI?

Getting Chapters to See the Light

Members—professionals and suppliers—rely upon their chapter to provide regular education and networking opportunities. In the midst of this isolating and nerve-wracking crisis, now is not the time for chapters to go silent, nor is it the time for chapters to close their eyes to revenue-generating opportunities. Virtual events give members and sponsors the chance to enjoy what those canceled events promised.

In March, NAIOP held a virtual town hall with their chapter leaders during which their vice president of business development presented options for replacing event sponsorship revenue. Ask your association’s sales team—colleagues who manage sponsorships, exhibitions, and/or business development—to suggest sponsorship strategies and tactics that chapters can use for virtual events and year-round opportunities. 

Talk to Sponsors & Exhibitors ASAP About Recovering Revenue, and Value From Cancelled Events

Sponsors and exhibitors are your revenue partners. Get in touch with them right away to discuss how you can work together to help them achieve their marketing goals. Dan Kowitz, co-convener of PPN, suggests taking this approach: “What we’d like to do is start to look at ways we can work with you to recognize that you are sticking with us in tough times and being a supporter. Let’s get a proactive communication program out that says our value partners aren’t leaving us. We are going to figure out ways [our members] can interact with you.”

Revenue partners may already think of sponsorship and exhibit fees as money spent. They were expecting a return on their investment in your event. How can you still deliver that value?

Talk to revenue partners about their event goals, for example:

• Spreading brand awareness
• Showing thought leadership
• Meeting and qualifying potential leads
• Moving leads along the sales funnel
• Deepening relationships with clients

What did they hope to achieve in person? How can that be accomplished in a virtual environment?

Show them the tentative agendas for your upcoming virtual events. Create a video that walks them through the online meeting platform so they get a sense of the look and feel of the event. Create a sales page on the chapter website describing the different types of event and year-round sponsorship opportunities you can offer.

Keep in mind these considerations:

• Is the sponsor’s marketing budget affected by coronavirus crisis?
• Is their business suffering?
• Does their staff have the bandwidth to take on these new opportunities?

Leverage Your Event & Content Assets

Think beyond the typical chapter event sponsorship and exhibit offerings—logos and tabletops. Look at your event app and event platform as virtual venues. How can you use that “real estate” to spread brand awareness for your sponsors?

Consider program goals too. What type of event-related content would attendees find valuable? Sponsors and exhibitors would rather teach than sell. How can they share their expertise during and after your event?

Sponsorship opportunities could include:

• “Show daily” newsletter
• Handouts
• Tip sheets
• Advertorials and other sponsored content

One advantage of virtual events is the attendee data they provide. You know exactly what attendees are doing, how many are doing it, what they’re saying, and what they’re clicking on. This engagement data can help chapters plan future content and programs, but it also helps sponsors and exhibitors learn about their leads and customers’ interests.

Don’t limit your brainstorming to event-related sponsorship opportunities. Sponsors would prefer to get in front of members throughout the year, not just a few days a year. In our next post, we’ll show you how to help sponsors achieve their marketing goals with thought leadership, brand awareness, and other opportunities at chapter events and throughout the year.

We have opportunities for CRPs to meet up virtually throughout the year. Check out our Events page for details on our next one. Or, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and/or LinkedIn, and subscribe to our updates.

With all this talk about virtual events, are you getting a little FOMO? Well then, download The Complete Guide to Virtual Event Creation to learn how to best to engage and showcase presenters, sponsors, and exhibitors.