According to a survey conducted by PCMA, 79% of event planners are going virtual, which means virtual event ideas are in high demand. From virtual meetings to virtual conferences, the meetings and events industry has transformed and is embracing new forms of event marketing and management technology.

With this new reality comes new challenges and solutions. As you're building your virtual event strategy, there's a lot to consider. The right virtual event platform, the right type of content, the best virtual engagement strategies – these are all crucial components in crafting an effective (and enjoyable) virtual event. If you’re considering what your event might look like and how you can make your virtual event as engaging as possible, take a look at these virtual event ideas that you can try at your next virtual event.

Attendee Engagement Ideas – During Your Virtual Events

1. Q&A During Sessions

Attendees will always have questions – give them a chance to ask them! The best way to do Q&A virtually is through a chat, which allows a moderator to approve questions before having the speaker answer them.

2. Gamification Through a Mobile Event App

Activate your attendees through the mobile app by adding gamification challenges that keep them engaged during the event.

3. Breakout Sessions

Find a virtual conferencing tool that allows you to send attendees into breakout sessions. These breakouts can be used to facilitate lively discussions during sessions.

4. 1:1 Appointments

Sponsors and exhibitors are always looking for ways to network with attendees. Allow attendees to self-schedule meetings with sponsors and exhibitors before the conference and have them added to the agenda.

5. Interactive Live Attendee Chats

Attendees at virtual events want to feel as connected as they would at an in-person event. Offering a chat feature that allows attendees to connect instantly during your event can help create that connectedness they’re all craving.

6. Highlight Exhibitors' Products and Services with Virtual Trade Shows

Want to give your attendees the experience of a live, in-person event from their homes? A virtual trade show is a way to do it. Trade shows are designed to be an exciting and interactive way for an attendee to view exhibitors' products and services, but it doesn’t have to be limited to a physical venue. Now, you can host more viewers than ever through a virtual replication of the real thing.

7. Trade Show Booth Hours

Have exhibitors offer drop-in hours at virtual booths so attendees can network with them during free moments in their schedule and check out their products and services.

8. Live Polling During Sessions

Engagement is the name of the game. Have speakers utilize live polling during sessions to gauge attendee’s answers in real-time.

9. Unique Keynote Speakers

One benefit of a virtual event is that the lift is lower for speakers. Because of this, you might be able to get a speaker that wouldn’t normally be available. Content is everything for a virtual conference, and a few attention-grabbing keynote speakers can have a positive impact on registrations.

10. Present a Panel of Speakers

Vary the session style by offering panels. They are a great way to facilitate discussion between leaders in an industry and can make use of live Q&A as a way to include attendees.

11. Offer Live Streaming and On-Demand Content

Give attendees a few options when it comes to virtual conference content. Rather than making their agenda fixed, offer a few live sessions as well as ones that can be viewed on-demand at their leisure.

12. Show Off Your Products and Services with a Virtual Exhibition

Want your attendees to feel like they’re at your venue? A virtual exhibition is an online space containing a detailed and interactive environment for attendees to peruse your offerings. You can show off your products and services while giving your viewers the feeling of an in-person experience.

13. Specialized Tracks to Meet Attendee Needs

If your virtual conference attendees have different needs, then it’s worth thinking about creating content tracks to meet those needs. Build out streams of content that align with those needs, then tag content to make it easier for attendees to choose the right sessions for them.

14. Think Outside of the Box With a Virtual Awards Ceremony

As we saw with the Emmys this year, awards ceremonies can still be entertaining when done virtually. Revamp your awards ceremony to make the most of the virtual space, with performers, different hosts, and a great script.

15. Create a Momentous Experience with a Virtual Graduation

Do you have attendees graduating from certification or training programs? Just like any other awards ceremony, you can host a fun and engaging virtual graduation ceremony, allowing your graduates to bring virtual guests along with ease.

16. Offer Sessions at Times That Are Convenient Across Time Zones and in Multiple Languages

Virtual conferences can cast a wider net than in-person conferences. Take advantage of the increased attendance by scheduling your sessions for various time zones. Also, consider translating sessions or offering them in different languages.

17. Train Speakers Ahead of Time

To make your content the best it can be, train your speakers before the event. Talking on video is very different than in-person and there are easy ways to make their session more engaging. Something as simple as checking their background, camera, and microphone setup can make a world of difference.

18. Hire a Video Production Company

The better the content, the higher attendee engagement. A production company can add endless value to your virtual conference, whether it’s making session content crisper or making videos and ads to intersperse throughout the content.

19. Training Courses and Certifications

Don’t just offer sessions – offer training courses and certification. Attending a virtual conference requires justification and getting credits for attending can do just that. 

20. Offer Online Lectures with a Virtual Seminar

Similar to training and certifications, virtual seminars are a great way to give your attendees the chance to learn during your event. Instruct and guide your attendees on issues and trends that are important to your industry in a functional and flexible learning environment.

21. Keep Sessions Short – Or Vary the Structure

Distractions are a click away at virtual conferences. When creating content, don’t drag out sessions. But, if you do want to have longer sessions vary speakers and production so that attendees are engaged by the change in formatting every ten minutes or so.

22. Virtual Team-Building Exercises

Working effectively as a team is hard enough, but virtual teamwork comes with its own unique set of challenges. Why not host a virtual team-building event for your internal teams or event attendees?

23. Virtual Internal Events to Keep Your Teams Connected

Give your company a morale boost or an opportunity to learn with virtual internal events. There are many options when it comes to a virtual event for your employees, including workshops, games, town halls, and even holiday celebrations.

24. Motivate Your Teams with a Virtual Sales Kick-Off

To bring your sales team together, share your organization's annual goals, and set the tone for your year, try a virtual sales kick-off. This internal event has so many perks! You can use it as an opportunity to celebrate the team’s success, talk about strategy, and bring awareness to updates and best practices. Not only is the event itself helpful, but it can also be as simple as setting up a zoom meeting and organizing an exciting agenda.

25. Try Out Some Fun Virtual Meeting Themes

Want to spice up your virtual events with a fun theme? This could include dressing up, setting up fun virtual backgrounds, and more. The possibilities are endless, but here are just a few that can help liven up your virtual meetings:

1. Tropical Paradise
2. Game Night
3. Favorite Movie Characters
4. Around the World
5. Costume Party
6. Favorite Book Characters
7. Outdoor Adventure
8. 80's retro (or any decade)
9. Hollywood Glam
10. Superheroes and Villains

Virtual Event Breakout Session Ideas

26. Mental and Physical Wellness Programming

During a virtual event, it’s no secret we all struggle to pay attention as well as we might in person. Screen fatigue is real, and anyone hosting a virtual event needs to acknowledge that and adjust their programming to help. Including mental and physical wellness breaks during your event can not only provide contrast to the regularly scheduled sessions but can also help attendees focus on sessions once it’s time to sit still again.

27. Social Media Scavenger Hunts

Social media scavenger hunts could kill two birds with one stone. Get your attendees more engaged with your brand and your company’s social media presence while also offering a fun competition for attendees.

28. Mixology Lessons During Happy Hour

Just like cooking lessons, who doesn’t like to learn how to make a new drink? Create a special drink for your event and send attendees a cocktail kit ahead of time. Then, host a mixology class before a networking happy hour. This is also a great option as a virtual team building event.

29. Throw a Dance Party

Channel the feeling of a Las Vegas nightclub with a dance party and a great DJ. While it can’t replicate the actual thing, attendees can still have fun dancing like no one is watching (because they aren’t!). Another option is to create a special virtual conference playlist to share with attendees and get them excited.

30. Put On a Concert or Comedy Show

Hire a band, a singer, or a comedian and stream a live concert for attendees. Often, some of the biggest draws at a conference are the featured performances. They are a great way to give attendees a “brain break” and grab interest when promoting the event.

31. Send a Bingo Card of Industry Terms to Attendees

Every industry has its own unique glossary of terms. Make a game out of these terms or common phrases by making a bingo board for attendees to fill out during the conference. It will incentivize them to stay focused on sessions and add an element of fun.

32. Cooking Lessons from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Hire a chef to give a cooking lesson during the virtual conference. This lesson can occur during the lunch break or at the end of the day. Send attendees the recipe ahead of time and maybe even a gift card for groceries or a little swag, and have them tune in to follow along with real pro.

33. Trivia Challenge

Test the knowledge and competitiveness of your attendees with a trivia challenge! Prepare a variety of questions from different categories (or make it fit your meeting theme), and host a virtual or in-person trivia game. It's a great way to engage participants and foster friendly competition while providing an entertaining and intellectually stimulating experience.

34. Wine Tasting

Create a sophisticated and enjoyable experience by hosting a wine tasting party. If you don't want to send each attendee their own wines, you can ask them to bring their own bottle to the virtual event and discuss the flavors, aromas, and characteristics of each wine shared. Have a wine specialist on hand to provide information about different wine regions and pairings. It's a perfect theme for wine enthusiasts or those looking to expand their knowledge about wines.

35. Pet Show and Tell

36. Talent Show

Showcase the unique talents and skills of your guests by hosting a virtual talent show. Allow participants to demonstrate their abilities, whether it's singing, dancing, playing an instrument, performing magic tricks, or any other talent they possess. It's an entertaining and engaging theme that encourages creativity and provides a platform for attendees to learn more about each other.

37. DIY Craft Party

Inspire creativity and hands-on engagement by hosting a DIY craft party. You don't even have to provide participants with any materials – just set them a challenge of creating their own handmade items, and see what they come up with! Whether it's making jewelry, painting, or crafting home decor, this theme allows guests to unleash their creativity in a way that challenges them to think outside the box if they don't have craft supplies readily available.

38. Set a Fitness Challenge

Promote health and wellness by organizing a fitness challenge for your guests. Set goals and encourage participants to engage in physical activities like walking, running, yoga, or home workouts. This can be a short-term challenge like holding a yoga pose for one minute, or a longer-term goal like 10,000 steps per day with progress reports at subsequent meetings.

39. Bust Out Some Karaoke

Unleash your attendees' inner performer with a karaoke party. Use an online platform that offers karaoke, or simply let participants sing their hearts out to their favorite songs and have the lyrics handy on their own screens. It's a fun and entertaining theme that encourages laughter, camaraderie, and memorable performances.

Pre- and Post-Event Attendee Engagement Ideas

40. Unique Registrations for Attendee Types

Offering unique registrations based on attendees' interests in sessions and event programming allows you to not only track attendee engagement in various event programs but also allows you to create targeted messaging. Depending on an attendee's registration type, you might choose to send specific marketing content to that attendee before and after your event that promotes content, event programming, and products you know they'll be interested in based on their registration choice.

41. Create a Hashtag for Your Virtual Conference

Promote your event on social media using a hashtag. Have attendees use a hashtag when posting about the event and use it during promotion before the event to generate interest.

42. Send Swag to Attendees Who Register Early

Event swag is always one of the best parts of any conference. Send attendees hats, t-shirts, mousepads, hand sanitizer, branded masks, or whatever else is popular at the moment. There’s nothing better than a surprise delivery.

43. Find Event Sponsors

Sponsors can alleviate the cost of your event and attract more attendees. Put together an attractive sponsorship package and find quality sponsors who align with your event’s purpose.

44. Limit Access Based on Different Registration Levels

If you’re charging for your virtual event, consider offering different levels of access to content that is clearly stated on the event website, just like you would at an in-person event. Come up with different offerings for a basic attendee and a VIP attendee that are worth the cost difference.

45. Allow Attendees to Download Content After the Event

Make the most out of your event content and allow attendees to access content after the conference. Consider putting a time limit on availability to drive demand, then leverage your virtual conference content in your demand generation streams.

Lean Into Creativity with Virtual Events

There is no limit on what can be done at virtual events to engage and entertain attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. As you plan your next virtual conference, be ready to push past what you’re used to doing and embrace new virtual technology to create your best event yet. Looking for virtual event ideas from other planners? Check out the Cvent Community.

For more virtual engagement ideas, read 18 Ways to Engage Attendees at Virtual Meetings and Events.

Virtual Event FAQs

Still have questions about virtual events? Check out these frequently asked questions!

Why Host Virtual Events?

There are so many reasons you might opt to host virtual events, including:

• Accessibility: Virtual events allow people to participate from any location.
• Cost-effectiveness: Virtual events require fewer resources and have lower costs compared to in-person events.
• Flexibility: Virtual events offer scheduling and format flexibility, including on-demand access to recorded content.
• Increased reach and engagement: Virtual events can reach a larger audience and provide interactive features for engagement.
• Sustainability: Virtual events help reduce travel, food waste, carbon emissions, and more.

What Events Can Be Done Online?

How Do Your Conduct Events Virtually in 2024?

What Is a Virtual Party?

Have you ever attended a football game, a live concert, or any major live sporting event? Maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to attend one of the competitions at the Olympics. Remember what it felt like to be part of that crowd? I’m sure you’d agree that the sheer number of people all cheering in unison, singing along to popular chants, and supporting their favorite teams together creates a magical, unique atmosphere.

The audience creates the spirit of an event, be it a sporting event, a film premiere, or a live concert. The more people take part, the higher the excitement and energy levels.

The same is true for B2B events. The more attendees you attract, the more conversations and chatter you generate, and the more successful your event will be.

So, how do you capture as many attendees as you possibly can?

The simple answer is to market your event smartly, creating intrigue and generating interest even amongst casual attendees.

What Is Event Promotion?

Event promotion is the process of marketing an event to potential attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders in an effort to boost attendance and achieve event goals. It requires formulating strategies and tactics that generate awareness and interest in your event to entice your target audience.

This includes utilizing various channels such as social media, email marketing, webinars, and more to reach and engage with your audience. To be truly effective, event promotion requires understanding your target audience, including their needs, preferences, and pain points and the key benefits they'll receive because of your event.

Event promotion depends on your budget and the scale of the event you are planning. If you have big sponsors backing you, you can afford to splurge on large, fancy billboards and glitzy advertisements. But even if your marketing budget is limited, you can use many cool event promotion ideas to reach as many people as possible. Read on to discover them!

1. Optimize Your Event Registration Website

Your event website is the single most powerful tool you can use to promote your event. By opting for an interesting event website template that captures the vibe of your function, you immediately grab the attention of users. A well-optimized event website not only provides users with the necessary information but also acts as a hub for registrations and payments. Here are the different ways in which you can optimize your event website:

Usability Testing

Web visitors form an impression of your website in as little as five seconds. It is important that your website's design immediately sparks visitors' interest. Use tools like Usability Hub’s Five Second Test to understand users’ experiences better when navigating your website.

Heat Mapping

Heat maps are color-coded to visually represent user activity on your website. Information on how much time visitors spend on your website, which features are most interesting to them, and even how far they scroll down the page is available at your fingertips!

A/B Testing

Through A/B testing, you can contrast two different versions of the same webpage to compare audience engagement. While A/B testing usually requires a certain level of technical skill, you can use tools like Optimizely to experiment with different design features, headlines, and call to action.

Web Analytics

Do you use Google Analytics to keep track of visitors to your website? Trick question: your answer should be ‘Yes, of course’! Analytics have become the most important tool to gauge the effectiveness of your website and analyze how many visitors might turn into paying attendees.

2. Offer Early Bird Discounts

We all love discounts. A surefire way of getting more people to register for your event is to provide exclusive ‘early bird’ offers. Set a clear deadline for the early bird pricing or only offer a limited number of tickets – scarcity marketing will create a solid buzz around your event while tempting attendees with a discount they can’t refuse.

3. Leverage Social Media

Given their massive audience outreach, Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have proven to be popular mediums for event promotion.

In the UK, Facebook has an active user base of over 30 million people, with around 80% of people in the 23-37 age bracket being frequent users. Here is how you can use Facebook to attract people to your event:

• Create a Facebook page about your event and share it with different groups. If your budget allows, go for paid promotion as well. This will generate quick returns for a small investment.
• Cross-promote the event with an event marketing partner who has considerable influence in generating buzz and increasing registrations.
• Use Facebook Live Video to stream your event promotion activities.

X (Formerly Twitter) is another widely-used medium in the events industry. There are many ways through which you can promote your event on X:

• Create a catchy hashtag for your event and find creative ways to get it trending. You could even devise a competition, encouraging registrants to retweet and include the event hashtag for the chance to win a prize!
• Create an influencer list and target them through smartly crafted @mentions.
• Host a chat, and share live broadcasts.

Event organizers also leverage LinkedIn as an effective promotional tool to entice more event attendees. Given its huge professional user base, LinkedIn can help attract the right audience to your event. You can:

• Write an informative article that has share value.
• Post a short video highlighting all the exciting things about your event.
• Join different groups and promote your event.

4. Use Ad Retargeting

Many users visit your event website, but for some reason, they get distracted and click away from the landing page. You need to hone in on the users who are clearly interested but perhaps have shorter attention spans. Ad retargeting across your Google AdWords account and on the ticket sales page is a great way to continually remind visitors of your event as they visit other websites.

Ad retargeting can have huge benefits. According to Invesp, the click-through rate (CTR) of retargeted ads is 10 times higher than that of a typical display ad, and website visitors who are retargeted with display ads are 70% more likely to convert on a retailer’s website.

You need to consider the following points while attempting ad retargeting:

• Don’t try to sell tickets to just any website visitor: Identify your audience. Do you want to target those who clicked off during checkout? Maybe you want attendees from a particular geographical area only?
• Have you added your tracking code correctly? Retargeting won’t work if you don’t add the right tracking code. You can use Google Tag Manager to manage codes, tags, and pixels for your retargeting campaigns.
• Create multiple ad designs: Different ads work on different websites and devices. Don’t just stop at creating one design. Instead, come up with new, creative messages, images, and colors to maximize your ad retargeting results.

5. Create Exciting Video Content

If there is one way to push your event into the spotlight, it is to create a performance that has the potential to go viral. This could include putting your own spin on popular challenges (think back to the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge or the early-2019 Blindfold challenge), organizing a flash mob, filming a video featuring adorable puppies… Get creative! Remember, the messaging should be smart and subtle.

6. Incorporate QR Codes

Quick response (QR) codes have been around for some time now. You see them on packages in the grocery store, consumer goods, magazines, and brochures. Given their ease of convenience, they have also become quite popular in the events industry. Most smartphones include built-in QR app readers, so there are several ways to make the most of this technology to come up with some cool event promotion ideas. For example:

• Include a QR code with the digital or printed sponsorship material handed out at your event. Since printed matter becomes outdated in a matter of days, the QR code can provide attendees with the latest news on your event with just a simple scan.
• Whether you are marketing your event through digital or traditional billboards, including a QR code allows any person to scan it and get more details about your event. The information available through the code should be interesting enough to whet the public’s appetite for your event.

7. Create Infographics

Visual content is important to boost social engagement and promote your event. Incorporate storytelling in the form of infographics to provide all the information about your event in a simple, fun manner. Given their high shareability value, infographics are an effective, low-cost visual tactic to generate more buzz around your event.

8. Hire Mascots for Your Event

Never underestimate the power of a cute mascot! A great way to promote your event is to incorporate mascots that represent your event values as well as send positive vibes to attendees. People will want to take selfies with the mascot and share it on social media, thus increasing the brand value of your event. This option, however, should only be considered when your event is spread over 3-4 days.

9. Promote Your (Branded) Merch

Another cool event promotion idea is to hand out exclusive merch such as branded caps, T-shirts, tote bags, or digital paraphernalia such as pop-sockets to attendees before, during, and after the event. It incentivizes people to sign up for your event year after year because, after all, everyone loves free stuff!

10. Create AR-Based Events

Augmented reality has been firmly entrenched into the mainstream consciousness, thanks to games like Pokemon Go, apps like Tik Tok, SnapChat filters, and platforms like Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore. Today, it is no longer a question of whether AR should be incorporated into an event, but how it should be done.

Event planners are leveraging AR technology's creative potential and marketing power to create immersive games that maximize the attendee’s involvement in the event. Brands also achieve higher visibility by sponsoring prizes or including logos in AR advertisements.

11. Geotag Your Campaigns

Geolocation is the new buzzword in event marketing, as marketers are finding new ways of reaching customers through location-based targeting. Even the aforementioned technologies, such as AR advertising is based on the concept of geotagging.

Combine AI and predictive analytics with geotagging to narrow down the behavioral patterns of target audiences and match them to their niche desires. This allows you to take personalization to the next level, by tapping into regional content and local influencers. Ensure to incentivize data collection by highlighting perks and benefits – consumers can be understandably concerned about privacy!

12. Make a Highlight Reel

Create a highlight reel of the best moments from past versions of your event, or release a teaser trailer of keynote speakers and planned activities for an upcoming one. You could even include a celebrity guest cameo! Promotional highlight reels can be short, sponsored videos shared across all social channels; this will certainly create a lot of interest around your event.

13. Try Influencer Marketing

A study by Social Media Today shows that influencer marketing delivers an 11x higher ROI than traditional banner ads. Around 94% of marketers have found it to be a very effective marketing tactic to achieve their goals.

Nowadays, influencer marketing forms an integral part of any event promotion campaign. The underlying principle is simple – influencers and brands have a larger and more loyal audience base, so a sound partnership with one will ensure you get enough registrations for your event. Promote your event by collaborating with a relevant influencer, possibly an industry expert who identifies with your brand and will be a genuine advocate for your event. Through story-telling, conducting contests, and regular brand advocacy, the influencer can significantly level up your brand awareness among relevant prospects.

Importance of Following Up After Your Events