Use cases for virtual events

The event space is expanding — it’s not just broadcasters anymore. With so many events going virtual, let’s look at a few ways Vimeo customers have taken in-person events online.

🙌 Town halls or all-hands meetings

All-hands meetings are company-wide — everyone on the staff is expected to attend. Their purpose is for leaders to share company objectives and financial information, introduce new team members, and celebrate wins with the rest of the team. All-hands meetings are essential for remote-first companies, as they might be the only time every member of the team is in the same (virtual) room.

A town-hall meeting usually includes a Q&A session or a more casual conversation between the employees and leadership. Because all-hands meetings are primarily hosted for internal attendees, gated or ticketed registrations are less critical than privacy features like SSO.

🔥 Fireside chats

Named for the radio addresses President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered during WWII, fireside chats are meant to deliver information in an informal setting.

A fireside chat is a two-way conversation between a guest and a moderator that usually takes place in an auditorium or other in-person setting with an audience.

With a virtual fireside chat, however, the moderator and guest don’t have to be in the same room — or even the same country.

🏷️ Sales kick-offs (SKOs)

Usually held at the beginning of the fiscal year, a sales kick-off’s purpose is to motivate the sales team and make sure they’re aligned with company goals.

Sales kick-offs can boost team morale and set the tone for the year ahead.

🎤 Conferences and trade shows

Conferences are another common virtual event type. They can last for a single day or multiple days. They typically include a moderator or MC, multiple speakers and keynotes, breakout meetings, networking activities, and other experiences to keep attendees engaged.

Conferences attract virtual attendees interested in shared industry topics, networking experiences, and educational opportunities. Lead generation is essential here, so expect to see free and paid events with varying access.

⛰️ Virtual summits and panel discussions

A summit is a gathering of leaders and influencers from a particular industry or experts on a specific topic to share ideas. They are typically smaller scale than conferences and tend to be invite-only.

Summits and panel discussions usually focus on one area — business, academic research, or problem-solving. They can include webinars, Q&As, breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and downloadable resources.

🎬 Brand activation events

A brand activation campaign can help introduce your company to your target audience by inviting them to interact with you. These experiential marketing events are designed to create buzz around your brand and forge an emotional connection with your prospects.

Brand activation events run the gamut — they can include both virtual and in-person elements and be invitation-only or open to the public. You might, for example, host a product demonstration or partner with an influencer or another brand to host a webinar with a live Q&A session.

⭐️ Micro events

On their own or as part of a larger event, micro events are small-scale virtual or hybrid events — for example, VIP events, lunch & learn sessions, or short networking events.

Micro events can help you narrow your audience to a specific demographic or to people who are interested in a particular topic. At the same time, they can help expand your reach by engaging with far-away potential customers online.

🖥️ Webinars

Webinars are the original virtual events. They usually last 30 minutes to an hour and commonly function as either a demand-generation or a thought-leadership channel. If you hop on a webinar, you’ll likely find housekeeping notes (aka “this webinar will be recorded”), speakers, a slide deck, data, and a few tools — like Q&A or live polls — to maintain attendee engagement.

Organizations and creators looking to grow their audience can leverage webinars to drive leads and increase brand awareness and education around their services.

🎊 Festivals and award ceremonies

Fast-growing categories of virtual events include performing arts programs, music festivals, and award ceremonies (like Vimeo’s previous VFA). Organizations are adapting their experiences for an online-only audience and finding innovative ways to punch up the excitement.

Performing arts events may include live talent, exclusive interviews, or other live entertainment to keep audiences engaged. They often attract a broad audience coming together to celebrate an artist, a type of music, film, or entertainment.

⚾️ Sporting events

In the last few years, sporting events have adapted to the times, which means sports content covers everything from live-streamed games, on-demand games, live interviews, and other content to keep fandom alive.

🙏 Faith-based events

Local parishes are finding new opportunities through video. Faith-based communities find a lot of flexibility by live streaming their sermons and community events.

Whether those events are services, classes, community workshops, or just a virtual gathering — live streaming helps a congregation stay connected even when they’re apart.

What’s the difference between virtual events and webinars?

Webinars and virtual events aren’t mutually exclusive. All webinars are virtual events, but not all virtual events are webinars!

Webinars are typically:

One-off events
One hour long or less
For lead generation or education

Virtual events tend to:

Focus on experiences
Include multiple sessions like panel discussions, breakouts, and keynotes
Be more creatively or brand driven

The scale of a webinar is quite a bit different from other virtual events. Webinars are usually smaller, a lower lift for teams, and typically draw a smaller registration pool.

Virtual events are more extensive, require more resources, and attract a larger audience.

How to plan and host a virtual event

There are a couple of misconceptions about virtual events: the first myth is that you can copy and paste an in-person event into a virtual event. Unfortunately, not all in-person experiences translate in a digital space, especially when you’re competing with live events for the audience’s attention and facing the uphill battle of digital fatigue.

The second misconception is that virtual events take less time to plan than in-person events. Depending on the content you plan to produce for your event, you’ll need to allocate enough time to prep. Planning a large event online may take more than six weeks.

The reality is that virtual events need just as much time and attention as in-person events to be incredible experiences. These tips will help you hit the ground running when planning a virtual event.

1. Determine your virtual event goals

Before you plan your virtual event, you’ll need to identify event goals. Establishing goals also helps determine the type of event you’ll produce.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What are the goals for my virtual event?
Is this an internal or external-facing event?
How many event sessions will we have?
Will the event registration be free, paid, or a combination of both?

2. Identify your target audience

Any seasoned event organizer will tell you the most important KPI is the attendee experience. Make sure your virtual event hits the mark by clearly identifying your audience beforehand.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who am I trying to reach?
How will I reach them?
How will my audience interact?

Once you know your audience, you’ll know what kinds of content to create.

3. Set a budget

The costs of virtual events can vary widely, from an internal webinar that only costs what you pay for your hosting software to a multi-day virtual conference that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Depending on the scale of your event, things you’ll need to account for include:

Software: You may have separate platforms for registration and ticketing, producing, and hosting the event, or you can use an all-in-one event management software like Vimeo Events. Explore Vimeo's cutting-edge tools, including the AI script creator, video prompting tool, captioning generator, and video translator to streamline your video creation process.
Content production: You might have your own cameras, lights, and microphones, or you might hire a production team with their own equipment.
Presenter kits: If you have multiple speakers from different locations, sending them each a kit with the same ring light, microphone, and webcam will ensure they are all high-quality videos.
Speaker fees: Some speakers are happy for the exposure, but a professional or celebrity speaker could cost thousands of dollars.
Swag bags: Sending gift bags to registrants helps amp up their excitement for the event and makes up for the giveaways they’d expect at an onsite event.
Marketing: Don’t forget event promotion, like email campaigns, pay-per-click and social media ads, and radio, print, and billboard advertising.

Check out our free virtual event budgeting guide for more info.

4. Build your event registration page

If you’re streaming an event that you’d like to sell tickets for — or just control access to — you’ll need an event or webinar registration page. With a dedicated event platform like Vimeo Events, you can easily set up events, integrate your CRM, and create a registration flow.

“We’re intentionally building a sense of exclusivity around our live streams, so it’s not like tuning in to an Instagram Live stream with thousands of other people,” Will Steinberg, Co-President of Zinc Agency, told us. “Those elements of connection have been really important.”

Robyn Showers