Since 2020, conferences have increasingly moved online, and there is no end in sight. This is partly because the pandemic still has a firm grip on conferences and meetings, but also because many organizers and participants alike have discovered the benefits of a virtual conference platform. No long, CO2-intensive travel, on-demand access to content archives, and easier international networking that isn't limited by physical capacity—these are consistently cited as the major advantages of digitizing meetings.
However, all these aspects only really come into play once the conference is already underway. Before that, the biggest and most difficult task is organizing the event. How is a digital conference actually planned? What should you look for when choosing a digital conference platform? Organizers can no longer rely on established procedures, because in addition to registration, the entire conference now takes place online. Furthermore, digital conferences pursue very different approaches, which various software solutions accommodate with varying degrees of success.
While all applications promise the best possible digital conference experience, there is sometimes a world of difference between what organizers initially envisioned and what the conference software was actually able to deliver in the end.
This is particularly unfortunate, especially since such a negative experience can damage the perception of digital conferences as a whole in the long term. Naturally, anyone who has had a bad experience with virtual events may prefer to avoid them altogether in the future.
Beyond the lack of an overview, the core of the problem is that certain aspects remain secondary during the planning phase—such as detailed personal consultation. At first glance, it seems much more important that the conference can be set up in a few minutes and get started immediately. Such promises quickly create the impression that a preliminary briefing is unnecessary, which quite often turns out to be a serious mistake.
Find the perfect digital conference platform with our Buyer’s Guide
We want to help change that. To this end, we have compiled a selection of the most important criteria to support organizers in their search for the best digital conference platform.
How to use the Buyer’s Guide effectively
The guide examines various aspects of a digital conference from a practical perspective. We focus on the most important points and provide recommendations on what organizers should always look out for.
What are the advantages of a conference platform? How can organizers identify a good software provider? What features must such a conference platform have? What about data protection? And how can organizers distinguish between reputable and disreputable software providers based on their cost structures?
The highlight: The checklist (download)
The Buyer’s Guide is followed by a checklist available for free download, which lists point by point, categorized by topic, what organizers should keep in mind when selecting a digital conference platform.
But that’s not all, because the checklist is interactive. This means you help shape it yourself, so that in the end, you have a document that contains only the software features that are important to you.
Here is how it works:
- We do not provide a one-size-fits-all template because not all digital conferences have the exact same requirements.
- We have therefore included the most important points in the list, checked by default.
- For points that are not relevant to your planned conference, simply click to remove the checkmark. This way, the point will not appear on your final list.
- Can you think of other things that are important when choosing a virtual conference platform? Add them at the end under "My additional points." Feel free to add as many as you like.
- Once you are finished, create your PDF file by clicking the corresponding button.
- A window will open from which you can either save the checklist or print it out immediately.
- The list is now ready to use and will help you find the right conference platform for your digital event based on the features you need.
Why not give it a try right now and create your own checklist.
Do you need help or have any comments? We are happy to assist you in a personal consultation.
Featured image source: Free Mockup Zone
