{"id":18352,"date":"2020-03-31T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?p=18352"},"modified":"2020-03-31T07:00:23","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T12:00:23","slug":"5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a <a href=\"\/blog\/2019\/12\/the-difference-between-event-planning-and-event-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">corporate event planner<\/a>, your career DOESN\u2019T need to suffer due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/diseases\/novel-coronavirus-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID-19 crisis<\/a>. Yes, while in-person interactions are not really feasible at the moment, you still have plenty of <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/03\/how-to-work-remotely-as-an-event-and-wedding-planner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">other opportunities<\/a> available to you \u2013 including virtual services.<\/p>\n<p>There are <em>so <\/em>many ways you can utilize and offer your customers virtual services. Thanks to the advancement of technology, tradeshows, expos, team-building functions, product launches, and so much more can all be held electronically!<\/p>\n<p>Today, we\u2019ll focus on the steps involved in planning a successful virtual conference for your client. With the right research and preparation, you\u2019ll be amazed at how smooth the process can be!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-23.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-23.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-23.png 672w, https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-23-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#1_%E2%80%93_Conduct_a_Virtual_Consultation\" >1 \u2013 Conduct a Virtual Consultation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#2_%E2%80%93_Determine_the_Speakers_and_the_Content\" >2 \u2013 Determine the Speakers and the Content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#3_%E2%80%93_Choose_the_Platform_to_Host_the_Conference\" >3 \u2013 Choose the Platform to Host the Conference<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#4_%E2%80%93_Market_Market_Market\" >4 \u2013 Market, Market, Market!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#5_%E2%80%93_Plan_Ahead_for_EVERYTHING\" >5 \u2013 Plan Ahead for EVERYTHING<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_%E2%80%93_Conduct_a_Virtual_Consultation\"><\/span>1 \u2013 Conduct a Virtual Consultation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During a time when we\u2019re all being encouraged to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing, in-person consultations should be avoided. Virtual consultations, on the other hand, can be safely conducted from the comfort of you and your client\u2019s respective homes!<\/p>\n<p>Beyond this, there\u2019s really no difference between a virtual consultation and an <a href=\"\/blog\/2016\/02\/conducting-the-client-consultation-part-one\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in-person one<\/a>. You and the client still get to see each other, the same discussion is still had, the same questions are still asked, the overall goal of the meeting (for both parties) is still achieved.<\/p>\n<p>Your client\u2019s goal will be to learn more about you, what you can offer, and whether you\u2019re the best corporate event planner to help bring their vision to life.<\/p>\n<p><em>Your <\/em>goal in the consultation is to learn as much as you can about the client\u2019s business, the scope of the project, who the audience will be, etc. You want to walk away from this meeting with a crystal-clear understanding of the event they want you to help them put together.<\/p>\n<p>If you need some guidance regarding which questions you should ALWAYS be asking during every consultation, <a href=\"\/blog\/2015\/11\/top-questions-to-ask-at-every-client-consultation-free-download\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u2019s a free checklist<\/a> that you can download!<\/p>\n<h3>The Budget<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to the standard consultation questions you\u2019d normally ask, there are certain additional factors that are especially important to discuss with the client. Virtual conferences come with their own unique set of requirements to be successful! One major one is <a href=\"\/blog\/2018\/03\/event-planning-course-sample-the-budget-breakdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As a rule of thumb, almost all virtual conferences are either:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Live-streamed<\/strong>, or<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pre-recorded and then published for the audience on a content delivery network (CDN)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now, there\u2019s nothing necessarily wrong with holding a lower-budget virtual conference. For all intents and purposes, it could very well be done using nothing more than a webcam, a free video platform, and a white wall for the background.<\/p>\n<p>But if this is what your client wants, everyone needs to be on the same page, and willing to call a spade a spade. Because realistically, while the <em>content <\/em>of the conference may still be solid, the quality probably will not. So long as your client doesn\u2019t care about that, then plan away! (At least the process will be relatively simple, which is never a bad thing.)<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, your client may have high expectations for their virtual event. So, they\u2019ll also need to have realistic expectations about their budget. Since virtual conferences quite literally <em>create <\/em>the whole experience for the audience, an elaborate event will require more (and pricier) software and filming equipment.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-24.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18356\" src=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-24.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-24.png 672w, https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-24-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_%E2%80%93_Determine_the_Speakers_and_the_Content\"><\/span>2 \u2013 Determine the Speakers and the Content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Just like a corporate event planner would when organizing a physical conference, you need to figure out who intends to speak at your client\u2019s virtual conference. You\u2019ll also want to decide on the various content that will be presented. Talk with your client about whether they want to have any in-house speakers, as well as what their content would ideally be.<\/p>\n<p>Your client will likely want guest speakers, too. Announce a call for proposals at least a few months before the event is scheduled to take place. <a href=\"\/blog\/2017\/08\/event-planners-guide-modern-business-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Market and promote<\/a> this announcement through your client\u2019s company website and social media channels. If it\u2019s in the budget, another option is to put up ads online.<\/p>\n<p>All marketing efforts will help increase the announcement\u2019s online visibility and improve its chances of being seen by a larger audience. Once you receive content proposals from interested guest speakers, you, your client, and (if applicable) their team can go over everything and determine who should be speaking, and what content works best with the overall theme\/goal of the virtual conference.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_%E2%80%93_Choose_the_Platform_to_Host_the_Conference\"><\/span>3 \u2013 Choose the Platform to Host the Conference<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This can very well be the make-it-or-break-it factor for any virtual event, so make sure to do proper research! There are <em>so <\/em>many different conference-hosting platforms available online, but not all of them are going to be reputable or capable of getting the job done.<\/p>\n<p>The best fit for your client will depend entirely on what their event objectives are, and how scalable they want their conference to be. When researching different platforms, ensure to read reviews, scour through websites, and even watch videos that demonstrate the software in action. Don\u2019t ever skimp or try to cut corners on this step!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icohere.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">iCohere<\/a> is one example that has a strong reputation and positive reviews, Should you wish to review more options and see which one is right for you, though,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.capterra.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Capterra<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.capterra.com\/web-conferencing-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a thorough list<\/a>\u00a0of some of the best web conferencing software..<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-25.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-25.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-25.png 672w, https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-25-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_%E2%80%93_Market_Market_Market\"><\/span>4 \u2013 Market, Market, Market!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once all of the legwork has been put into place for your client\u2019s virtual conference, it\u2019s time to start promoting it as much as possible. Just like you did in Step 2, utilize your client\u2019s company website and social media channels to market the event.<\/p>\n<p>Take out online ads, <a href=\"\/blog\/2015\/04\/an-8-rule-guide-to-email-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">send emails<\/a>, and boost any posts about this event on Facebook. These are strategies proven to help increase public exposure and gain interest!<\/p>\n<p>Another important secret to optimizing the event\u2019s marketability is to make it easy for <em>others <\/em>to promote it as well. Depending on the nature of the conference, there will often be other parties \u2013 outside of your client\u2019s company \u2013 who have something to gain from this virtual event. For example, sponsors, presenters, exhibitors, and even the attendees themselves have stake in the conference.<\/p>\n<p>As such, they likely will want to help market your conference, too!<\/p>\n<p>You can provide these interested parties with specific language, branding, and selected images that they can freely share in order to promote the event. With the help of your client, you can also learn which of the company\u2019s social media channels tend to have the most activity from the public, so that you can guide others to target these online audiences.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_%E2%80%93_Plan_Ahead_for_EVERYTHING\"><\/span>5 \u2013 Plan Ahead for EVERYTHING<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As a corporate event planner (or <a href=\"\/blog\/2019\/11\/5-obvious-signs-you-should-become-an-event-planner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>any <\/em>type of planner in general<\/a>), you already tend to schedule appropriately and plans all tasks ahead of time. But for a virtual conference, it\u2019s extra critical that everyone be organized and on the same page!<\/p>\n<p>Make sure that reminders for all deadlines and notable dates are always sent to the appropriate parties on time \u2013 and with plenty of time to spare. Don\u2019t leave <em>anything <\/em>to the last minute during the planning phase of the event. Doing so WILL almost always have negative consequences, and put your client\u2019s event in jeopardy. If your negligence causes something to go wrong, it\u2019s guaranteed to hurt your professional reputation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-26.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18358\" src=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-26.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-26.png 672w, https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-In-Post-Event-Logo-Overlay-135x135-26-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Part of planning ahead is also making sure your client knows to take all the proper measures and precautions themselves. Any virtual event has the risk of running into technical errors, lags, lost connections, etc.<\/p>\n<p>So, encourage your client to have a Support Team that will be working during the time of the conference. This way, if any of their attendees run into a technical problem, there\u2019s someone they can immediately speak to who can help them through it.<\/p>\n<p>Another crucial way to plan ahead is to do one or two dry runs of the conference itself \u2013 <em>before <\/em>the big day. A virtual event is made up of a lot of different puzzle pieces that all need to fit together smoothly. Without a practice run or rehearsal, it could be hard to nail down the flow of the event and get everyone on the same page.<\/p>\n<p>Your client and their company have a reputation to uphold. It\u2019s important that their virtual conference looks as professional as possible!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As a <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/03\/the-job-description-of-an-event-planner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">corporate event planner<\/a>, it\u2019s your job to understand your client and their business to the fullest extent, so you can properly create the vision they have in mind for their event. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the event planning industry has undoubtedly <a href=\"\/blog\/2020\/03\/how-the-coronavirus-outbreak-is-affecting-the-event-planning-industry-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">taken a hit<\/a>. But it\u2019s NOT accurate to say that there aren\u2019t still <em>lots <\/em>of services you can provide to clients during this difficult time.<\/p>\n<p>Because the thing is, life will eventually return to normal. When it does, clients are going to want their events to proceed as normal. Virtual planning services provide them the opportunity to continue on schedule, without putting their (or your) health at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Do you have other handy tips for planning a virtual conference? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Another way to maximize your time at home right now is to earn your professional corporate event planner certification! Enroll today in QC\u2019s leading online <\/strong><a href=\"\/online-event-courses\/corporate-event-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Corporate Event Planning Course<\/strong><\/a><strong>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a corporate event planner, your career DOESN\u2019T need to suffer due to the COVID-19 crisis. Yes, while in-person interactions are not really feasible at the moment, you still have plenty of other opportunities available to you \u2013 including virtual services. There are so many ways you can utilize and offer your customers virtual services. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":18354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[342],"class_list":["post-18352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference - Pointers for Planners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointers for Planners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QCEventPlanning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-31T12:00:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Cavanagh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sarah Cavanagh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\",\"name\":\"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference - Pointers for Planners\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-31T12:00:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192\"},\"description\":\"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png\",\"width\":672,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pointers for Planners\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192\",\"name\":\"Sarah Cavanagh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e7e627e8ed93941f7782051800dcd054\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Sarah Cavanagh\"},\"description\":\"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/author\/sarah-cavanagh\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference - Pointers for Planners","description":"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference","og_description":"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","og_site_name":"Pointers for Planners","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QCEventPlanning","article_published_time":"2020-03-31T12:00:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":672,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Sarah Cavanagh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sarah Cavanagh","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference","name":"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference - Pointers for Planners","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png","datePublished":"2020-03-31T12:00:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192"},"description":"As a corporate event planner, virtual conferences are a great remote service you can offer clients, even while at home. Here are 5 steps to planning one!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Copy-of-Event-Feature-Event-Logo-Overlay-100x100-14.png","width":672,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/5-steps-to-planning-a-successful-virtual-conference#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Steps to Planning a Successful Virtual Conference"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/","name":"Pointers for Planners","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b0a9c867412ac1a627821eebb1d192","name":"Sarah Cavanagh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e7e627e8ed93941f7782051800dcd054","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","caption":"Sarah Cavanagh"},"description":"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground.","url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/author\/sarah-cavanagh"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":342,"user_id":18,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sarah-cavanagh","display_name":"Sarah Cavanagh","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_7606.jpg"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Sarah","last_name":"Cavanagh","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":"Sarah Cavanagh is a seasoned writer with more than 20 years of experience and a background in English Literature. She has been part of the QC team since 2019, where she manages social media and crafts blog content across multiple schools. When she\u2019s not working, you can find her writing her debut horror\/romance novel, Hollowed Ground."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18352"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qceventplanning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=18352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}