5 Ways to Measure Virtual Event Success
Posted by Lauren Wolf on Thu, Apr 07, 2011 @ 05:12 PM
Introduction
Too often, we try to determine virtual event success by one easily quantifiable measure, such as lead generation or attendance rate. While that is often a quick, easy way to assess whether key objectives were met, simply looking at one metric may prevent you from fully understanding the success of your virtual event. To completely understand your event’s success, it is essential to dig deeper and ask yourself the following five questions.
Question #1: How long did attendees stay at the event?
Attendance, of course, is the most widely-measured definition of event success. Instead of just looking at number of attendees, dig a bit deeper and look at how long each attendee stayed. As a general rule of thumb, attendees who visited the event for at least 30 minutes found the event educational and engaging.
Question #2: Did attendees engage in communication?
Some may argue that the interactivity of a physical event is lost in the virtual world. While face-to-face events have unique features, virtual events do as well. In virtual events, attendees often feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts (from behind their computer) and can participate in multiple conversations at once. They can also review how many chats, emails, and vCards were sent, and store all of their communication in a central location. Don’t forget to consider group chat activity as well!
Question #3: How many people requested help?
Although virtual environments are set up to be as intuitive and user-friendly as possible, there are always going to be people who need help. Be sure to examine not only how many users requested support, but also how quickly their issues were resolved.
Question #4: How many people visited the On-Demand Archive?
Show hosts and exhibitors are always eager to get immediate data – that’s great and we are too! However, don’t forget to re-visit all event metrics at the conclusion of the archive period to get a full grasp of the overall event picture.
Question #5: What’s the buzz?
Although formal feedback surveys are always helpful, monitoring casual event buzz can be just as helpful. Read through the lounge chat transcript. Check your event's social media activity to see what people are tweeting about. This will give you helpful insight about participants' true feelings about your event. Receive bonus points by responding to tweets, both positive and negative, to show attendees that you value their opinions.
Conclusion
To be successful, your event does not have to thrive in all of the above areas. As I said before, there is no simple formula for measuring success. However, by analyzing attendee trends and interactions, you can gain insight into the overall virtual experience and better understand your audience for your next event.
How do you measure the success of your virtual events? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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