How to organise a virtual event on different time zones
One of the great benefits of virtual events is the opportunity for globally dispersed groups of people to meet, share and collaborate.
They ensure people can continue to meet and do business wherever they are in the world, making them less expensive than physical events, easier to measure and more flexible.
The global pandemic has been a great example of how virtual events can really come into their own and we have worked with many organisers to replicate their world conference virtually due to current restrictions on travel.
For those of you trying to create a world conference online i’m sure the issue of timezones has presented a few challenges.
How do you ensure that your content programme is accessible for all no matter what timezone they are in? And how do you create virtual networking activities that are suitable for those just waking up or those about to go to bed? We’ve put together some simple tips to help you.
Create multiple versions of your event
One solution is to make several conferences adjusting them to different timezones of your attendees.
By doing this you can give more local attention and content to the event than if it was global.
If you have a company spread out in Europe, the US and Canada that needed to cover different topics concerning their region or demographics this would work well.
We recently did this for Maine Public Health Association’s annual conference. Check out the case study.
Consider a Simulive setup
Simulive setups involve streaming pre-recorded videos as if they were live-sessions and are becoming an increasingly popular choice for virtual event organisers.
By using simulive the same conference can have some shared live sessions and some sessions that air at different times for different timezones, with the same content in the live stream.
Create a ‘live’ platform
Keeping delegates engaged throughout a virtual event can be key to its success and a good way to do this to appeal to participants in different timezones is to keep your platform live, while your sessions are pre-recorded.
Delegates can then access a suite of engagement tools at their leisure. Popular live platform features include photo walls for delegates to post, like and comment, gamification, 1-2-1 video calls between participants, exhibitors, and speakers, private message and chat functionality and breakout rooms for group calls.
Offer instant recordings
Finally, consider making all sessions instantly available as recordings so those unable to join live can catch up as soon as they are available.
This is a great way of providing extra value to participants and has proved successful for many organisers we have worked with.
If you are organising a virtual event on different timezones and are looking for some help or inspiration, contact us to see how we could help you.
