The smoothness of the conference was not a coincidence and I would like share 2 lessons I’ve learnt from being part of this virtual conference.
Be Prepared
True to a Scouts’ motto, “Be Prepared” is one of the things that are easily said but difficult to do as there are so many things that can go wrong. The team had obviously took pains to stress test their system and finding contingencies to problems that might happen.
There were little to no dead time in the transition of the speakers. One of the main reasons I believe is that 2 weeks before the conference, I was asked to do a technical run through on the system and to test the various functions necessary to execute the show. I am certain that all the speakers had to get comfortable during this technical rehearsal as well.
I discussed with Alicja on various methods to maximize engagement and these ranged from using the whiteboard to the live chat function.
Prior to the show, Alicja also made sure that I was aligned in the theme of the Symposium “Adaptive Leadership Mindset” and gave me source materials on learning Project Management Processes. This is particularly helpful for me in customizing my magic for this.
Engaging the Audiences
The inherent pain point of a virtual type event is that it creates a forth wall between the speakers and the audiences. However, I would argue that through the use of effective communication, a virtual event can have more interaction than a traditional event.
In my show, I use the live chat function to get volunteers and to see comments and feedback in real time. This allows me to cater better to the audiences.
Also, usually in a live performance, audible side comments are generally disruptive in nature. However in this virtual platform, the audiences were having fun and sharing their appreciation for the magic that they saw.
