Virtual Event Tips and Tricks

Guest post written by Christie Satre

As the Sr Field ABM Marketing Manager at Entrust, I am no stranger to planning and hosting events. I’m also a big believer in staying on top of trends and sharing best practices. So, when I was invited to rub virtual shoulders with my peers at a purple cork virtual wine tasting event with SAMsARA Wine Co, I jumped at the opportunity. Here’s what I took away from the conversation:

Devote time to driving attendees

One thing we can all agree on is that people guard their time and driving attendance to virtual events can be challenging, so you need to have a plan. Sending mass emails no longer works. Instead, the invite should be personalized and sent 1:1 from a sales executive or BDR.

If you happen to have an in-person event prior to the virtual event, bring note card invitations with a QR code on the back. Use them as personal invites to the virtual event. You can also do the opposite and use virtual as a meet/greet before an in-person Advisory Board or similar on-site event.

Limit attendees

What’s the optimum group size for virtual tasting events? The consensus is 20-40 people per session is a great sweet spot for fun energy plus intimate conversations and ability to foster more personal conversations.

Leverage AI for topics

Want to make sure that your event will resonate with your audience? Leverage Chat GTP. Share your target personas and ask for topics that would drive interest. And, post event, paste in your event transcript and have it provide key topics and messages for a post-event writeup you can use as follow up.

Avoid the dreaded PPT

It is incredibly hard to hold anyone’s attention with a presentation during a virtual event. Your guests might be looking at the screen but they will probably be exchanging Slack messages with their colleagues or finalizing another project. 

The group agrees that it’s best to start with the tasting and then move into a roundtable for the second half of the event. Roundtables, or panel conversations, bring out more voices. Since nothing loosens the lips like wine, having the guided conversation after the tasting brings out the best in people. 

During the roundtable, ask guests for pain points and struggles. People love to talk about their pain. Then, at the end, have the moderator wrap up with ways your solution can solve for the pain. (This must be done skillfully so it doesn’t come off as sales-y.) The most compelling prospect events include happy customers who can back up your story. Authenticity is best so don’t ask them to do this, but if asked for their opinion, they will likely tell the story of their success and corroborate your value.

Incentives work

One of my peers uses exclusive purple cork events, like tastings with Drew Bledsoe, to drive 30 minute meetings. Take the meeting and get a VIP invite to the tasting. It works like a charm. The best part is that since the meeting is out of the way, the event can be about networking and fun.

Another peer uses an incentive to get attendees to turn on their video, a signal of true engagement. During the introduction, she announces that they will be doing a random drawing for two bottles of wine, or whatever your tasting is, at the end of the event. Everyone that has their video on the entire time is entered to win.

Sweat the small stuff

Make all connections meaningful – pre, during and post event. If you’re doing a virtual wine tasting, pay attention to the packaging and think about how you can delight your guests as soon as they open the box. Include a branded wine opener or a special hand-written note. Send a thank you gift post event to keep the good vibes flowing. (You can do chocolate, another bottle of wine or something small but personalized with a note.)

And, of course, choose your partners wisely. A skilled virtual events partner, like purple cork, will guide you with best practices and take the work out of hosting events. Reach out to them and tell them I sent you!