Thanks to COVID-19, your campaign events might not go quite as planned. Instead, learn how to plan successful virtual campaign events.
A virtual event still brings everyone together, but safely. Plus, you won’t have near as much to clean up when it’s over.
Whether you’re supporting your favorite candidates or running yourself, there are several things to keep in mind to ensure your virtual campaign event is successful.
Choose A Virtual Event Platform
Before you do anything else, decide where you’ll host your virtual campaign event. This is the online platform where everyone gathers. The one you choose depends a lot on how many attendees you’ll have, what features you need and how long the event is. Tech Funnel provides a variety of options from smaller events to large conference-style virtual campaign events. Of course, another factor is your budget, though you can charge a small fee to participants to help offset this cost.
Choose Your Time
Virtual campaign events are only successful if people are able to attend. So, an event at 11 AM on a Monday probably wouldn’t work as many people are at work. Even those working from home are likely too busy to attend.
Evenings and weekends work best. Plus, if your campaign event is corresponding with any candidate’s speeches or debates, these are typically in the evenings to attract more viewers.
Prepare Your Marketing
Now, it’s time to start marketing. Successful virtual campaign events need a great marketing plan to work. If you already know the contact details of everyone you’d like to invite, send out professional email invitations. These should be branded to reflect the event and candidate or party.
If you’re preparing a more general virtual event, consider marketing on social media and creating a landing page for people to find out more details. A landing page isn’t necessary if it’s a small one-time event. However, if you’re planning multiple events, a landing page or small website is a good idea. You can post teaser videos and blog posts to get people excited.
Try To Find A Guest
Virtual campaign events don’t have to be boring. It’s not just about a bunch of people sitting alone at home watching a TV or computer screen. Make it feel more like a real event by asking guests to speak. These can be candidates, party representatives, local experts or any one else people would be excited to hear from. If you can get a local celebrity to speak, that works well too. However, you should reach out to potential guests as early as possible.
Plan An Agenda
Some virtual campaign events are simply groups of people gathering to watch and discuss things as they happen on TV. Others are more in-depth and done in a conference type style. Either way, plan an agenda. Have speeches ready, hold Q&A sessions, discuss major issues, have videos ready to show and even play campaign games. A fun game might be a fact-finding scavenger hunt or have people listen for specific words and phrases in a bingo-style game.
Set The Scene
Depending on the platform you use, you may be able to setup customized backgrounds. Of course, you still have to worry about kids, pets and others jumping into the frame while you’re talking. Ensure you have a quiet area to host your virtual campaign events. If you don’t have a virtual background, clean an area and decorate it to reflect the event.
You can use your candidate or party’s picture and colors. Create posters with campaign sayings and platforms. Add a tablecloth to your desk or table to create a more format setting. If you’ll have an in-person guest, ensure they have their own space already set up.
At Nickie Jones Events, we can help make your space look perfect for your virtual campaign events. Let us create a professional atmosphere with balloons, furniture, flowers and linens to make your home or other space look like a conference room hosting a live event. Contact us today for details.