Since the pandemic, virtual events have increased in popularity. As we know event trends, Zoom was the top contender. However, there are many others, such as Dacast, who also saw an increase in their sales since the previous years.

However, virtual events are still not known to many companies. Prior to the pandemic, they have not even hosted one. To stay relevant through 2021 and the upcoming years, check out these event trends.

What contributed to the increase in virtual events?

It was technology that paved the way. Even before virtual events were a thing, online meetings and conferences were.

With the rise of virtual events and webinar platforms, communication tools also saw increasing popularity. What previously were to take years, now it only took months to boom.

Virtual event and live chat providers were at the right place and at the right time when the pandemic hit. Now that it’s becoming normal again, how can these platforms still be a part of the trend?

Organizers and how they engage attendees

Based on feedback from attendees and users, we have found that the best ways to keep the audience engaged are through Q&A sessions and open communication.

Another strategy is to interact with the audience before and after the event to introduce networking. This helps the companies and participants stay in touch even after the event for partnerships and solutions. This included freestyle chatting, live discussions, sharing materials, and more. Usually, attendees do come for the virtual event itself, but they find it more interesting when they attend the chat room wherein they can connect with other people, which is what people are craving now. The great news is that RumbleTalk group chat can provide that on any kind of virtual event, even with hundreds and thousands of attendees.

Strategies companies can use going forward

Because of event trends, companies have learned and used this as an opportunity to plan for future events. Here are some strategies going forward.

Platform

When companies shifted from in-person events, they saw that some strategies cannot be used. So, they had to adjust their format to suit the virtual event.

With that, they saw the pros of having a virtual event such as saving on travel costs and venue, having an international reach, getting more speakers to join, and communicating through chat platforms.

RumbleTalk is one of the chat platforms that you can use for any virtual event. Since it’s a web-based platform, you can embed it on any website. Here are the steps that you need to take if you want to use it for your event.

1. Sign up on the RumbleTalk website and create an account.
2. Log in to your account to see the admin panel.
3. Click Embed.
4. Choose Embedded or Floating. This will determine how the chat will look on your website.
5. Get your pre-made code and paste it on your website page.

See the chat on your website immediately after saving. It’s easy and it can be embedded like this on almost any site. If you’re using a third-party platform, you can see the list here for the available chat plugins.

Interaction

Holding a presentation virtually is much more challenging than a face-to-face one. In virtual events, there are instances that the audience is too large for the speaker to accommodate. In turn, this leads to losing the audience’s attention.

However, speakers have found the solution for this. It’s either you let the attendees talk amongst themselves before, during, and after the event. Or, you can appoint moderators to help in addressing the attendees’ questions. Because of these strategies, there are more chances for the speaker to interact with the participants than in in-person events.

Advancement

After the boom of virtual events this past year, many companies and individuals are still experimenting with the ins and outs of virtual event and chat platforms. There’s still room to learn, especially if you include participants’ feedback.

Before going directly to large-scale events, it’s better to start with a small one to see how you will fare. Experiment on the strategies that you will use, live chat rooms and discussions, and what’s the best engagement medium that will make your participants stay.

Event trends: virtual or hybrid?

Which will you go for? Will you be following the event trends? It may be part of our lives now, but will virtual events be the future?

Since virtual events are now common, we can see them becoming common on the Internet. Especially when social media is the king, virtual events are much more accessible than in-person events.

Others believe that it will be a mix of virtual and in-person events. This is what we call “hybrid” events. Since humans crave face-to-face interaction, hybrid events may be the solution for this.

If you want to push the limits of your event, it’s better to go virtual. However, if you want physical interaction, which has been missed since the pandemic, it may be better to go virtual. Nevertheless, both solutions still need a communication tool when the scenario arises. Contact us if you want a demo and plan for your next event.

Virtual job fairs use software like live streaming and conferencing platforms. Job seekers who are comfortable with face-to-face meetings will have no problem with this.

However, there are a number of job seekers who are not confident in virtual meetings and may opt out. Therefore, they will seek out virtual job fairs that only make use of group chat platforms.

Because of the group chat’s nature, they feel comfortable and will be able to show more of their strengths. For instance, in a group chat, an interview can go as follows: introduction, sending of one’s resume, answering some of the HR’s questions, and then just waiting for the company’s contact.

If you’re an entrepreneur, how can you utilize a group chat platform if you intend to host a virtual job fair?

First, what is a virtual job fair?

Online job fairs, or virtual job fairs, are scheduled events dedicated to jobseekers that take place in a virtual setting. Commonly used platforms are live streaming platforms, webcasts, group chat platforms, and email. These are used to exchange information before, during, and after the virtual event. As such, interviewers also use this kind of platform.

When logging into the virtual job fair, job candidates are allowed to enter various rooms, which accommodates diverse employers participating in the fair. As soon as the job candidate enters the room, a company representative can start the conversation.

In some instances, there may be others who entered the room first and are having a conversation with the representative. Group chat platforms like RumbleTalk allow simultaneous private chats, so companies don’t have to kick out other candidates. In the chat room, candidates may ask about the company, the job position, and more.

Set it up in 3 easy steps

Setting up a job fair is relevantly easy. The things that you need are as follows: a dedicated website/page, a live streaming platform or conferencing platform, and a group chat platform.

To make your virtual fair successful, these need to work hand-in-hand. In this blog, our focus will be solely on using a group chat platform.

Let’s say that you already have a website and live streaming platform. All you need is to follow these steps to set up the group chat.

1. Sign up at RumbleTalk.
2. Create a chat room for each exhibitor. This depends on how many companies and employers will be present. You can change the name of each chat room to the company name or brand name.
3. Now, go to the admin panel. Click Embed. When it generates the code, copy and paste this on your website.

Now, you’re all set with the chat rooms. That’s only the first step. Here are some other tips that might be helpful.

The start of a conversation

The host of a chat room will be the employer. Job candidates and company representatives (which will be someone from HR) conduct their interviews here. There is no limit on how many chat rooms a job candidate can enter. Once a job candidate enters the chat room, a company representative must be ready to initiate a conversation.

If you need more privacy, candidates have the option to show which username they would like. Another feature that you can use is the Private Chat. This allows multiple one-on-one conversations to happen in the chat, disregarding the group chat altogether.

Chatting privately with a company representative

As an acting admin of the chat room, a company representative can invite a candidate to a Private Chat. Once it has been initiated, all conversations can continue there. Representatives can call candidates for an interview or if they want to know more about the candidate’s past job experience. Another advantage of the Private Chat is that candidates can send in their resumes without worrying that other candidates will see them.

The Expert’s Chat is commonly used on virtual fairs. The expert’s chat was made for professionals who want to connect with their customers privately. Only the admins will be able to see all logged-in users. Because of this, only admins can initiate a conversation with another member. For this instance, the company representative will have to message the candidate.

If you want to know more about the Expert’s Chat, you can visit this page.

Follow-up after your virtual job fairs

As the job fair ends, representatives can then identify their top candidates and contact those who are suitable for the position. Representatives may give out their contact details. However, the company usually reaches out to the candidate through their given contact details, e.g., phone number or email, which can be found on their submitted resumes.

Questions? Inquiries? We’re here to help!

Since virtual job fairs are large, you might find yourself needing more chat rooms. When that happens, you can always upgrade. Go to your admin panel and select Upgrade your plan or Get more to add admins, rooms, keywords, etc.

Want an exclusive discount for your upcoming virtual fair? Contact us at support@rumbletalk.com.

So, you’ve decided to go towards a virtual event for your show. Virtual events use various software and platforms that have several features, but not all include a group chat tool. These platforms usually have a video chat option and exhibition stands/showrooms where participants can enter. Then, there are videos and how-to’s about the topic. It’s a one-way connection.

Now, you’re thinking, “How can I interact with all of these participants if there’s no group chat?” Here are some examples of how a group chat is a must-have for virtual events.

Engagement between attendees and exhibitors

In-person events allow face-to-face interactions. In a matter of minutes, questions and inquiries are answered. This can still be achieved with virtual events. Even though people are not meeting personally, when there’s a group chat, participants can also enter the community and ask questions.

Not only does it create instant connections, but a live group chat can also put them at ease. This is as if they’re talking to real people. If executed properly, group chats are a great way to capture your audiences’ attention and get their questions answered quickly.

Drive traffic to your virtual event

An event chat will drive attendee engagement and interaction, making them more likely to stay in exhibitors’ showrooms. When participants see the number of showrooms, they might get overwhelmed. However, if they see a group chat, they are more likely to interact with exhibitors and other participants who share the same interests. The more people in the group chat, the more attractive it is for newer participants.

In the exhibitor’s point of view, when they see people flocking in the group chat, it means that there are visitors interested in them. The more traffic there is on your virtual event, the more that everyone will gain, e.g., content, page views, networking, etc.

Gather leads and open up networking opportunities

When you throw a group chat in the mix, networking in virtual events is so much more alive. A group chat can connect the following: exhibitors, attendees, and attendees to attendees. Most of all, participants are allowed to watch and enter which showroom they want. Therefore, there are greater odds that those attendees who enter the group chat will have the same interests. Starting conversations in a group chat leads to valuable business opportunities.

In open communities, public discussions, and podcasts, they commonly use a group chat. RumbleTalk is customizable and flexible. So, it’s up to you what kind of chat you would use for your virtual event.

You can export the user’s list so you can get the participants’ contact information. If they filled this out at the start, it will be easier for the exhibitors to contact them. Usually, emails will be available. If the participants logged in via social media, they can also reach out to them on those channels.

How can you set up a group chat for virtual events?

To set up your group chat, it’s easy when you have RumbleTalk.

1. Register an account on the RumbleTalk website. If you already have one, then just log in on your admin panel.
2. On the admin panel, go to Settings > General & Logins.
3. Hover over to Chat Type and select Group chat.

The group chat allows interaction with anyone logged in. This is a public chat that allows participants and exhibitors to talk. Since the login options do not default to all options, you have to set it up so that anyone can join in.

1. Go to Settings > General & Logins.
2. Click Login Options.
3. Select all the available login options so anyone can enter the chat room.

NOTE: For the User authentication required option, a developer will need to set this up. Membership websites wherein there is a userbase use it for integrating their members. You need Login SDK for this. To know more about it, you can go here.

Advanced moderation for virtual events

If you want advanced moderation for your virtual events, then try the moderated chat. The moderated chat lets you pre-approve messages before they are sent in the chat room.

Admins act as moderators and they choose which messages are appropriate for the discussion.

Usually, for conferences, job fairs, and closed discussions, they use the moderated chat.

The more interactive tools that you have on your virtual event, the more impactful it will be. By incorporating a group chat, the audience will leave your event feeling satisfied.

There are other features available on RumbleTalk if you use it as your group chat platform such as InTEXT keywords, full CSS capabilities, media sharing, etc. You can find all these and more when you visit the Features page.

Make your virtual events more interactive with RumbleTalk.