Speaking at a virtual conference or hybrid event gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge with an interested audience, answer questions, and create conversations around topics important to you. 

A virtual or hybrid event presents the same opportunities for speakers, with expanded benefits and reach. It can be a rewarding and beneficial experience for speakers, organizers, and attendees.

Many event speakers have already made the move to virtual and hybrid events. If you’re still unsure about this growing event format, check out the top five benefits of speaking at virtual and hybrid events:

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1. Grow Your Personal Brand by Speaking at a Virtual Conference or Hybrid Event

One of the main benefits of speaking at an event or conference (besides the possible compensation) is growing your personal brand and establishing yourself as a thought leader in your field. Virtual and hybrid events both provide great branding opportunities as well. You can still deliver captivating content and partner with respected brands and organizations.

Virtual and hybrid events may even offer more growth.  While viewers are watching your session from their phone or computer, it is easy for them to visit your website or social media. These links can be provided on your speaker page and the session page to make it easy for viewers to find additional resources, follow you, or sign up for your email list. 

Often people forget to look up speakers after live events, but virtual and hybrid events make it easy for them to find you and your content online.

2. No Travel Needed

Speaking at a conference or event may only require the time it takes to deliver your session or keynote. Or, with minimal additional time requirements. Especially if it’s a topic you speak on frequently as preparation may not require too much of your time. However, once you factor in travel, a conference or event speech can become a huge time commitment.

You can perform a virtual event speech right from the comfort of your own home or office. No travel time or costs! This can also help you fit more speaking engagements into your busy schedule – further expanding your reach.

3. Multiple Content Delivery Models to Choose From

In-person speaking engagements can vary in size, intent, setting, and audience but they mostly have one thing in common; the speaking is presenting or speaking to a group of people live and in person.

Hybrid and virtual events offer some different options including live, simulive, and on demand content delivery models.

Live Sessions

The live virtual broadcast experience is similar to an in-person speaking engagement, except with some additional engagement opportunities through the chat, reactions, and offering downloadable/follow-on content. In person, you can gauge audience interest through their body language and nonverbal cues. In a virtual event, you can see comments, questions, and feedback in real time to gauge what the audience is interested in and responding to.

Simulive Sessions

A simulive format streams a pre-recorded session to a live audience. The audience can all engage in real time and the speaker has the option to participate through chat or a live Q&A at the end. This option is great for speakers who want to pre-record their main content. Speakers have more flexibility in their preparation and recording process with simulive. This can be great for newer speakers who are not as comfortable speaking to a live audience yet. It also allows speakers to focus fully on audience engagement instead of juggling speaking and participating in the chat.

On Demand Sessions

On demand content also gives speakers the opportunity to pre-record content, or to record it live and save it for on demand viewing. On demand content can also be used to provide attendees with access to speaker intros and background information on the topics to be discussed at the event. This on demand pre- or post-event content can be helpful for both virtual and hybrid events.

For more detailed descriptions on the benefits of live, simulive, and on demand content delivery check out our previous blog on the topic.

4. Larger Reach

Virtual and hybrid events can provide much more exposure than solely in-person events.

Very large industry conferences may attract audiences from all across the country, but most in-person events tend to be more regional. Virtual and hybrid events remove geographic barriers. Attendees from all over the world can view your content and learn from you. 

Your sessions can also live on as on demand content that can be viewed after the event has ended. Those with scheduling conflicts or in different time zones can still experience your presentation. People can revisit the content if it had a strong impact and they watched it live and want to review it.

Plus, if you’re speaking at a hybrid event, you may expand your reach even more!

5. More Ways to Engage Attendees

Virtual tools give you even more ways to engage with attendees:

  • Polling allows hosts to engage with audiences through questions to gauge the audience’s interests, pop quizzes, and more. 81.8% of virtual event organizers use event polling to improve interaction. It can also be a helpful way to keep attendees’ attention and draw them back in if they’ve lost focus.
  • Q&As can be easier to run with virtual tools as well. Instead of randomly selecting audience members with raised hands, questions can be submitted electronically and speakers can view them all to pick which ones were asked most frequently or would lead to the most interesting answers and discussions.
  • The chat allows speakers to engage with attendees and answer questions in real time. It also encourages conversation between attendees which can help keep viewers interested. The conversation can even continue virtually after the event with a roundtable. 
  • Roundtables allow groups of attendees to get together to network or have a discussion, and speakers can join or host their own roundtables as well. This allows for an organized way for speakers to stick around and talk to interested attendees without the chaos of people coming up to them in person after a speech.

Speaker Tools to Help You Get The Most Out of Speaking at a Virtual Conference or Event

The right virtual event platform can enhance not only the attendees’ event experience, but the speaker’s as well. Social27 Event Platform gives speakers the tools they need to deliver clear and engaging content including polling, roundtables, chat functionality, and more!

Set up a demo today to learn more about what Social27 has to offer speakers and event organizers.