Virtual events make it easy for attendees from all over the world to view and engage with your content from the comfort of their own home or office. One of the unique benefits of virtual content for organizers, speakers, and audiences is the flexibility in how content can be delivered.

Virtual sessions can be delivered fully live, on demand, or through a simulive approach. These methods can even be combined to create a robust content strategy with optimal flexibility for speakers and viewers.

Learn about each content delivery method and how you can utilize them in your next virtual event:

1. Live Event Content

It’s always exciting to watch live content!

Live broadcasting is a classic approach to sharing virtual event content. Speakers present live over the virtual event platform to attendees watching in real-time.

The Benefits of Live Content

One of the key benefits of live content is that the speaker can address questions or comments in real time. Each live session is unique as speakers can tailor the content to the interests and inquiries of attendees.

Presenters can also make the session interactive through live polls and soliciting attendee input or feedback throughout the session. Polling is a simple and effective way to keep viewers engaged. 71% of marketers report using polling to make sure that their audience doesn’t lose attention.

Viewers respond well to live content. Live virtual events can result in higher turnout and engagement. Viewers enjoy feeling involved in the session through live interaction and having their questions answered in real time.

If you are hosting a session where you anticipate there being a strong need for audience engagement, consider hosting the session live. For example, if the purpose of a webinar or sponsored session is to promote a specific product or service, responding to the questions or concerns of potential customers on screen in real time may help you convert more customers or close the sale more efficiently.

2. On Demand Event Content

Making the session available for on demand viewing is an increasingly common option, either as a standalone strategy or in conjunction with live sessions. Currently, 65.9% of event organizers make their virtual events available on-demand after the fact.

The Benefits of On Demand Event Content

On demand content allows attendees to view event content when it’s convenient for them. This helps viewers fit sessions into their busy work days and lives. This approach can also be helpful when you have customers or attendees in multiple time zones.

On demand content also allows attendees to return to content as needed to extract the most possible value. This can serve many purposes. For educational content, viewers may want to review sections with more complex concepts that they need additional opportunities to watch in order to fully retain and understand the information. For product-focused content like B2B webinars, the attendee may want to review product information or show clips of the content to gain buy-in from other decision makers within their organization.

Speakers get more out of their content as more people can view it and people can continually come back to the session. Sponsors also benefit from this extended reach.

A hybrid approach can also be utilized to integrate both on demand and live content into your event. Often, organizers will choose to make live content available after the event for on demand viewing. On demand content can also be provided prior to live sessions to help introduce attendees to the session topics and speakers. Consider this option to reap the benefits of live audience engagement while accommodating those whose schedules do not allow them to attend live.

3. Simulive Event Content

Simulive content allows you to combine the production value of on demand content with the excitement of live virtual event content. This is becoming an increasingly popular approach to delivering virtual event content.

A simulive is a simulated live event. A pre-recorded session is streamed live to attendees. Live interaction can still take place via moderated chats. Even though the content is prerecorded, everyone is able to watch it live and interact. Some presenters also choose to do a live introduction or end the session with a live Q&A.

The Benefits of Simulive Event Content

Speakers can create the content at their convenience, but attendees react in real time as if the session is live. This can take some pressure off of the speakers, and allow them more time to refine their content and delivery. It also allows organizers or sponsors to review the content before it airs if they wish to.

A live session can also be recorded and rebroadcast as a simulive. This allows the speaker to get more out of their content and lets them share the content with new audiences without having to repeat themselves. Delivering the same content repeatedly can start to feel stale to speakers, a feeling which viewers can also pick up on.

During a simulive broadcast, the speaker can be in the comments responding in real time as the session is going. This allows for a high level of interaction to take place without distracting the speaker as they actually deliver the content. Many speakers struggle to monitor the comments or chat box while giving their presentation, so this middle ground approach is ideal for many speakers.

As an added bonus, you can add a live Q&A after the simulive session ends to provide even more value to attendees. Q&As are a popular way to engage attendees at events of all sizes. 81% of marketers use Q&A as an engagement tool during webinars. Meanwhile, 63% of event organizers for large virtual tradeshows opt for a simulive approach to sessions while featuring a live Q&A.

A simulive approach is ideal for sessions that will repeat frequently such as webinars. Webinar content can be recycled easily through ongoing simulive broadcasts. They can also be helpful for content that you would prefer to review and refine prior to going live.

Picking the Right Approach For Your Event

Each of these three approaches has its own advantages and potential drawbacks. When creating your own content plan, consider the target audience, speakers, and the purpose of the content that you are distributing.

Set up a demo today to learn more about what Social27 has to offer event organizers. Social27 can help you integrate a variety of session types and content styles to fit your event strategy and needs.