Want to get inspired by our lessons learned and insights for your next online event on Gather Town or a similar interactive platform? Then sit back, pause the stop-loss notifications for 10 minutes, and read on (unless you are satisfied with the same old boring video call, ?).
In the past, we have already created dozens of online events and spaces, but today we’d like to show you some important factors of one of the latest remote events we’ve done – an online job fair for web3 professionals with HYPE Talent. Hosting an online event for 650+ participants, ranging from job seekers, to recruiters and web3 professionals from different companies like BNB Chain, The Graph and Dfinity can be challenging, but we’ve managed to successfully create a virtual world to connect all these people. Thus, we’d like to share our experience to help you level up your next online event. This online job fair lasted for 2 days and offered the participants not only the networking and job interviews, but also presentations by C-level executives from companies like Polygon, IoTeX and Hype Talent and others. Here are 6 tips on what you should bear in mind when preparing a similar event.
1) Understand your audience and set main goals
The first step to any objective is first understanding the core of it.
In this case, there are multiple web 3 companies hiring and hundreds of people looking for a job all over the world. What unites them? Passion for web3. What divides them? Distance and time zone. But how to connect them effectively? Online job fair it is.
Thus, the main goal of the client, HYPE Talent, was to create an outstanding online venue for web3 enthusiasts that would be next level, especially compared to a traditional Zoom call or similar medium of online communication.
Because everyone who has ever attended more than 10 online calls in their life (not only tech professionals), deserves a sleek, interactive solution that is, at the same time, visually dynamic.
This is why we built the customised 3D online space, hosted on Gather.town, where up to 500 people can meet at one moment and follow their mission online.
2) Make the connections easy & pick relevant supporting tools
The concept was set, yet another goal was to connect recruiters and tech job seekers, effectively and smoothly.
We all know what HR specialists and tech professionals have in common. Both of them are tired of the LinkedIn chase and interview rounds that last for weeks, with a very limited number of real matches in the end.
During the two-day event, all participants could instantly
- find a company they were interested in and talk to the staff online,
- explore the open positions via interactive objects with websites, job listings, the ability to drop their CVs and similar features,
- and most importantly, jump directly into a spontaneous job interview
The main benefits from a user’s perspective? Firstly, there’s no need for previous scheduling & messaging marathons. Additionally, the user can instantly get a feel for if the company and position are a good fit for them.
Gather’s proximity chat worked magic for both chit-chat & interviews in the same place, and interactive objects and the possibility to embed other online tools on Gather (or create a workaround) did the rest.
3) Onboard your speakers & don’t be afraid to ask for help
Even though you have the main activity, features and purpose ready to go, you still need to invest enough energy into preparations.
Besides the interviews and networking, there were plenty of other programs like workshops and presentations with interesting names from the industry. Thus, the timely onboarding of the speakers to the platform & work tools was paramount, ensuring the speakers are comfortable and confident using the relevant tools, so they could ultimately bring the best of themselves to the audience.
That’s why the HYPE Talent team & we, at Space Makers, worked on the preparations and onboarding of key people in advance and ensured there would be moderators taking care of the speakers. Tech support was ready on the spot to address any queries from visitors to optimise and streamline their online experience. This way, the HYPE team was able to focus on the business and not be distracted by trivial technical matters.
Just like in a real life event – you want to mingle and talk with important guests and not get distracted with a wine delivery and a broken bulb in the bathroom.
“This cutting-edge event brought together a diverse group of companies and job seekers from all over the world, creating a truly immersive and interactive experience.”
4) Offer extra content and activities
After people complete their mission, they are curious and simply just want to have fun.
So token-hunts, an NFT gallery, an interactive HYPE survey, a game zone with a custom-designed racetrack followed the interviews and presentations, to help users unwind and foster moments that would connect them with the brand and other users on a personal level, all while having a blast.
So, ultimately, do not forget to consider all the aspects of your program and be creative with the side activities. Content is king but long live the gamification.
5) Inject your brand’s DNA into the design
Same as in the real world, in an online space – status of the companies or venues is presented in the architecture and design.
A sign of good branding design experience is NOT just making the logo big enough. Great design means subconsciously perceiving the colours, shapes and style, and knowing the brand instantly. Costs for custom design don’t need to be astronomical, but the impression left is way more memorable than the generic set-ups with the PNG logo on it (that unfortunately you are seeing daily, and of course you don’t even remember it).
Be bold and find the right design team that will make your online event worth remembering (if it is photogenic, it will be worth sharing on socials organically).
6) Find a skilled partner with a multidisciplinary team with event experience
Having cool designs and fun activities are not the only goals.
The design needs to be clear & understandable, so having a design team that can set up clear-cut navigation, readable typography & logical structure is a must. Unfortunately, it only takes, on average, 3.8 seconds for the confused user to close the tab and never return, so make sure to design proactively and test well before the launch of your event.
But don’t think that if you prepare well, you don’t need to be alert during the session.
Like in real-life events, event managers are always present, observing the guests’ behaviour, and know how to pull off tweaks even during the event. Having a partner that has this event experience, a customer-oriented attitude, and is able to address issues in real-time, makes all the difference.
LET’S MAKE YOUR NEXT ONLINE EVENT GREAT TOGETHER
Did you manage to read up to this point? Well congrats to you two times!
- First of all for your attention span that is way above the average 15 seconds, you are truly special.
- And secondly, it seems you just found a partner for your next online event.
Get in touch with Space Makers or just shoot a message to Vaclav Zamrazil to craft a functional, yet extraordinary online space with us. We promise you will be well taken care of well.
