This past year took us for a wild ride in the event space and, of course, the world! That being said, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities to collaborate with smart, creative folks in executing virtual events and energizing audiences throughout the year. Many of my clients were producing virtual events for the very first time, with no other choice than to take their in-person events to an online setting during the pandemic.
From that very first call with a prospective client through to delivering virtual events today, I am delighted to be a pioneer in this evolution in the online event space. Providing solutions that enable clients to communicate their messages in engaging, powerful ways has been exciting, and at times, overwhelming (smiles, tears). I learned early in conversations that many planners weren’t entirely sure how to approach their virtual event planning. They looked to me to share what has worked well in other events I’ve hosted and emceed.
Having hosted and emceed over 100 virtual events, I’ve learned some important lessons and at the same time confirmed what I already knew to be essential components in crafting events that move audiences to connect and act, whether your industry is tech, healthcare, finance, defense, manufacturing or other.
Energy, Soul and Connection:
There's a longing inside each of us to connect and feel moved and inspired. From the very first virtual event that I hosted from my webcasting studio in 2020, it was obvious that people longed to connect in this virtual world. Several years ago, I hosted a series of sales training live broadcast virtual events from a studio. Same thing there - people wanted to connect. I feel it every time I log on to host a virtual event from my home webcasting studio today. I am here to connect everyone to the soul of the event.
It’s all about the energy, soul and connection as the MC and event host! What are you bringing to this online experience that energizes and inspires people? The audience wants to feel something. This is why a beautifully played song by a talented artist, an emotional film, a thought-provoking play, or a stirring dance all connect us to our humanity.
What does it mean to connect audiences to the soul of an event? For starters, my essence as a warm, compassionate human being breaks down barriers immediately. Focusing diligently on every word of the speakers, every chat comment and question, taking notes, recapping and connecting messages, themes and key points in my responses, reactions, and comments lets audiences and speakers know they've been heard and that they're participating in a collaborative experience.
You have one chance to connect with your audience. Acknowledging the reality that we are physically distant but still connected in this experience together, encouraging everyone to interact in every way possible, and then building excitement is key. It is my responsibility to bring soul and energy to the people no matter the event environment or delivery type - live streaming virtual, in-person, hybrid, or even pre-recorded segments. Engaged, energized audiences are moved. Your audience deserves to be moved.
Be in the Moment:
As the host, I am a connector of the message and themes to the people, and the people to the event and speakers. By monitoring chat and calling out their comments and questions, even if it's folks commenting on the weather, that draws people in. They may have distractions at home or wherever they're watching from, so the more you can snap them back into, oh, this is a live streaming event and things are happening in real time, the better. People want to be heard and they want to feel appreciated.
So how can we reach an online audience? You know, I believe acknowledging the reality that we're physically distant, but still connected in the experience together can be important. Just a brief sentence, but it allows the awareness of reality and draws people in. After all, our lives have been changed massively. This will become less so as the pandemic eases, but acknowledging that some people, say in a hybrid event, are watching remotely and some are right there is important to draw them in to the experience.
Beyond showing empathy, what I do is focus on the heart of what the speakers are saying and the theme of each event to bring cohesion, energy and engagement to the audience, monitoring chat, calling out people's names with their comments and questions, helping to make their online experience so much more personal and human.
That personal, human connection is what people really want. So, by bringing people in, looking directly at the camera and into the hearts of people who are watching and participating goes a long way to enhance that human connection.
Listen and React:
It's so important to listen and react, focusing on the main points and the heart of what the speakers are saying. As an emcee, I focus on the big picture ideas, the theme of the speakers and event, the intention and key messages of speakers, and when you are listening and reacting in a Q&A format, this is essential. When you're responding to a speaker who's answering a question, it doesn't have to be long, but your comments should be about something that connects the audience back to what the speaker has just said.
And at the end of the each day, the final session or entire event, summarizing at least a few highlights is a very good idea. In fact, if there is enough time, say five to ten minutes for the MC’s final comments, you can really develop an extensive summary based on your notes throughout the sessions.
“Love the delivery, tone, and smile! Thanks for sharing participants’ sentiments/thoughts so well and incorporating them into the overall program. You are such a smooth and engaging individual. It’s great to have you on the team. We’re looking forward to the next two sessions with you.” - James Lenz | Professional Development Manager | Credit Union Executives Society
There is a lot of quick thinking going on in your brain and multitasking is important when you're managing a virtual event as an MC. There's so much that you are responsible for. Not only do you have the program feed up on your screen, you're usually also getting direction from the production team, asking questions to the speakers and the panel, monitoring chat and comments from the attendees.
As far as content questions, they’re usuallly directed towards the speaker or panel, and the MC is the facilitator between the attendee and the speaker. Typically, speakers are so busy with their content and do not have the bandwidth, quite honestly, to monitor the chat. So that's where the MC comes in as the bridge between the people and the speaker.
The emcee is ready to go at any moment. Is the live or pre-recorded speaker still talking? Is there unexplained or awkward silence? An event host is always on, even when they’re not on camera, on stage or speaking! What if someone drops off, freezes, or loses their connection in the middle of a virtual event? The emcee steps in to fill the space, lighten the mood, let folks know what’s happening and what we’ll do next.
Example - A speaker dropped off during a virtual summit - no audio, then no video. So, I stepped in to smooth things over, let folks know that we’re trying to get the speaker back, but if not, we’ll record his presentation and share it with everyone after the event. And, that’s exactly what we decided, as the client quickly let me know by messaging while I was on-camera chatting with attendees that the speaker was unable to re-connect. We moved up the prize drawing to right then, I congratulated the winner and I announced that we would end this segment a little early, allowing attendees a chance to network, visit sponsors, and take a break.
Here’s a screenshot of my text communications with the client behind the scenes:
Focus, Facial Expressions:
To show engagement, facial expressions and eye contact is extremely important. Slight nodding is a good idea. However, I had a production person caution all speakers on an event not to go overboard with the head nodding. If you're an enthusiastic person with lots of facial expressions, as I am, it's a conscious effort to minimize head movement, as that can be very distracting on camera when you need to stay within a certain window.
An excellent emcee is super focused, listening, reacting, thinking about what you are going to say next, but not worrying about it. So that's where being in the moment with flexibility, flow, ease and grace is key. I would venture to say that experience in meditation, flow, even dance helps in my ability to do that, to get to the place where I'm in flow deep within, allowing me to be completely in the moment.
Should an emcee change his or her look, demeanor, and reactions based on the topic? Absolutely. For example, I hosted a MG Illuminate event about a neuromuscular condition in which people shared their stories about dealing with MG, myasthenia gravis. There was a doctor/patient discussion that was very sincere and there were moments of lightness from both the doctor and the woman sharing. However, overall, there was a serious note about the struggle that this woman had been through and the compassion and empathy showed on my face.
I was visibly moved and had tears in my eyes, which can encourage the audience to let out their emotions, just like when you're watching a TV show or a movie where something is emotional and you feel free to react fully and deeply.
Setting the tone:
When hosting an award ceremony, the tone is very upbeat and celebratory and that goes for a virtual or in person event. It's very exciting. People are getting recognition for jobs well done. And it's my role to bring everything together with energy and excitement. Whether you or someone else within the organization is giving the actual award, the MC brings energy and excitement!
The emcee will listen carefully to the tone of a speaker and play off of that. If they're a person who jokes around a lot, you want to riff off of what they just said by giving a little jab or making a joke, referencing what they said as something funny or laughing. That goes a long way.
Some people get very nervous on camera. As the host, you can really help to make the speakers comfortable. You are usually meeting them ahead of time, whether it's in a rehearsal or sometime before you go live. You want to get to know them, which can really help soften and open up thier comfort and conversation.
One speaker shared with me after going live that his six month old lab had been on the floor the entire time in the room and was exceptionally quiet. So when we came back on screen, I actually referenced the pup and shared with the audience that the dog had been so quiet, and that's an example of an endearing tidbit that can draw people in.
Another example is a speaker who had a dog barking a few times when he was tallking, not crazily distracting, but you could hear it. When I came back on camera, I asked what the dog's name was. And then, attendees started referencing the dog's name in the comments and even asking for a repeat performance. We created a moment of engagement about something that's universally relatable.
Timekeeper
Time is definitely a factor during events. One of your roles as an emcee and event host is as a timekeeper. So you watch that time and gracefully come in when it's appropriate. Of course, there are instances when sessions run long, and perhaps the speakers have really gotten onto a certain topic or tangent and gone over by a few minutes and you have to tactfully decide when it makes sense to come in without being rude and just completely knocking them off their thoughts.
At that point, you need to adapt, and communicate with the client behind the scenes and decide: do we still come back at four o’clock or whenever the next time is that we're scheduled to start again? Or do we push that back a bit? Maybe there's some wiggle room in the agenda that allows you to add an extra three minutes and make up the time later. It's always a good idea to stay on target with your time, as there are expectations set with agendas and people may have organized their days around that.
CHECKLIST FOR SELECTING YOUR VIRTUAL EMCEE:
1. Experience
An emcee who has experience hosting virtual events prior to the recent 2020 virtual event pivot is key and adds that extra layer of confidence that you are selecting a proven professional who can handle the unique variables that come with online events.
For example, I had the opportunity to host a series of live sales training and executive broadcasts from 2014 through 2016 for Whirlpool Corporation. The sales training live webcasts were offered as an interactive online tool to train trade partners and salespeople on the latest features of the Whirlpool Corporation family of products, including KitchenAid, Maytag and Whirlpool brands. Monthly live broadcasts were produced at Whirlpool Corporation’s world headquarters and content included much of the same virtual event experiences that are being offered to today’s audiences. As the virtual host, I welcomed viewers, introduced and interviewed guest experts and executives, encouraged engagement with us through Q&A, polls and surveys, and participated in demonstrations and competitions with products.
Virtual event projects I’ve had the pleasure of hosting and emceeing from my professional in-home studio include: 3 x Myasthenia gravis onlilne community events; Infosys 2-day annual sales meeting; Samsung Virtual Experience 2-day customer and partner event including live Q&A with executives; Salesforce Service Change Makers customer event; Knowledge Aware Conference; 5x Revenue Summit; StreamTV Show; Pharma Marketing Awards; American College of Prosthodontists Annual Conference and 50th Anniversary; American Academy of Implant Dentistry conference; Credit Union Executives Director & Dialogue Series; BMC Exchange; BMC in Conversation Americas, Zinnov Confluence, BMC FY22 Kickoff, My MG Sole Workshop, American Heart Association Hard Hats with Heart.
Hybrid events reaching both virtual and live in-person audiences are poised to become the future. Honeywell Live was one such hybrid event I had the privilege of hosting in 2018. While most live events are videotaped for sizzle reels or internal usage, hybrid events actually broadcast the live action on stage to remote audiences. It’s important for your emcee to be aware of the placement of all cameras and have the ability to use an in-ear IFB for directions from the event producer.
A virtual event emcee who also has on-camera hosting experience is an additional layer of security in confirming that your chosen event host will knock it out of the park with warmth, approachability, an energetic personality and the ability to improvise no matter what happens during the event.
2. Equipment
A virtual emcee who is fully equipped to broadcast from their professional in-home studio is what you’ll need when studio or auditorium broadcasting is not possible. Equipment that a virtual emcee should provide is a hi-resolution HD or 4K camera, studio color-balanced lights, studio stereo microphone, a TelePrompter which can be run from the emcee’s computer, a second large monitor to track chat and production direction, optional green screen and natural background.
In addition to being equipped for live virtual events, this studio equipment allows for pre-recording video content. I happen to have a professional videographer and editor in-house with full video production capabilities including animation and graphics. I have been working with my husband for years delivering high-quality corporate, consumer and promotional full-service video production to clients.
3. Skills
What I’ve learned preparing for and emceeing events on stage and online is that you have to be authentic, come in with high energy, warmth and enthusiasm, maintain focus throughout the event, truly listen and react to speakers and audiences, and convey key messages in an engaging soulful way that inspires action. Event planners want engaged audiences and dynamic inspiring speakers, so by staying laser focused in the moment, an effective emcee provides warmth and energy, reacts quickly, summarizes messaging impactfully and improvises with humor, ease and grace.
By lightening the mood and encouraging attendees to connect with key messages and take action, an emcee helps people make the most of their time at the event. People get so much more out of events when they feel positive and energized!