Zoom: hosting digital events

Vehr Communications | Zoom: Hosting Digital Events 1

introduction

In the past year, marketers and communicators have been

faced with the daunting task of either canceling or adapting
their events for a virtual world. While Zoom meetings
have largely replaced the classroom and boardroom, Zoom
webinars have, in many ways, replaced the stage. But with
so many different Zoom capabilities, do you know which are
right for your event? Beyond that, do you know how
to successfully plan, present and promote your event using
digital tools?

Table of Contents

1 Zoom Meetings vs. Webinars.........................................................3

2 Event Planning and Presentation..................................................6
3 Marketing Your Event........................................................................8
4 Securing Your Virtual Event............................................................ 12

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Zoom meetings vs. webinars 1
Zoom Meetings Zoom Webinars

Zoom meetings are good solutions when Zoom webinars are offered separately from the
participant engagement is required, including Zoom meetings platform. A package upgrade
networking events, board meetings and corporate starting at $40 per month, Zoom webinars must
“outings.” Depending on the package, participants be used for events with 1,000 or more participants
can range from 1 to 1,000. (up to 10,000 or, if live streaming to Facebook or
YouTube, up to 50,000) or for events that require
Rather than listen to a lecture from a host, the
the host and co-host to control the content,
meeting format encourages participants to
including classes, multi-office staff meetings or
collaborate with one another through open
training sessions. Only hosts and co-hosts can
discussions, screen sharing, chats, breakout
share their screens and assign panelists, yet they
rooms and nonverbal communication in the form
may still engage participants through chats, polls
of reactions. While hosts have unique permissions
and limited reactions.
that allow them to direct the conversation, they
are on equal footing with their participants in
comparison to Zoom webinars.
Co-hosts vs. Panelists

Hosts and co-hosts can act as panelists, but

a panelist cannot access the same controls
as a host or co-host unless they are made
a co-host of the session. Co-hosts can
support the host and encourage a smooth
event by starting polling, monitoring the chat
and viewing and responding to the Q&A.

Users also may incorporate plug-ins (such as

integration with PayPal and Eventbrite to charge
admission) as well as access detailed reporting
and analytics in the same friendly Zoom interface.
Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms allow for intimate, small-

group discussions during a Zoom meeting.
Participants can be assigned to breakout rooms
before and during a meeting to brainstorm or
dive deeper into discussion topics.

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Comparing Features

Capability Meetings Webinars

Capacity Up to 1,000 participants Up to 10,000 participants with

depending on plan the ability to live stream or
broadcast to even more

Registration Yes Yes

Breakout Rooms Yes No

Q&A Format No Yes

Chat Yes Yes

Polling Yes Yes

Screen Sharing All Participants Hosts and Admins

Recording Yes Yes

Nonverbal Feedback Raise/Lower hand Raise/Lower hand

Yes
No
Go Slower
Go Faster
Agree
Disagree
Clap
Need a Break
Away
Applause
Thumbs Up

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Which Format is Right for You?
Scenario
Your industry association meetings cannot be
held in person due to social distancing and you
need to find an alternative option to gather up
to 100 people. Committee leaders will present
updates and participants will ask questions and
provide feedback. Informal engagement and
collaboration are essential.
You’re planning a town hall event for nearly 900
employees. While there will be a Q&A portion,
the event will mainly consist of a presentation
from the CEO and other panelists. You also
would like to gain real-time feedback from your
employees throughout the event.
Vehr Communications | Zoom: Hosting Digital Events
Ideal Format
A Zoom meeting is the right solution for this
scenario. Screen sharing, breakout rooms,
expanded nonverbal reaction options and group
chat capabilities encourage interaction among
participants. Meeting hosts still have control over
user permissions and breakout rooms, so they
can manage participants if necessary.
As the event will focus on the presentation
from senior leadership rather than interactions
between participants, a Zoom webinar is the
best solution for your needs. Its web portal
allows you to work through the planning and
production aspects of your event, from creating a
registration page to assigning panelists. Options
like polling and the chat function allow for real-
time participant engagement.
5
event planning and presentation 2
1. Planning Your Virtual Event

It’s important to plan your event as if it were in person, following tried-and-true best practices such as:
• Create an event strategy and set goals.
• Assemble an event team with defined roles, responsibilities and deadlines.
• Select an event format that considers presentation needs, audience size and participant engagement.
• Invite hosts, speakers and/or moderators.
• Set a tight agenda.
Once you have the basics, consider how the event will flow seamlessly in an online environment. For
example, ensure you purchase the correct Zoom platform based on your requirements. And, if using
breakout rooms through Zoom meetings, establish how large your groups should be (accurate event
registrations are a must!), and decide whether you want participants to rotate from group to group or stay
with the same cohort throughout the event.
Security continues to be an issue for online meeting platforms. Zoom provides hosts with security settings
that keep unwanted guests from crashing events. For more on this topic, see Page 12. Lastly, develop a
marketing plan. For tips, see Page 8.

2. Understand Technology Requirements

Technology requirements go beyond having

the right Zoom platform and plug-ins; you must
consider internet connectivity and speed as well
as camera and microphone quality. For most
presenters, hardwired internet connections
provide a higher-quality experience, especially if
toggling between videos. While many computers
have built-in microphones, an external microphone
can help reduce background noise and provide
clean audio. Similarly, external cameras often
provide crisper and clearer video.
Even with the best technology, things can go
wrong. Develop a back-up plan for technology
glitches — including how to quickly contact all
event participants via text or email.

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3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Virtual events often require more practice than those held in person. Presenters’ comfort with technology
will vary, so it is important to build confidence and camaraderie in advance.
• Encourage all presenters to attend the free training sessions held by Zoom so they better understand
how to use the platform and take advantage of its features.
• Offer tip sheets that outline expectations and best practices and provide a run-of-show.
• Encourage presenters to practice on their own, and host at least one practice session with all
presenters to test technology, screen sharing, transitions and features such breakout rooms.

4. Be Professional

Although many of us are working from home

these days, your event shouldn’t feel homegrown.
You’re still representing a business or organization,
and your event must reflect your brand (even if
you are secretly wearing pajama pants).
• Ensure your space is both professional and
appropriate for the meeting. Business meetings
should take place in a home office. Virtual
cocktail parties may be more appropriate on
the porch.
• If hosting from home, note what is visible on
the screen — including clutter, wall décor, pets
and family members or roommates — and if
necessary, relocate any distractions.
• Dress as if the event is taking place in person.
• Avoid positioning yourself in front of a window or in a dark corner.
• When presenting, make eye contact by looking into your computer camera instead of at event
participants. You may need to elevate your screen to get the best angle.
• Be aware of background noise, especially radios, phones, your kids’ video games and the neighbors’
leaf blowers. Mute yourself when not presenting.

Looking for more tips? Check out the Zoom Online Event Best Practices Guide.

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marketing your event 3
1. Promoting and Monetizing Your Event via Eventbrite

Whether hosting a webinar or a meeting, you can

easily create an Eventbrite page to help promote,
manage and monetize your event. First, create a
new event on Eventbrite and set the location to
“online.” Then, go to “online event page” and press
“connect Zoom.” Once you’ve selected a Zoom
user, you’ll have the option to create a new Zoom
meeting or webinar, or link to an existing Zoom
meeting or webinar.

What This Does

By syncing your Zoom event with Eventbrite,

anyone who registers will automatically be
registered on the Zoom app, and any change you
make to the event, either in Zoom or on Eventbrite,
will carry over. Creating an Eventbrite page also
allows you to easily monetize your event by
charging participants a “ticket” or registration fee.
Lastly, the Eventbrite page can serve as a central
event resource and can be shared across social
channels for marketing purposes. A landing page
can say a lot more about your event than one
Zoom invite ever could.

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2. Email Marketing Your Virtual Event

Email marketing is an ideal tactic for promoting virtual

events, and Zoom offers helpful integrations, including
Mailchimp.
Benefits of Zoom and Mailchimp integration include:
• Zoom registrants can be automatically added as
Mailchimp subscribers.
• Marketers can send scheduled reminder emails to
registrants with pertinent event information.
• Marketers can remarket future events to past
participants via Mailchimp campaigns.
As you consider your marketing plan, keep in mind that
your audience may need timely prompts:
Two weeks out: Register now for our
upcoming town hall.
One week out: One week left to register
for our upcoming town hall.
One day out: Don’t miss your chance!
Last call to register for our upcoming town hall.
Registration: Thanks for registering!
Be sure to add our event to your calendar.
Day of: Today’s our town hall. Here’s a reminder on
how to join the meeting.
One day following event: Thanks for attending!
How was your experience?

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3. Amplifying Your Event on Social Media

Social media is one of the best tools at your Facebook allows you to optimize your
disposal when it comes to promoting and advertisement for specific KPIs based on your
amplifying the reach of your virtual event. objective.

Create a Content Calendar

Similar to an in-person event, plan content starting

one to two months before the registration deadline
through one to two weeks after the event.

Go Beyond Your Corporate Page

Don’t limit your promotional content to your official
corporate page. Leverage event sponsors or
partner organizations by providing social copy to
share on their own channels.
If appropriate, consider using your personal profile
to promote your meeting or webinar. Business
events offer a rare opportunity for peers to
engage with one another at a time when personal
connection comes at a premium.
Advertising and Targeting
Putting money behind your social posts never
hurts, especially when you have a tangible
objective to work toward, like a desired number
of registrants. Even if you don’t often use your
Facebook or Instagram page, you can easily
advertise your event through these channels with
the Facebook Business Manager.
If you are looking to drive traffic to your registration
page, include the URL in advertising copy, optimize
your advertisement for link clicks and consider
adding a “call-to-action button” for ease of use.
Facebook will automatically adjust the placement
of your advertisement to reach users who are most
likely to click through to your registration page.
When setting up the audience for your ad, consider
that a strictly virtual event space may not be a
bad thing. In the past, driving distance may have
been a barrier to entry for people who would have
otherwise attended your event. Today, it’s just a
commute to a computer! If your topic has broad
appeal, consider targeting audiences outside of
your geographic area.

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Facebook Live

To increase the viewership of your meeting or

webinar without growing the size of your Zoom call,
consider streaming your event over Facebook Live
to any group or page or to your personal timeline.
To enable Facebook live streaming for yourself
or other members on your Zoom account, click
through “account management” to the “account
settings” page. From there, select the option
to “allow live streaming the meetings” under “in
meeting (advanced),” where you’ll be able to
toggle streaming abilities through Facebook,
Workplace by Facebook and YouTube.
The process for enabling Facebook live streaming
for members of a specific Zoom group is quite
similar. Click through “user management” to the
“group management” page. From there, select the
option to “allow live streaming the meetings” under
“in meeting (advanced),” where you’ll be able to
toggle streaming abilities through Facebook,
Workplace by Facebook and YouTube.
Once you’ve started your meeting or webinar, you
can stream to Facebook through Zoom by clicking
on the “more options” tab on your meeting/
webinar controls.
Click here for more tips on streaming your event
through Facebook Live.

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securing your virtual event 4
You’ve likely heard stories of or — even worse — experienced for yourself, Zoom calls getting brigaded
by intruders who are up to no good. Whether these individuals are merely trying to get free access to
an event or looking to stir up trouble, a potential intruder can disrupt even the most well-planned program.
The good news is that safeguarding your event from “Zoombombers” is quite simple.

Add a Passcode Registration Restrictions

Setting up a passcode for your meeting or webinar When creating your meeting or webinar, make sure
is the first line of defense against an intrusion. to check the registration box so that all participants
When creating a meeting or webinar, passcodes must register for your meeting.
are automatically assigned under the “security”
section of the meeting or webinar management
page. Simply leave the box checked that reads
“passcode” in the security section, and either
customize the code or use the random numbers
Next, visit the registration tab and click the toggle
provided by Zoom.
that mandates that “only authenticated users
can join meetings.” This will ensure that anyone
joining your meeting must be signed in with a
Zoom account.
For internal events, you can take this security one
If you’ve already scheduled your meeting or
step further by restricting access to Zoom users
webinar without a passcode, you can easily
whose email includes a specific domain, like a
change this by navigating to the edit page of your
company email.
meeting or webinar and reenabling a passcode in
the security section.
Be sure to share the passcode with your audience
beforehand, but use a secure channel. After all,
it’s not much of a passcode if it becomes public
information.

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Waiting Rooms and Attendees on Hold

In Zoom meetings, hosts can create a waiting room

for participants. This virtual room allows hosts to
add participants to the meeting at their discretion
and send them back to the waiting room should
any concerns arise. Waiting room options are
accessed via the security section in account
settings and can be customized to include a
personal message and logo.
For Zoom webinars, hosts may put participants
and even panelists on hold by expanding the
options on their name under the participants
tab. Putting a participant on hold will temporarily
remove them from the webinar and change their
screen to a generic message that reads “please
wait, the meeting host will let you in soon.” Unlike
waiting rooms, this screen cannot be customized.

Gearing up for your next big event?

Whether it’s entirely online or in-person, we can help. Contact Stacy Delk, Vice President of Client
Services and Counselor, at sdelk@vehrcommunications.com and we’ll get started.

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about Vehr Communications

Vehr started in 2007 with a big idea and a desk for

one in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Today, we’re an award-winning agency with a
multi-disciplinary team of thinkers, creators and
advisors who collaborates with consumer and
b2b brands of all sizes on strategy, planning and
positioning; internal and external communications;
media relations; content development; design;
social media engagement; community relations;
special events and sponsorships; issues
management and crisis communications and more.
We value authenticity, transparency and honesty
in everything we do. We invest in relationships
over transactions. We commit to listening, learning
and growing along with our clients. We care about
our community, our neighbors and our quality of
life. We like to play and love to win, especially for
our clients. We work hard. Oh, and we like to have
fun, too.
Vehr also is a leading member of IPREX, a global
network of 70 agencies with more than 1,600
professional staff members spanning 121 cities in
26 countries around the world. Collectively, our
team serves some of the world’s leading brands.
We access IPREX partner agencies for specialized
services, in-market knowledge and industry expertise.
IPREX helps us to implement programs virtually
anywhere in the world.
Visit our website or connect with us on social media:

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