Virtual events not only make it easier for people from anywhere in the world to meet and enjoy the same experience through the Internet. They are also an effective tool for tracking data about attendees and getting to know about the audience’s profile.
In its simplest definition, virtual events take place on technological platforms that connect a group of people and often include interactive participation functions such as surveys, chats, Q&A sessions, among others.
It is these functions that create a gold mine of data. All the behavior and information provided by the attendees is captured and allows us to evaluate everything from the interests of each participant to the conversion capacity of each of the activities carried out during the event.
Data obtained in a virtual event
The platforms used in the development of a virtual event allow to collect relevant data that, later, are the starting point of certain performance metrics.
The analysis of these metrics accounts for the efficiency and profitability of the online event and, in turn, serves to detect possible improvements and make the adjustments that are necessary for future actions of the company.
Both the metrics and the analysis made of them, are part of the final report on the event that every good organizer must offer to companies and sponsors. It is the best way to evaluate the ROI and the quality of the service and the technological tools used.
As we mentioned, all this is based on the data collected before, during and after the online event. Some of the most essential and important are:
Number of registrations
This is the total number of people who register for the event. It is worth mentioning that a good metric results from comparing the number of registered with the number of attendees. It indicates the true interest that the event aroused in the public from the first moment.
Number of specific records
When the virtual event is made up of special sessions, it is possible to count how many people register for each one, in order to determine the topics of interest or the audience’s favorite speakers.
Demographic information
Data such as sex, age and geographical location of the attendees is useful to structure the profile of the public and even to optimize the orientation of future marketing campaigns.
Email addresses
Collecting the email addresses of the event attendees can become the best way to remind them of the start date of the event, send them post-event surveys and even take them into account in future email marketing strategies.
Either to inform them about the realization of another similar event or the launch of a product or service in which they might be interested.
Email open rate
It refers to the number of people who open the emails that are sent to them. This metric indicates how interested the attendees are in the information provided and how effective the communication strategy is.
Email click rate
When links are included in emails that are sent, it is important to know how many people click on them. Like the open rate, this metric offers information on the interest of the public and the effectiveness of the communication strategy.
Sometimes, to improve the CTR, it is necessary to take into account the demographic data of the public in order to create a closer communication and transmit more specific content aimed at their particular interests.
Levels of participation before the speakers
The amount of comments and questions asked of the speaker while presenting indicates the level of interest the topic or character arouses in the audience. This tells us whether to delve into that specific topic or invite the speaker again in the future.
Comments
The comments that the assistants make in each section of the online event are an expression of their opinion and their level of satisfaction. Therefore, both negative and positive comments should be evaluated to know the strengths and weaknesses of the event according to the experience of the participants.
Participation in social networks
If the dynamics of the online event include the possibility of interacting on social networks through hashtags or groups, the total number of publications generated by the attendees in relation to the event must be included.
Similarly, it is important to specify what opinions the participants express through these communication channels in order to understand how the content of the event is resonating with the public.
Potential customers
It is about the number of leads that are generated from a virtual event. This metric is key, since one of the objectives of the event is to generate leads.
Attendee satisfaction level
At the end of the virtual event, surveys are sent to participants via email to find out their opinion on certain aspects of the event. Generally, these surveys are made up of specific statements that each attendee must assess with a numerical scale value.
This data provides information on everything that generated satisfaction in the public, as well as on everything that was unpleasant and needs future adjustments.
Networking connections
This metric contains the total number of attendees who exchange contact information, and is linked to the level of satisfaction, engagement and credibility that can be created during the virtual event.
Interactions in the mobile application
Some virtual events have a mobile application that participants can download to schedule their attendance at specific activities, comment and generate content about their experience in the virtual event.
In this sense, it is possible to know how many people downloaded the application, and how many scheduled their participation, created publications or sent messages to other attendees. Each interaction implies different levels of satisfaction and engagement.
When the data is obtained
The data capture is generated before, during and after the virtual event. However, there are key moments in which attendees provide much of the relevant information. These are:
- Registration: when participants register for the event, they can come up with crucial details about themselves such as their age, gender, location, education level, profession, location and email address.
- Development of activities: each time users log into the event platform, they leave an easy-to-track history that includes the sections they visit, the files they download, their comments, the connections they establish with others, etc.
- Post – event surveys: at the end of the event, surveys are the best instrument to know the final impression of the participants about the development of the event and its activities.
Unlike physical events, virtual events offer easy-to-process and traceable information. Specially, because each attendee is associated with a username and all their movements are observable and evaluable on the platform.
It is then, when we must take advantage of the data to create complete reports that provide a broader perspective of the event and in this way, strategically increase the ROI.
