Webinars have become a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, promoting achievements, and engaging stakeholders for Horizon Europe. For Horizon Europe projects looking to showcase their accomplishments and project results, organizing a successful webinar can be a game-changer. In this guide, we’ll explore the essential steps to planning and executing a webinar that captivates audiences, amplifies impact, and leaves a lasting impression.
Some of the Pros and Cons of organizing webinar for your Horizon Europe project
- Pros
Global reach
Webinars transcend geographical boundaries, allowing you to reach a global audience regardless of their location.
Cost-effective
Hosting webinars typically incurs lower costs compared to organizing in-person events. You save on expenses related to venue rental, travel, accommodation, catering etc.
Convenience
Attendees can participate in webinars from the comfort of their own homes or offices, eliminating the need for travel and accommodating busy schedules.
Interactivity
Webinars offer various interactive features such as live polls, Q&A sessions, chat functionalities, and breakout rooms, fostering engagement and participation among attendees.
Planning and organising
Planning and organising a webinar requires less time and effort.
- Cons
Technical challenges
Technical issues such as poor internet connectivity, audio/video disruptions, or platform glitches can detract from the webinar experience and frustrate attendees.
Limited personal connection
Unlike in-person events, webinars lack the personal touch and face-to-face interaction that fosters meaningful connections and networking opportunities.
Attention Span
With the proliferation of online content and distractions, maintaining attendees' attention throughout the webinar can be difficult.
5 Tips for hosting a successful webinar, according to WIT Berry
01. Opt for brevity
With the proliferation of online content and distractions, maintaining attendees' attention throughout the webinar can be difficult.
02. 5Ws and 1H
These are the questions that webinar organisers would need to answer throughout the webinar’s promo campaign to attract attendees.
- What? – The topic of the webinar, what the attendees will learn or get to know?
- When? – Time with time zone
- Where? – Platform
- Who? – Who are the speakers, and who is the main target audience of the webinar? Who should attend?
- Why? – Why is this topic important? Why should people attend it?
- How? – Can one register for the webinar?
03. Promotional campaign for webinar
To maximize the success of your webinar, consider implementing a comprehensive promotional campaign. Here's a blueprint for spreading the word:
Dedicated landing page
This page should encapsulate all essential information prospective participants need to know, serving as the primary destination for registrations. The call to action “Register now!” should be prominently featured, guiding visitors towards taking action.
Social media channels
Use both the project’s official account and partner organizations’ accounts to disseminate information about the webinar. Various posts to promote topic and speakers can be created.
E-mail newsletters
Send out announcements to the project’s newsletter subscribers, and collaborate with partner organizations to include webinar information in their newsletters as well.
Press Release
Share key details, such as the webinar’s topic, date, speakers, and registration information. Distribute the press release to relevant media outlets, industry publications, and online platforms to maximize visibility.
Information on partner websites
Collaborate with partners to ensure consistent messaging and branding across platforms, and provide direct links to the dedicated landing page for seamless registration.
Leverage Networks
Tap into existing networks, including those of partner organizations, project stakeholders, and relevant industry groups. Share information about the webinar within these networks, encouraging members to spread the word and participate. Leverage personal connections and professional relationships to expand your audience reach and drive registrations.
Promote webinar in every possibility
There can be any opportunity used to promote the webinar – during seminars and networking events. This can be done by adding a simple slide at the end of the presentation or just mentioning the information to people or sending it via e-mail.
04. After event
The webinar presents a unique opportunity to extend your communication and dissemination efforts beyond the live event. Each presentation delivered during the webinar can be repurposed into informative articles, providing in-depth insights and analysis on the topics covered. These articles can be published on the project website, industry publications, or relevant platforms to reach a broader audience and solidify your project's thought leadership position.
Furthermore, if the webinar is recorded, the content can be repackaged into a series of short presentations or video clips. These bite-sized segments can be shared on the project website and social media channels, offering easily digestible snippets of valuable information to engage audiences and drive traffic back to the full webinar recording.
Moreover, the questions posed by attendees during the webinar offer valuable opportunities for further exploration. By transforming these questions into standalone articles and providing expert answers, you can address common inquiries, clarify misconceptions, and deepen understanding on relevant topics. These articles can serve as valuable resources for both webinar attendees and individuals seeking information on related subjects, enhancing your project's visibility and credibility in the field.
By leveraging the content generated from the webinar in these ways, you can extend the reach of your project's message, foster ongoing engagement with your audience, and establish your project as a trusted source of knowledge and expertise in your field.
You may also want to keep in touch with attendees and registrants of the webinar by sending them links to recordings and presentations and engage with them in other ways. Of course, if your privacy policy rules allow that and they have accepted them.
05. Monitoring and reporting
When organising event, it is important to plan what information can be monitored for reporting purposes both continuous reporting as well as deliverables. Thus, it is important to plan how you will monitor and use the tools accordingly for registration, for attendance for visibility of the promotional campaign and so on.
Would you like assistance with organizing your upcoming webinar project?
Reach out to us! We can arrange an online meeting to delve into your plans and ideas, and explore how we can contribute to bringing them to fruition.
E-mail linda@witberry.lv
