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Three Simple Ways To Make Your Next Virtual Event Not Suck

Remember the Soylent Green rule when it comes to meetings: “It’s made of people!”

When’s the last time you had a meeting where you didn’t hear the phrase “You’re on mute”?

The pandemic has brought us kicking and screaming into the frustrating reality of webcam lighting and technical difficulties. Virtual meetings and events used to be a seductive dream of accessibility and convenience for event facilitators like me. When 2020 became The Year We All Zoomed, we learned the hard way that even a $2 billion company can’t make an interface that works for everyone.

Virtual events have a different set of accessibility issues than in-person events, but they’re still there. I’ve seen it first hand in the conventions and fundraisers I’ve worked with over the past two years.

There are three fundamental principles that can make or break a virtual event.

1. Resist the urge to make it fancy. There are a lot of new apps out there trying to become the next Zoom, with little gamified interfaces so you can be like Mario with a little 8-bit avatar. The problem with these is that not everybody plays video games. Yes, it is fun for some — but for others, it’s just…