The Rise of Virtual Events: Why Every Business Should Host Online

Virtual events have exploded in popularity over the past few years. According to statistics from Hubspot, over 90% of marketers say virtual events are critical for engaging their audiences. And it‘s easy to see why:

• 64% lower cost on average compared to in-person events
• 10x higher reach by leveraging digital channels
• 75% higher attendance because of no travel constraints
• 38% higher customer conversion rate from high-quality leads

Simply put, virtual and hybrid events are the future. There‘s never been a better time to leverage online events to connect with customers and grow your business.

And WordPress makes it easy to create immersive digital experiences rivaling in-person events. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through the key steps for successfully hosting a virtual event with WordPress.

Choose the Right WordPress Event Plugins

The foundation of your virtual event will be the WordPress plugins you use. The right plugins allow you to easily create registration forms, accept payments, manage attendees, and integrate with webinar software. Some top options include:

Event Espresso

Robust event registration and ticketing plugin perfect for both free and paid virtual events. Includes powerful email automation and in-depth reporting features. Over 10,000 businesses trust Event Espresso to manage their online events.

Key Features:

• Custom registration forms
• Flexible ticketing options
• Coupon codes
• Payment processing
• Automated confirmation emails
• Check-in management
• Detailed analytics

The Events Calendar Pro

This popular calendar plugin helps you beautifully showcase your event schedule across your WordPress site. Easily displays events by month, week, or day. Works seamlessly with leading ticketing services like Eventbrite and WooCommerce.

Key Features:

• Month, week, and day calendar views
• Color-coding for event categories
• Filtering to find specific events
• Event pages with custom details
• Ticketing integrations
• Scheduled imports of events
• Event submission forms

WPForms

Use this flexible drag-and-drop form builder to quickly create custom registration forms, surveys, questionnaires and more for your virtual event.

Key Features:

• Registration forms
• Payments via Stripe
• Mailchimp integration
• Survey forms
• RSVP forms
• Email notifications
• Multi-page form workflows
• Conditional logic

The key is finding plugins that make managing your virtual event easy. Focus on must-have features like smooth ticketing, custom forms, calendars, and email automation.

Set Up Seamless Registration with Ticketing

Collecting registrations is a breeze with WordPress plugins. Start by creating an online registration form to capture attendee details like name, email, and any other info you need.

For free events, a simple RSVP form works well. But for paid events, integrate ticketing into your registration form to collect payments online.

Event Espresso and WooCommerce both offer robust ticketing options. Extension plugins like WooCommerce Ticketing add-ons transform WooCommerce into a full-featured virtual event platform.

Key elements to include on registration forms:

• Event details like date, time, speakers, agenda
• Fields for name, email, company, job title
• Registration type (free or paid admission)
• Coupon code box if needed
• Payment integration like Stripe or PayPal
• Confirmation message after completing registration

Once your forms are ready, link to them prominently from your website and emails. Make signing up for your virtual event as quick and easy as possible.

Choose the Right Webinar Software

A key part of running an engaging online event is picking the right webinar platform. This software enables presenters to livestream audio/video feeds and interact with the audience.

Leading options like Zoom, GoToWebinar, and Livestorm integrate seamlessly with WordPress through plugins or embed codes.

When comparing platforms, look at:

• Bandwidth – how many concurrent viewers can it support?
• Mobile – optimization for phones and tablets is crucial
• Features – chat, polls, Q&A, screen sharing, recording, etc.
• Ease of use – how easy is it for organizers and attendees?
• Price – aim for affordable plans with no attendee limits

For example, Zoom offers scalable plans from free to $199/month fitting events from 2 to 1000+ people. Useful features like waiting rooms, polls, Q&A, breakout sessions, and cloud recording help you engage audiences.

Optimize Your Site for Peak Performance

With online events, a slow or unstable website hurts the experience for attendees. Optimize your WordPress site for speed by:

• Using a lightweight theme like Astra or GeneratePress
• Enabling a content delivery network (CDN)
• Caching pages through a plugin
• Upgrading to faster web hosting if needed
• Compressing images and media
• Eliminating bulky plugins

Test your site speed and resolve any issues ahead of time. Tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix help spot bottlenecks. The faster your site, the better for visitors joining your virtual event.

Promote Your Event and Manage Registrations

Now it‘s time to spread the word about your awesome virtual event! Promote through social media, email lists, guest posting on blogs, and any other marketing channels available.

Share intriguing details about speakers, entertainment, giveaways, or interactive elements to get people excited. And highlight your registration links prominently everywhere.

Pro Tip: Segment your outreach lists based on interest level – past attendees should get VIP treatment!

Use your WordPress dashboard and chosen plugins to monitor registrations, manage attendees, and send automated confirmation emails. Stay on top of questions and issues people encounter during signup to provide a seamless experience.

Test Extensively Beforehand

No matter how prepared you think you are, always run through a full test before going live. Verify all your equipment works properly, review presentations, do sample screen sharing demos, and test Q&As.

Working out kinks ahead of time with your team improves confidence and prevents surprises when presenting to a live virtual audience. Technically, your dry run should mirror the real event as closely as possible.

Common items to test:

• Microphones and webcams
• Webinar platform features
• Slide transitions and demos
• Registration process from start to finish
• Email confirmations and reminders
• Backup plans for potential issues

Thorough testing is the best way to identify improvements and execute a smooth event.

Deliver an Interactive, Engaging Event!

You‘re ready to go live! Some tips for virtual event success:

• Log in early and get set up with time to spare
• Warmly greet attendees as they join the webinar
• Follow your agenda closely and transition smoothly between segments
• Poll the audience and respond to questions in real-time
• Capture feedback using surveys or chat Q&A
• Follow up promptly after the event while interest remains high

By thoroughly planning and providing real value to your audience, you can host online events that drive meaningful connections and growth. Focus on engagement, preparation, and creating a stellar attendee experience.

The Benefits of WordPress for Virtual Events

From start to finish, WordPress provides a robust platform for virtual events. Benefits include:

Catered experience – Customize registration flows and pages to match your brand

Built-in marketing – SEO optimization, email tools, social promotion

Scalability – Host events from 10 to 10,000+ attendees seamlessly

Data insights – Registration numbers, demographics, engagement metrics

Cost savings – Avoid venue and travel costs associated with live events

With the right preparation, you can produce virtual events that get outstanding results for your business on WordPress.

Hopefully this guide provided you a blueprint for planning and executing successful online events on WordPress. Let me know if you have any other questions!