6 popular plug-in apps that will power up your virtual events
Plug-in apps power up virtual events and excite attendees. They can be the hook to keep people entertained and interested in your content throughout your virtual or hybrid sessions.
Think about it: would you rather be in a virtual event with one of those tedious introductions where it takes 10 minutes only for people to say, “Hello, my name is…” or would you prefer to be in a place where, straight away, you’ll be given a thought-provoking assessment to identify how much you know about that subject?
At the end of this read, you’ll know the best tools to create engaging activities that can activate the conversation between your attendees and your brand by simply providing them with fun and interactive sessions. And that is just a few clicks away, using the free versions of the tools we list below.
What are plugin apps?
Martech is a one-way road. There’s no return on the use of technology for event marketing. Since the beginning of this accelerated digital transformation we’re living in, startups that combine the most advanced technologies and marketing strategies are bringing solutions to revolutionize the way companies create value for their customers.
How to use these apps for my virtual events?
Each one of these tools has its own way of being used. The good news: they all make the instructions very short and clear, both for the organizer and the audience. Some of them even have integrations, so you can embed the activity on a slide presentation, for example.
6 apps that every virtual event prof needs to know
Mentimeter
Mentimeter is a digital resource for creating real-time interactions, such as polls and word clouds. Mentimeter’s great benefit is to create interactions for large groups and make them visible to everyone.
To create a poll on Mentimeter, simply create an account on the platform, elaborate your questions (for the free account, there are restrictions on the number of questions per event), request access from participants on the tool’s website, and put the access code to the questions.
If you have the Mentimeter page open on any projector, the result is visible to everyone in real-time on beautiful animated charts.
The process for creating a word cloud or any other interaction available is the same. You can use this resource to get to know your audience better at an event with a large number of people.
Kahoot
Kahoot creates educational gamification and the competition it generates has been shown to be healthy since only the top 5 winners appear. So, it does not cause embarrassment to the last-placed participants and offers attendees a dynamic approach to testing their learning.
Kahoot generates fun and makes attendees more active. It’s very useful if you want to undertake a content review as well as to make sessions less tiresome.
Its use tends to boost attendees’ motivation levels due to the gamification it provides. This is how it is perceived, as a relaxed game, in which everyone competes with each other and with themselves.
Wooclap
The main purpose here is to make attendees use this technology to keep them active during sessions.
Deliver your virtual events in an interactive way, through the integration of the technological Wooclap.
Its look is as not as attractive as Mentimeter’s, but attendees can use Wooclap to send questions and comments in real-time and those can be integrated into the slides of your presentation.
Miro
Miro is an online tool with a free plan where it is possible to create collaborative boards.
This helps attendees in case you want to create group activities. Want to create a mind map? Or maybe simulate the creation of a value proposition? Miro does it beautifully.
The built-in templates present any kind of information in visual formats, in an infinite canvas full of details and possibilities.
MindMeister
MindMeister will promote more collaborative work among attendees, as they can access their maps on their mobile devices or on a computer to make their modifications. In this way, the content you’re delivering is better absorbed and assimilated.
Sway
Sway, from Microsoft, allows the creation of web pages for presentations, content tracks, portfolios, or any other digital production. It’s like a bundle of PowerPoint and a website builder that can be used straight from your mobile device.
To create a Sway, you must have a Microsoft account, whether it’s Office 365, Outlook, Hotmail, or Live. Outlook or Hotmail accounts are offered for free.
But to access the content produced, it is not necessary to have an account. It will be accessed as a website and opened in the standard browser of your device.
Sway’s advantage when producing digital content is the ease of creation and sharing, in addition to cool design. Also, it allows for powerful effects to make presentations stand out.
Another big advantage is how easy it is to update it at any moment.
In conclusion,
Attendees’ expectations are going to be there, waiting to be met and exceeded. So, as we know, virtual event attendees prefer shorter sessions, and every minute counts.
There are endless choices of tools available for event profs to prepare their interactive sessions. Using technology to your advantage is what makes all the difference in having a more engaging virtual event.
Regardless of your knowledge and experience, planning is always a valuable skill when you need to hold a virtual event. Therefore, choose your activities wisely, test them before the event, talk to people that have already used them, and have fun!
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