With in-person events unable to take place during COVID-19 and still limited in many areas, the life sciences industry has shifted to hosting events virtually; their popularity amongst healthcare professionals (HCPs) means that virtual events, hosted on platforms such as Veeva Engage, are now a permanent fixture in the pharmaceutical industry.

Many physicians and HCPs have grown accustomed to this format and like the convenience of virtual events. With the virtual events market expected to grow by 23.7% from 2021 to 2028, organisations need to increase capabilities in order to deliver against HCPs evolving needs.

We outline five key steps to establishing engaging virtual events using Veeva:

1. Listen to preferences

To achieve high attendance and engagement, it is vital to understand the audience's preferences. Before planning a virtual event, organisations should first conduct a survey to determine how HCPs prefer to receive information about organisations. Veeva surveys sent via Veeva CRM Approved Email can help obtain this information and the results can be collected within Veeva CRM and used to plan future events.

2. Understand the importance of the speaker

Virtual events are important for building relationships and offer attendees the exclusive opportunity to communicate with experts in specific areas. When selecting a speaker, hosts should evaluate them against three main criteria: their level of expertise, how their expertise applies to the audience’s educational needs and how their expertise fits into the event objectives. It is beneficial to choose speakers who are well versed in specific areas and are able to communicate effectively with the intended audience.

3. Create engaging and informative virtual events

Thinking of interesting and creative ways to present information helps organisations to stand out from the crowd. Tracking engagement through live polls and question and answer sessions encourages interaction and creates a dialogue with the audience during the meeting. One of the unique factors of virtual events is the ability to upload recordings and resources of the event for attendees to refer back to, allowing the value generated from the event to last much longer than just the event itself. Virtual events can help to promote greater collaboration within the audience, creating a communication channel between the organisers and the attendees. Technology can be used to put the patient at the heart of the event, enabling a group of HCPs to discuss and review case notes and regimes.

4. Driving awareness of virtual events

Once the planned virtual event has been approved, organisers can market the event to build awareness, generate interest and drive registration. It is important to build and maintain momentum by promoting the event on social channels, sending out invites, updating the website and providing a countdown to the event to create anticipation. Creating a strong online community with regular virtual events and webinars helps to increase attendance and engagement. Ensure field sales teams are briefed on relevant upcoming events and are able to support HCPs in the registration process.

5. Preparation

Proper preparation is crucial for the success of any virtual event; organisers should have a clear idea of the goal of the event, the areas and products which will be discussed, identify the target audience, find speakers, create a comprehensive budget and create benchmarks to track the progress of the event after it has occurred.

With 96% of HCPs saying that they would benefit from more virtual events, organisations must unlock the power of virtual events and ensure that they are providing value to customers. Veeva provides the tools and capabilities to plan, run and manage events, both in person and virtually.

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Supporting technology products can help organisations host well organised and engaging events to drive greater collaboration and engagement. Get in touch to discover our suite of technology and digital-based products to help drive attendance and engagement at virtual and in-person events.