Online events are fast becoming the norm in 2021, and they will continue to become more prominent as alternatives to face-to-face events.
As online events become part of our working life, the need for professional presenters for high-quality interaction has also increased.
When you set up your video conference tools for an event, do you feel you have done everything necessary? Will you leave your audience satisfied, curious to know more, and sufficiently informed? Will they connect to you, your team, your company, your ideas?
An online professional presenter comes in, acting as the link between the speakers and the audience. They have to handle the audience, create memorable moments with them, and take charge of the event concept while also addressing technical issues with ease.
What are the duties and importance of professional online presenters?
First Impressions of your event
The presenter is the thread between all speakers, all segments of the event.
They introduce the CEO / main speakers for the digital event to the audience. They act as the face of an event and imprint first impressions on your audience. Here, you would want a presenter to represent you as a company, and whomever you choose to work with should exude the values and ethos of your company through their presence on stage or online.
The online presenter is, in effect, the Master of Online Ceremonies, the contact between the audience and organizer. They lead the listeners through the program schedule, details and often interview people one-to-one or in a ’round-table discussion.
Challenges facing an online presenter face
As a presenter facilitating online events, there is a difference between hosting live and online events. You may need to develop your virtual skills for a successful job.
Some challenges to overcome include:
· The audience is not physically present, so communication happens through the camera. As a result, the communication and its direction are different and should be correct.
· Technical mindedness is crucial to help understand the different processes associated with online events. Even if you’re not primarily in charge of technology, it always helps to know.
· When dealing with hundreds or thousands of viewers, the presenter will need an assistant, possibly a co-producer, to handle and respond to chats. They have to decide how to deal with the messages and instruct the assistant in that regard.
The best thing for a company is to hand over the job of the digital presenter to a professional. When doing this, you allow in-house employees to perform at their best in other domains. A professional can shine a light on the interviewee and make them look their best.
Online events are not going anywhere.
Based on the changes we have seen through Covid-19, digital and online events continue to grow, thanks to technology that makes it easy to interact with countless people across time and space.
Lisa Toni Burke, a professional presenter, speaker, actor, host, and voice-over artist with more than two decades in her job, is looking forward to returning to live events. She says she can’t wait to host offline events where she’ll be in the same room with her audience because the setting makes her heart beat faster.
However, Covid-19 has allowed Lisa to explore the world of online presenting too, and the future, she believes, will include a hybrid of both worlds.