Summary

The same as any onsite event can have hitches, virtual events are not guaranteed against glitches. The sooner you identify and anticipate any potential issues, the sooner you will be able to come up with any necessary solutions.

In this article we'll describe some of the challenges you may face when delivering a virtual experience to your audience, and how to address them.

Poor internet connection

Poor connection can cause viewing troubles for your audience such as latency and continuous buffering, as well as delays in the visual or audio presentation of the speakers. If this occurs, you need to act quickly to ensure that your online audience does not start wandering off.

How to prevent it?

• Always test your internet connection before the meeting - confirm your upload speed at dedicated websites (e.g. fast.com) and compare it against the requirements of the video conferencing tool you are using. A minimum of 10Mbps upload and download speeds is typically recommended.
• If possible, always choose an ethernet hardline connection over WiFi.
• If connecting over WiFi, it is preferable to position your laptop within very close proximity or  against your router.

How to recover?

• If the connectivity issue lasts for a few minutes, be transparent with your audience - inform them of the technical difficulties and thank them for their patience.
• Take the lead and inform your online attendees that they can easily access all visuals and presentations in the app, as you have made sure you have backups of all materials for quick access.
• Switch the lead to the next presenter or agenda item to ensure you keep your audience’s attention intact.

Poor sound & camera quality

Audio quality is extremely important - your audience may not notice the overall production details, but if they cannot hear the presentation, you will lose their attention.

How to prevent it?

• Test and rehearse in advance - make sure you schedule a general rehearsal and a quality check session with all presenting and moderating parties before the event. Check the speakers' backgrounds, level of light, noise levels, screen sharing actions, as well as the audio and video equipment of all speaking parties.
• Be prepared - having a back-up external microphone and webcam will allow for a smooth transition in case of issues and avoid any disruption in the meeting flow.
• Brief all parties - make sure all presenters know how to use the video conferencing tool and how to react in case of issues with their audio and video equipment.

How to recover?

• Turn your microphone and camera off and on again to ensure it is not a momentary glitch.
• Switch to an external microphone, landline or similar in case of persistent audio issues.
• Switch to a back-up external webcam in case of camera issues.
• If the issue persists, continue with the next agenda item while the production team resolves it.

Check out our best practices for virtual meeting equipment.

App usability issues

As not all of your participants may be tech savvy, you need to consider potential app login or usability challenges. 

How to prevent them?

• Prepare an invitation email to all users with clear and easy to follow steps on how to login or register in the app.
• Have an app guide and FAQ section set up and available in the web app, so users are properly onboarded and always have a reference on how to get the best out of their app experience.
• Set up a helpful App chatbot to answer users’ questions and guide them in their virtual experience.
• Make sure it is easy to find where and how to ask for help - you can set up a dedicated “Help” button in the app, through which the users can send you a direct message.
• To avoid device or browser incompatibility issues when using the app, ensure that you keep the technical requirements section in your invitation email to all users, which can be found at the bottom of the default email template.

Interactivity issues

The main challenges you may face while running live interactivity during virtual events are related to delays or problems when displaying the respective topics, questions or results.

How to prevent them?

• As there is on average a 30-seconds delay between the speaker presentation and the live stream, make sure to remind them to take that into account when running interactivity.
• Run a demo with your speakers on how interactivity usually takes place, and perform a test run of all live interactivity prior to the event.

How to recover?

• If the interactive session was closed before users had the chance to engage, or the results are not displaying at all, you can either easily re-run the polling question or simulate example results in order to continue the session without disruptions.

Poor audience engagement 

If you want to capture your audience's attention and keep it until the event is over, you need to create opportunities for engagement. SpotMe app offers an extensive list of engaging features that will keep your users’ interested and engaged at all times.