The Ultimate Guide to Hosting Virtual Conferences

A virtual conference gives your brand a unique opportunity to maximize marketing efforts while connecting directly with current or potential customers.

Planning and promoting these events requires a sharp eye for detail and a virtual event platform that simplifies both logistics and face-to-face interactions.

To make the process a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of steps, tools, and tips to guide you through planning and hosting a virtual conference in 2025.

What is a virtual conference?

A virtual conference is a large online event where professionals share knowledge, network with one another, and learn about industry trends. Industry experts and professionals often act as keynote speakers or panelists, and they discuss topics relevant to their industry and audience.

These multi-day virtual events also offer sales and marketing opportunities for brands. Companies often sponsor these conferences by setting up a virtual booth and adding their logo to event marketing materials. This allows exhibitors to increase brand awareness and generate leads.

How does a virtual conference work?

Virtual conferences take place completely online. Attendees stream the sessions, engage with the event content, and participate in networking over the internet.

The platform you choose to host your virtual conference has a big effect on the event’s success. The technology you use determines how you get people to join the virtual meeting room, interact with the speaker, and connect with each other.

What’s the difference between an in-person conference and a virtual conference?

The main difference between an in-person event and a virtual conference is where it’s hosted.

An in-person conference is held at a physical location, while a virtual one is hosted online using virtual event software. Hybrid events include elements of both in-person and virtual conferences, allowing a wider group of attendees to participate.

If you're accustomed to hosting in-person events, you'll need to make a few adjustments to the format when going virtual. Here are a few tips to get started with virtual events:

• Engage your audience: To maintain your audience’s interest use webinar software that allows attendees to ask questions or chat with speakers during and after the presentation. You can also go the extra mile like Yieldify did to make their virtual event engaging. To recreate an in-person experience, the company offered UberEats gift cards as an alternative to catering. The team also invited guests to get swag boxes sent via Reachdesk, an online gifting platform.

• Gate your event: If you only want ticket holders to access your online conference, set up a gated event. Require attendees to register for the event by inputting their contact information or paying for a ticket.

• Record your sessions: Online conferences don't have to be one-time events. You can record the entire virtual conference as it happens and then make the recording available for registered attendees to watch on demand. You can offer the recording for free or for an additional cost.

What are the benefits of a virtual conference?

Since virtual conferences are more accessible, they help companies reach more people and boost brand awareness at scale. Here are the main benefits of virtual conferences:

• There’s no commute

• It’s more cost-effective

• It can build your brand

• It helps generate qualified leads

• It leads to unique engagement opportunities

• It provides in-depth audience analytics

There’s no commute for virtual conferences

Attendees can join from anywhere, so neither speakers nor audience members need to make travel arrangements. These events are much easier for people with limited mobility, time, or resources to attend, which may make the conference more appealing.

It’s a cost-effective event format

You don’t need to pay for a conference room, catering, or transportation. Plus, since virtual events can reach a wider global audience on a smaller budget, they can help you increase the number of participants while lowering attendee acquisition costs.

Virtual conferences build your brand

You can host virtual conferences to reach your target audience at scale, build topical authority, and share thought leadership on industry-specific topics. With Livestorm, you can automatically record your event to create evergreen content that continues to boost your brand even after the event is over.

It helps generate qualified leads

Virtual conferences tackle niche, industry-specific topics, attracting attendees who are likely to be qualified leads. With Livestorm, you can use built-in CTA button to move leads through the funnel during the conference or create automated follow-ups after the event ends.

You can create unique engagement opportunities

If you use virtual event software with engagement features, you can create seamless opportunities for attendees to participate and collaborate. With Livestorm, you can use live polling to gauge audience reactions and spotlight results on the screen.

You can easily analyze your audience

When you host events using a virtual conferencing platform, you automatically capture data about registrations, audience members, and engagement levels. With Livestorm, you get access to an analytics dashboard where you can review conference metrics and audience information.

How to host a virtual conference

Hosting engaging virtual conferences is a big undertaking. But when you execute it well, you can attract an engaged audience, establish your brand as an authority, and generate leads.

Follow these steps to organize a successful virtual conference that gets real results:

1. Plan your virtual conference

2. Schedule your virtual conference

3. Promote your virtual conference

4. Engage participants during your virtual conference

5. Follow up with attendees

6. Analyze your virtual conference

Step one: Plan your virtual conference

Define your content strategy, set an agenda, and reach out to potential speakers. As the organizer, you need to do all this before you take further actions like inviting attendees or promoting your event.

Set a budget

When setting a budget, you need to factor in costs for promotion, ads, speaker fees and swag for guests (if applicable), and your virtual event platform.

Once you know this, work out how much you can pull in from sponsors and registrations and whether this income will allow you to achieve ROI.

Define your strategy

To make engaging events that resonate with participants, you should have a clear definition of what the conference will be about and who will be your primary audience.

Use this time to decide if you’ll be hosting a hybrid panel discussion or if it will happen purely online. You also need to define the purpose of the event:

• Lead generation

• Brand awareness

• Knowledge sharing

Create slide decks or marketing materials that are hyper-relevant to your target audience. Make sure any visual media, presentations, videos, social posts, etc., are on-brand and provide value to your audience.

Reach out to potential speakers

Your content is the main draw for attendees, so you need to put together a program that delivers value.

Look for expert speakers or well-known names from key companies that will draw in attendees. Scour previous event programs for names or, if you’re using an event management agency to host an online conference, sourcing speakers may come as part of the package.

You also need good moderators who are experienced at public speaking, people management, and timekeeping to keep sessions running smoothly. For interactive panel discussions, you need someone who’s good at fielding questions and directing them to the right speaker. For presentations, moderators may also need to resolve technical issues, like if the audience can’t see the slides.

Hiring a conference host or MC can improve the virtual event experience. It’s their job to make announcements, mark the transition between sessions, or introduce key speakers. All of which help tie the program together. Be sure to choose someone who understands your industry and audience.

Attract virtual conference sponsors

Sponsorship is a vital part of achieving ROI, so you need to put together an attractive media and sponsorship package that covers:

• A breakdown of your target audience and how many attendees you expect

• How many leads they get access to

• What assets and information they need to provide – logos, speaker bios, etc. – and when

• The visibility they get for different levels of sponsorship. So, where assets will be displayed: a logo on the event webpage, content in the event newsletter or during sessions, etc.

Make sure sponsors align with your topic, content, and audience. Ideally, they shouldn’t be your direct competitors but if they are, assign them to tracks that don’t compete with your own content.

If you’re running a paid event, you should also provide guidelines to avoid sponsors pitching to attendees too much.

To find sponsors, look for companies that have sponsored webinars or similar events in your industry, and try to attract one or two big names to give your event cachet and appeal to attendees.

Set an agenda

Creating and setting an agenda makes your virtual conference follow a steady progression of engaging speakers without going over time. Send the conference agenda to attendees in the registration email.

Then, share the agenda with speakers. Clarify how much time they have to present and when to help them plan ahead for the big event.

Establish your success metrics

Setting achievable KPIs helps you measure the event’s success. Define goals for attendance, attendee engagement, virtual experience score, or number of sponsorships.

Share these metrics with your team in advance to get everyone on the same page. Be clear about the expected targets so you can compare after the event.

Step two: Schedule your virtual conference

Now that you’ve planned your conference, you’ll need to promote your virtual event to attract registrations and spread awareness.

Choose a time and date

Pick a date and time when your target audience is most likely to be able to attend.

For instance, don’t host a big conference when your target companies are closing their fiscal year or during another busy time of year. If you’re hosting a global conference, set a time that’s accessible for people in most time zones.

Build a registration page

The registration page is one of the first touchpoints that your audience will have with your brand and the event. Make sure that it:

• Is branded

• Has the correct date and time

• Features speaker and session details

Create an email marketing campaign

After registration, participants should receive a confirmation email. Customize the email copy to include:

• A short and sweet description of the event

• The date and time in different time zones

• An iCal or Outlook invite

• The conference agenda

• Links to supporting materials

Send email reminders before the event to keep attendance rates high. With Livestorm, you can create the registration page using a template, edit the copy, and set the frequency for the email cadence through the same web app.

Step three: Promote your virtual conference

The only way to attract attendees is to promote your event to your target audience. Leverage partnerships and the power of social media.

Find the right partners

Consider which (if any) partners make sense to include in your virtual conference.

Partnering up with a similar or bigger brand can expand your promotional reach and secure a better turnout. This will also help reduce your out-of-pocket costs of the conference.

Virtual conference pro tip:

It’s good practice to find brands that are aligned with the conference topic or non-competitor brands and share your audience. For example, if you sell yoga mats, you could either partner with a yoga studio or with a mindfulness online courses brand.

Make some noise on social media

Use social media event promotion to highlight your virtual conference across marketing channels. Post countdowns to your Instagram stories.

Or post speaker lineups and content sneak peeks on relevant social media channels like LinkedIn and Facebook to attract a more targeted, professional audience.

With Livestorm, you can share your event on LinkedIn and allow users to automatically register using their LinkedIn profile information. Little hacks like this give your audience a great user experience and drive attendance rates at the same time.

Step four: Engage participants during your virtual conference

One of the biggest challenges of hosting a conference online is to keep the participants engaged. Use these tips to foster engagement and make sure attendees tune in throughout the event.

Use visual media and presentations

There’s nothing more boring than a long-winded speaker offering zero visuals. Use visual media and presentations throughout the conference to help support speakers’ talking points more effectively.

Virtual conference pro tip:

Meet with speakers to test their presentations and videos a few days before the event.

Include interactive elements

When you host a conference virtually, you need software that has built-in interactive features. With Livestorm, you can live stream virtual events and engage participants throughout using:

• Emoji reactions to get live feedback without background noises

• Live chat to encourage audience participation through the chat room

• Polls to gather valuable insights

• Q&A to steer the discussion and provide value for the audience

• CTA buttons to invite participants to take action

The chance to grow networks and generate leads is a major attraction for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors. Build networking opportunities into the agenda, either as stand-alone activities or during sessions. Make it easy for people to continue the conversation after the event.

Share resources as you go

Make it as easy as possible for attendees to follow each talk. For example, when you mention a specific report or certain research, share the files with the audience.

If you’re using Livestorm, you can use the Handouts plugin to share downloadable files quickly and easily with attendees in real time. This is also a great feature for sharing an ebook or more information at the end of the event.

Have a dedicated customer support team

If you’re getting sponsors and exhibitors on board you need to look after them. Have customer support staff on hand before, during, and after the event to answer any questions people have and resolve any issues. Make sure they know how to use your virtual event platform, and prepare a list of questions they may need to answer.

If it’s a large, complex event, create information packages and video tutorials so everyone knows how to connect and what’s expected of them. You should also organize a trial run and rehearsal sessions to test the tech and make sure everyone knows how to share their screen, install the background, etc.

You can also provide tips on virtual meeting etiquette, like what to wear on-screen, and maybe send a piece of conference swag to place in the frame during their session.

Step five: Follow-up with attendees

Your relationship with attendees doesn’t end as soon as you log off. At the end of the event, follow up with registrants to send them a replay and gather feedback.

Create a feedback survey

You can ask for feedback from attendees during the conference, but you can also do it again through email at the end of the event.

Allow them to give feedback anonymously so they can be truthful about their experience. Your surveys should:

• Be short and clear (e.g., one question per success criteria)

• Only include mandatory questions if they’re easy to answer (e.g., drop-down lists, multiple choice, or ratings)

Send a follow-up email

Send a thoughtful thank you email to show gratitude. Thank attendees for taking time out of their busy schedules to participate in your virtual conference.

Use this email to send a video replay of the event for those who couldn’t make it. With Livestorm, you can easily record and send replays of your virtual conference to remind participants of your great event.

You can also create on-demand videos of your virtual conference so it’s always available to qualified leads, keeping your pipeline filled with opportunities.

Step six: Analyze your virtual conference

Your conference is over and it's almost time to relax. But first, you need to review your analytics.

Use your analytics dashboard to compare the the KPIs you set to your actual results.

Check out your analytics dashboard

Reflect on what worked and what didn't so you know what to remove, keep doing, or improve for future events.

If you’re using Livestorm, you can easily track things like engagement and participation rates, attendee contact information, and chat messages. Use this data to evaluate your engagement efforts and make changes accordingly.

Measure your success against predefined KPIs

Use your previously defined virtual event success metrics as a baseline and the feedback results to review your scores.

For example, if one of your success criteria was to get an overall score of over 4/5, then compare that number to the actual result and see if you met or missed the mark.

Top virtual conference software platforms

Your virtual conference platform is your most valuable player.

Choose the one that accommodates your audience size, has good reviews, and invites your attendees to interact.

Here are three of the best virtual conference platforms for large events.

1. Livestorm

Livestorm is a video conferencing tool that allows you to handle planning, execution, and analysis in the same place. You can host online video chats, create registration pages, engage attendees during the conference, and analyze the event data.

Livestorm is one of the best virtual event platforms as it holds up to 3,000 attendees and enables true engagement and brand building from day one with:

• Branded registration pages

• Customizable email cadences

• White-labeled, customizable rooms

• In-app interactive elements:

  • Live chat

  • Q&As

  • Polls

  • Emoji reactions

  • Virtual whiteboards

  • Virtual backgrounds

Plus, as Livestorm is web-based, your attendees won’t need to download an app. Our video engagement platform also integrates with hundreds of tools, simplifying your marketing efforts.

2. ClickMeeting: Best for paid virtual conferences

ClickMeeting is a video conferencing tool for webinars, conferences, and large events (up to 1,000 attendees). Users like this platform because it allows them to create automated webinars, which means they can use pre-recorded videos to get leads and increase sales without manual intervention.

ClickMeeting offers white labeling, so you can add your branding to the conference room.

Using the PayPal integration, you can host paid virtual conferences, charge through the app, and get the money directly into your PayPal account.

3. Zoom: Best for huge virtual conferences

Zoom is a widely known video conferencing platform that’s mostly used for internal daily meetings. Depending on your Zoom plan, you can invite up to 10,000 attendees, which makes them a suitable tool for huge virtual events and trade shows.

People like this tool because it also comes with a large suite of interactive and engagement features like:

• Filters

• Polls

• Hand raising

• Audio sharing

• Reactions

How much does it cost to host a virtual conference?

If you already use a video conference platform like Livestorm as your daily online meeting solution, and you’re using internal speakers and a design team, the cost could be as little as zero.

Of course, that price will go up if you hire external speakers and go with paid advertising.

However, if you’re hiring vendors and paying for an additional tool to hold all of your attendees, costs can go up to +$50,000. You’d need to pay for:

• A video conference platform

• Speakers or panelists

• A set or conference room for hosts and speakers

• Designers for brand assets and slide decks

• Video and audio equipment

• Producers and camera operators for a high-quality event

• A targeted marketing campaign

5 Virtual conference engagement ideas

Here are our top virtual conference engagement ideas:

1. Host it from a cool, creative set. Use the set as part of your branding, make sure you don’t choose a location that has too many distractions. For example, don’t do it in a place where other people are passing by in the background.

2. Mix audio and video sensory responses. Start the conference with music or a video, use powerful slides with little text, and give attendees a break from your voice by inviting other speakers or playing videos to make it more dynamic.

3. Have fun breaks. Your attendees will need breaks so they can continue to pay attention and enjoy the event, especially if you’re hosting a long multiple-day conference. Get creative with the breaks: invite an entertainer or host games that can be played online from multiple devices.

4. Send a post-attendee gift. The connection with your attendees doesn’t end with the event. A good idea is to send them an online or physical gift as a thank you a few days later. The more personalized you can make it, the better.

5. Host a virtual happy hour at the end of the event. Send attendees a one-drink kit so you can all share a drink together after the last session. Invite them to join a final session with a guest DJ.

Run your virtual conference with Livestorm

When done right, your virtual conference can help you effectively market your brand. Plus, you’ll generate networking opportunities and solidify the perception of your business as a thought leader in your industry.

But virtual conferences can be challenging as you’ll need to keep your attendees engaged through a screen.

That’s why using a video conferencing tool that comes with a large list of interactive features to promote engagement (like Livestorm) can make it easier.

Unlike many other popular video conferencing tools, Livestorm allows you to plan, invite, host, and analyze your event without using multiple apps.

Sign up for a free Livestorm account and get started today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of a virtual conference?

The purpose of a virtual conference is to connect with a large audience to:

• Generate leads

• Build brand awareness

• Share knowledge

• Give industry updates

What do you need for a virtual conference?

All you need for a virtual conference is:

• A video conferencing platform

• Speakers and moderators

• Video and audio recording tools

• A slide deck on the topic

• An audience

How to price a virtual conference?

To price a virtual conference you’ll need to do a cost analysis. List all the incurred costs, set an estimated attendance and a profit margin. For example, imagine you’re hosting a 3-day virtual conference and these were your expenses:

• Rent for set: $2,000

• Guest speaker 1: $10,000

• Guest speaker 2: $7,500

• Designer for slide decks and brand assets: $3,500

• Rented equipment (cameras, microphones, lights): $800

• Production crew (camera operators, audio engineers, set producers, art director): $12,000

Total: $35,800

You have a large prospects list and you’re expecting at least 500 attendees with a 40% profit margin. You need to divide your total costs by the number of attendees and multiply by your desired profit margin. So,

= (35,800/500)x1.4

= 71.6x1.4

= 100.24

In this example, you can charge $100 per ticket.

You can also decide to host these conferences for free and get sponsorships to pay for the event.

How long should a virtual conference be?

A virtual conference can last anywhere from one to three days, depending on the topic covered, industry, and the number of speakers or panelists. Sessions should be around 45-90 minutes to keep the audience engaged.

What are some tips for attending a virtual conference?

Here are some tips if you’re attending a virtual conference:

• Block your agenda so you can be fully focused on the event

• Take notes

• Use the breaks to do active pauses (go for a short walk, pet your dog, or eat a snack)

• Leave your phone in a different room and turn off notifications

• Close distracting apps or websites

• Interact and ask questions