According to new virtual conference benchmarks from Nucleus Analytics, the average daily view time for a live virtual conference is 2 hours, 10 minutes and 56 seconds. In scheduling their upcoming Virtual Divorce Conference Sept. 9-11, Business Valuation Resources has adhered to that, scheduling days of 2 hours five minutes, two hours 10 minutes and 3 hours 20 minutes.
To add even more value to their event and keep within a reasonable daily view time, BVR has added bonus sessions both before and after the main event. So there was a 50-minute conference preview on Aug. 27, and then three 100-minute, follow-up programs will take place Sept. 17, 24 and 30.
It’s a great idea. There are no ground rules to virtual events. As has often been said, we are all wading in uncharted waters. These sessions allow BVR to showcase even more good speakers and then also does something many experts recommend—keep the engagement and community atmosphere going.
“We feel that people are getting a lot more value [this year],” Jared Waters, training director for BVR, told me last week. “We can do a lot of things to add value to an event. So we figure a price point—[they are charging about half of what they charged last year]—and then throw a lot of value on it. It really is a great deal for our attendees.
“We have also shortened everything down as far as length,” he added. “There will be three lighter days [than last year].”
That added value includes:
A strong speaker and content lineup with a constant nod to COVID-19. Virtual does often allow for easier high-quality speaker gets—in this case matrimonial lawyers and financial experts. Most of the content will have a crisis influence to it. “Maintain your competitive edge with a wealth of sessions focusing on the issues most impacted by COVID-19, taught by top experts in the profession.”
Extra credits. An opportunity to earn up to 16.5 CPE/CLE credits. “This year no one’s really taking on a lot of new initiatives,” Waters said. “It’s not about personal growth. It’s ‘What do I need to know to survive?’ All COVID-19 related.”
A known and respected partner. They’ve partnered with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML).
Money off a future in-person event registration. Attendees will receive a $200 credit on their registration to the next in person AAML/BVR event. Why not? It’s a generous incentive that can be price-adjusted later.
Those bonus sessions. The Aug. 27 preview was free, which makes sense as it is still a time when they are trying to get registrants. The three follow-up sessions in the weeks after the main three days are all quite substantial.
An attractive sponsors page. The Divorce Marketing Group has a marketing guide available for download. Soberlink includes a link to a video presentation.
Another good point that Waters made is that because virtual events can work with live or recorded sessions, why not ask the speakers how they are at their best. So it will be about half and half for the divorce conference. (I would also advise that, if possible for recorded sessions, have the speaker/s available for a live Q&A after.)
BVR has used the platform BigMarker for their virtual events. “We’ve been using it for about a year,” Waters said. “It works for mobile phones and computers. There’s no software to download. You can drop a video in there, or use slides and screen share.”
Waters is optimistic for the success of the conference. “We won’t have to pay a Las Vegas casino,” he said about the event’s previous locale. “There are no travel expenses. We think our profit may be higher. We’re shooting for 100-plus paid. There was about 320 paid the year before.”
