14 Virtual Event Networking Features that Win Over Attendees

It’s 2022 and it’s criminal for virtual events to be boring. Organizers have gotten creative over the past few years, thinking of new ways to excite their audiences (No Carl, a ‘stimulating’ speaker session is not the answer).

Event hosts of today don’t just work on putting together informative sessions. They also brainstorm ways to introduce engagement activities that can offer more dynamic experiences. Some popular examples are breakout rooms, virtual concerts, and speed-networking.

With these evolving needs, virtual event platforms have also kept up. They now offer a blend of features that help make events more interactive, collaborative, and exciting. 

What Are Virtual Event Platform Networking Features?

Networking is a major part of any event. If you’re hosting a virtual or hybrid event, you need to make sure the participants have spaces to interact with each other and carry out their networking activities. 

Furthermore, your sponsors will also want to gauge these interactions for their marketing purposes. So, you need to make sure your event has multiple features which allow communication, networking, and interaction. 

How Can You Access These Features On Your Virtual Event Platform?

vFairs offers a large variety of features that will make your event one that participants will remember for ages. These features are quite easy to include in your event, as support staff will be there to guide you at every step of the way. 

Your audience will be able to access these features easily and have an enjoyable experience. You can also include activities that incentivize community participation so that more holistic networking occurs. The vFairs platform offers you ample features for this purpose, and all of them are quite user-friendly. 

Networking Features to Try Out

There are a large number of virtual event networking features available for you. You need to pick the right mix for your event and see what would work best for your intended audience. Keep the general mindset of your industry in mind, and incorporate features accordingly. Here are the virtual event platform networking features to start off with: 

1. User Profile Search

Your event participants can communicate with each other using this feature. They just have to search for users relevant to them and can do so by simply typing in their names.  

2. Social Walls

A walls.io integration can help you bring the social element to your event. It lets you display the ongoing social media hype around your event, and participants will be able to see their posts up there as well. 

3. Matchmaking

Linked to user profiles, the matchmaking virtual event platform feature lets like-minded people interact with each other. Your registration form should include a few interests and industry niches, so that the algorithm can recommend members with similar interests to each other. 

4. Trivia 

This is a great way to create a fun interlude in your event and also encourage participant networking. You can either have an industry-specific trivia quiz or go for any general topic you want to generate discussion and conversation.  

5. Leaderboards

Include a points system in your event, and award points for actions like interacting with another participant, creating a social media post, and others. Then, announce some sort of prize for the participants who get the highest points. This will encourage participation and communication. 

6. Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt feature lets your event participants have some fun, and get to engage with each other. So, include a few tiny items here and there in your virtual event for your participants to find. 

7. Text Chats

You should definitely include text chat on your virtual event platform of choice. These let participants and exhibitors talk and discuss things one-to-one, for more serious networking purposes. 

8. Audio Video Chats

Why should your participants set up meetings with each other on the side when you could accommodate them right within your event? Encourage them to network via audio and video chats to create more in-depth conversations. 

9. Live Translation

If you have a global event, your participants may not speak the same language. Include live translation features to smooth things along the way and encourage easy communication. 

10. Closed Captioning

This promotes both accessibility and networking. Anyone who has trouble understanding the other person, due to hearing impairment or language barriers, can simply use closed captioning to communicate more effectively. 

11. Networking Lounges

These lounges are the perfect place to help event attendees, exhibitors and sponsors connect even further. Link to chat, social media, or even your own landing pages to keep people engaged. You should include one in your virtual event to offer a networking space to the participants. 

12. Interactive Exhibitor Booths

Try to encourage your exhibitors to make their booths as interactive as possible. This will make things more interesting for participants, and encourage them to communicate with the exhibitors. 

13. Virtual Lobbies

This is where everyone present at the event can communicate with each other. These lobbies are great for generating hype, so you should keep prompting conversations in there. 

14. Photo Booth

Include a photo booth and photo contest in your event to generate hype and create excitement. Users will talk about this feature, and have some fun with it, creating organic conversations. 

How Can These Features Help You?

These virtual event platform networking features promote and encourage participant interaction. This will push your event audience to talk to each other, and even reach business agreements if they get enough networking opportunities. Therefore, when you choose a virtual event platform, make sure to check for features that promote discussion and socialization.