The Best Platform For A Virtual Event

What is the Best Online Platform for a Virtual Magic Show

Before I started performing online virtual events like my virtual magic show I did research and observed what others were doing both inside and outside of my industry. One of the common things I saw events doing was streaming the event on multiple platforms simultaneously. For instance, let’s say that the main event was taking place over Zoom the host would also be streaming the event live over Instagram, Facebook and Youtube at the same time. The idea is simple; each company, brand, or school has different people following their accounts so if you want them to all see the event live then it’s best to stream it on all these platforms so that you have more eyes on the event.

The problem is that even though you technically have more viewers, a portion of them do not get full functionality and participation. Some streaming software is able to pull live comments from Facebook and Youtube and send them directly to you in real time but how does that compare to them part of your online video conference?

Let’s take a look. When I have an online virtual show I am usually using Zoom or Google Meet and I instruct everyone to turn on their video and microphone is they can. At certain moments I may spotlight individuals or groups (pin their video and display them to the room) to feature our interaction. During this time I may be giving them instructions with a deck of cards or other small objects or reading their minds. I encourage the audience to react appropriately and let everyone know their applause or amazement is not intrusive to the show because just like an in person event I generally know when people will laugh or applaud and it adds to the atmosphere of the event. Some people may choose to respond during the show through the chat feature and type their response and reaction and send an emoji to all of us. We appreciate all the interaction and participation but at the end of the day we know that the more we use the technology to bring us closer together the better and more personal the event will be. Typing a few words and emojis is nowhere near as powerful as looking into people’s eyes and engaging with them face to face.

When I studied the data I found that audiences and groups were more responsive, engaged and passionate when they are in the moment of an event and taking part in it. I decided that the best way for people to enjoy my online virtual magic shows is to require them to be in the room with me live while the event is happening.

I stopped offering my clients to stream it live on all their different social media platform accounts and instead focused on having the best possible online event take place over one platform. That way I can see everyone in the room, talk to them and have them engage me over video live. This was not a tough decision to make because instead of seeming to offer less I am in reality offering more. I am offering everyone to come together and have an equal opportunity to costar in our online event. They don’t need to just be an anonymous commenter they can share the screen and co-star in the magic show or inspirational event.

At the same time I didn’t abandon all the other social media platforms available to us but instead I focused on working with my clients to using those specific platforms as effectively as possible. I created content specifically tailored to Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube to engage their followers and promote our events. On Instagram, we would make visual 15 second videos for their Instagram Stories and on Youtube we would post a 5-10 minute video with an interactive piece of magic and promote our event. Everything that we made was designed on brand with how my clients present themselves and want to be seen. We used every single platform to preview our events and funnel people to our live, online virtual events.

Now I perform my virtual magic show, Magic In Your Hands, through Zoom, Google Meet, or a video conferencing platform of the client’s choice. We keep the event on a single platform and use every other platform as a driver to our show and events.