The Best Tips from Our Virtual Event Producers

Are you hoping to host a virtual event or gathering but don’t know where to start? Call a Toucan Producer! Toucan Production is a new service that our team offers to anyone looking to work out how to host certain types of events - and we can even come to your event to help you run it day-of.

We hosted a social recently featuring our Toucan Producers, where they shared some of their best tips for virtual event hosts. Keep reading for key takeaways, and watch the video below for a recording of the event.

What does a Toucan Producer actually do?

Toucan Producers will help bring your vision to life. Some virtual events are more complex than others, but most events usually have a few different parts. And the burden of all the logistics tends to fall on the host. As a result, the host rarely has a lot of fun. We want to avoid that; that’s where Toucan Producers come in.

Some virtual events might integrate an online presentation, virtual networking, a live Q&A, or a debate. Toucan Producers juggle all the moving parts, and they exist to help both people who don’t throw events often and seasoned pros. They’ll consult with you, your team, and your speakers to make sure that everybody’s expectations are met. If needed, they will put together materials to help onboard everyone in the best way possible.

Rapid-fire questions and answers

How many people can I have at my virtual event?

150 people in total. Per group, you can have up to 16.

What’s the difference between a Space and an event on Toucan?

An event can be scheduled for up to 2 hours. A Space is perpetual, customizable, and yours forever.

How do I find people at a larger virtual event on Toucan?

On the attendee list you can search for their name. When you click on their name, Toucan will highlight and center their icon on your screen. You can also scan around the room by clicking the “Everyone” view in the top right corner of your window.

What if I want to have more than 150 people at my event?

If your event is all about networking, you can run multiple events simultaneously and divide your audience between the two. If your virtual event is more presentation-style, we recommend live streaming. Our Producers recommend ReStream, Youtube Live, or LinkedIn Live.

How do I encourage my audience to engage with my virtual event and other attendees?

There’s so much you can do but here are two musts.

One of the easiest things to do is to tell your audience, “Hey if you agree with me, send a clap!” or “Can you show me some love?”. This will prompt people to send a flood of emoticon waves, hearts, and claps - which visibly boosts energy in the room, increases engagement and creates a better sense of community in the event.

Say hello to as many people as possible that come in. You can do that in the form of a wave, a private message, or an actual conversation. Toucan Producers often compare the experience of arriving at a virtual event on Toucan to walking into a room full of people; you might not know who to join first. Remember to always be the nice person that invites others into your group. Kindness and openness go a long way, in virtual events and life in general.

How do I get people familiar with the platform?

The best you can do is invite people to our socials and virtual events. We host them mainly because we love to chat with our users and showcase the beauty of Toucan in real time. Trying Toucan with a group of people is, by far, the best way to learn how it works.

We also have a public Toucan Space that’s open to everyone, called The Square. Feel free to send that link to anyone and have them meet you there. No setup is necessary.

Tools that Toucan Producers and hosts love using

For recording: Loom.

For more complicated video and photo outputs: ManyCam

Interactive real-time polling: Slido.