Virtual Summit Tech Q&A
There are always a lot of questions related to summit tech. And today we're wrapping up our virtual summit tech series with a rapid-fire Q&A episode with some of the most common questions I get asked related to summit tech.
We'll cover things like:
- what to do with your registration page once the summit starts
- what to do with your domain if you run multiple summits
- how to make fillable worksheets for all-access pass holders, and more.
Let’s dive in!
Can I Host A Summit on my own website?
First off, is it okay to host a summit on your main website? Of course! If THAT is what makes you host a virtual summit, then go for it.
However, if you have the tech knowledge, budget, time, and brain space then I do recommend you host it on a separate site.
For example, if you host a summit on WordPress on the same site that you run your business, you'll end up with all kinds of extra plugins and pages to sort through.
I use Kajabi for my business, so if I were to host a summit on Kajabi, I would start a new Kajabi site. It keeps things cleaner and easier to manage.
If I host multiple summits, do I buy separate URLs for each?
The next question is for those who host multiple summits and if they need to buy separate URLs for each summit.
Overall, do what works best for you.
One of the biggest benefits of having a dedicated domain is to be able to share simple URLs during promotion.
No matter what, I do recommend buying the URL for your summit. At the very least, you can redirect it to a page on your main website.
Do I keep my registration page live once the summit starts?
There's often a little uncertainty around how long to keep a registration page up once a summit has started.
Do you change the main URL to be whatever the live summit pages are for that day? Do you add a few elements to the page saying the event is currently live? Do you just leave it as-is indefinitely?
There is no right answer, but I recommend that you keep your registration page up for as long as your summit is going on so people can register and jump right in. Whether you want to make any edits to make it clear that the even is already live is totally up to you.
Does my website need to be ready before I pitch my speakers?
There's always a little stress and worry around what all needs to be done before speakers are pitched.
When it comes to pitching speakers, your site certainly doesn't need to be completely ready to go.
Personally, I like to have things set up as much as I can, including a working version of my registration page and a Speaker Information page. I find that this helps when pitching speakers cold - it's nice for them to be able to look around and feel confident that I'm hosting a legitimate event.
If you don't even want to worry about that much, you can make a quick informational PDF to send instead.
How do I segment my summit attendees vs my main email list?
The next question is about segmenting your email list. What's a good way to keep summit attendees separate from the main email list?
If you haven’t tagged everyone on your main list with a specific tag before you summit, start that now. Go through and tag everybody you’re currently emailing with a tag like “main list”.
Then, add an automation so whenever someone opts-in to your main list, they get that same tag.
Lastly, when someone signs up for your summit, tag them with a summit tag and not your main list tag. That keeps everyone segmented nicely.
Should I have a timer on my presentation page?
You've probably been to summits with and without countdown timers on presentation pages. But what is right?
There are three main options:
- No timer - The first is no timer. I personally don't love timers on presentation pages, but I do include a reminder that they have 24 hours to watch the presentation.
- A timer that stays up – This is a timer that stays up on the page that you can never get rid of and attendees see it the entire time. It might be annoying to look at, but they won’t forget the page will expire.
- Hidden timer – Alternatively, you can have a timer that can be hidden or is at the bottom of the page where attendees would have to scroll to see it.
Do I need a chatbox?
Next up, let's talk chat boxes. Do I need a chatbox? What tech do I use?
I have a full episode on chat boxes coming in about two months, but if you can't wait that long here’s the quick version:
- You don't need a chatbox. In fact, if you're going to have a summit with less than 2000 people, I don't recommend it because they're going to kind of be quiet and awkward.
- I recommend Chatroll. It is not free, but it's reliable. You only need it for one month. For my 6,500-person summit, I needed their $199 a month plan, but just for the month, then I was able to cancel it.
How do I make a PDF form for customers to fill out?
Next up is how do I make a form, a PDF form for customers to fill out? For this question, I'm picturing a fillable workbook for attendees, and there are two options:
- Adobe Acrobat DC – This is a paid option, but if you have the adobe suite, it’s probably already included.
- PDF Escape – This is a free option, and you don’t need the Adobe Suite.
With either of these options, you can make any of your PDFs fillable for whatever reason you want.
Do you set up a member’s area with login for all attendees?
The last rapid-fire question we will cover here is do you set up a members area with login for all attendees, or just make a private link that gets sent out via email? If the latter, how do you keep it from being shared?
I do not set up a member’s area with login information for my attendees because it's an extra barrier for people to watch presentations. They have to keep track of another login or remember where to go. It also means more customer support for me and my team, which I never want for a summit.
If you do want to go the member's area route, that's fine, but be prepared for questions. Have tutorials that walk people through how to get their login details, how to log in, and any other information they may need.
The second part of this question is how you keep it from being shared, and I’m honestly okay with links to my summit being shared. The worst that’s going to happen is someone’s going to come through and watch the presentation and then carry on with their day.
But on the other hand, they could watch, sign up for the speaker’s freebie, and then decide they want more and sign up for the summit because of it.
My recommendation is to not worry about the links being shared for a free event.
Have a question?
Do you have a virtual summit tech-related question that we haven’t answered? Get in touch! We’d love to record additional tech-related episodes to support you.
- Email us at [email protected].
- Reach out on Instagram.
- Post in the Summit Host Hangout Facebook group
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