Tradeshow Tips

What Happens During Your Virtual Event’s Pre-Launch Testing, and Why Is It So Important?

Before any event, there’s practice happening to make sure the quality is up to par. Dress rehearsals, run-throughs, event and keynote speakers practicing until they’re word-perfect. It’s no different for a virtual event! For software applications, quality control is achieved via extensive testing. In a virtual event pre-launch test, the goal is to find and fix problems that might negatively affect the attendee experience. It’s a vital part of getting the event in great shape for attendees to enjoy.

What Is a Pre-Launch Test?

In virtual event development, pre-launch testing is the final phase of development and happens in the final few days before the event is ready to go live. It’s conducted to confirm that every aspect is running as it should.

In some ways, pre-launch testing is similar to the dress rehearsal or dry-run that some traditional events have. It’s the last opportunity to iron out any lingering issues with equipment, check the event timeline, and confirm with speakers that they’re properly set up for their presentations. It gives you a chance to see how everything will work on the day and can also help you pinpoint potential problems that might affect the event.

Pre-launch testing is also important because it’s the last chance to confirm that the event properly meets its brief. Most events are heavily customized with client and sponsorship branding, as well as interactive content. So it’s important to make sure everything looks right and that any interactive features are working correctly.

What Happens in a Virtual Event Pre-Launch Test?

Pre-launch testing focuses on finding and fixing problems with equipment, and with platform settings and features. Pre-launch testing may involve a full-length rehearsal, but it doesn’t necessarily need to. For an event with an extensive content schedule, running a full-length rehearsal isn’t feasible. Instead, a pared-down rehearsal might involve:

  • Checking platform settings
  • Testing equipment
  • Meeting with speakers individually or as a group to go over their roles and setup

Depending on the event, event platform, and content schedule, virtual event pre-launch testing might involve some of the following tasks:

Speaker Preparation

  • Work with speakers to confirm audio settings and test equipment, including audio and microphone, and virtual background.
  • Ensure the speaker’s presentation space is set up correctly, including lighting and camera placement.
  • Walk through relevant platform functionality, such as chat, Q&A, polls, and breakout spaces to ensure speakers understand how to use the platform.
  • Test screenshare function for any speakers who are presenting visual material.
  • Test content to make sure it’s loading and displaying correctly on the event platform. Also check to make sure that attendee accounts can see speaker content.
  • Provide additional preparation to group panels, if necessary. For instance, confirm how you are managing the transition between speakers and keeping track of how long each speaking segment lasts.

Schedule Confirmation

  • Confirm presentation length and content order with speakers.
  • Walk through of the content schedule to confirm content order and timing.
  • Check for potential problem areas. For instance, if one of your speakers runs overtime, how can you adjust to keep things running on schedule? If they run short, do you have content to fill in the gap?

Platform Testing

  • Confirm settings for platform functionality, including Q&A, polls, and other interactive features.
  • Confirm additional permissions and settings for speakers and other participants (e.g. discussion moderators).
  • Confirm that different types of content (e.g. livestreams and pre-recorded content) are working on the platform.
  • Test content transitions to confirm that you can transition between different types of content seamlessly, with no dead air.

User-Focused Testing

  • Understand what the event platform looks like from the perspective of attendees.
  • Log into the platform as a user to check that branding and sponsorship visuals are displaying correctly.
  • Test-drive content and interactive features to confirm attendees can interact with the platform as intended.
  • If the event has different attendance packages, check that restricted-level content is only available to the intended registration tiers.

What Pre-Launch Testing Can’t Do

It’s important to note that conducting a pre-launch test doesn’t mean there will be no technical problems at all during a virtual event. Pre-launch testing is an important part of producing a virtual event, but it can’t guarantee the event will run 100% perfectly. It’s still possible problems may pop up on the day.

The main reason for this is that pre-launch testing can’t fix “client-side” problems. These are issues that arise due to attendee error, such as an incorrectly configured microphone or headphones. However, if your platform has a troubleshooting guide or tech support team, those kinds of issues should have minimal impact.

Virtual Event Pre-Launch Testing Is Too Important to Skip

One of the key parts of putting on a great virtual event is making sure the attendee experience is as flawless and user-friendly as possible. Testing before the big day is an essential part of this process, and it’s something that should never be skipped or skimped on. When you work with the XtendLive platform, pre-launch testing is part of the process. We won’t skip it, and we’ll keep you abreast of anything that arises. Ready to work with an experienced, dedicated team of virtual event professionals? Contact us.

Allie Wheeler

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Jack Connolly

Executive Creative Director

As an experiential creative director, Jack prefers to draw outside the lines. He tells stories with original content and impactful design to ignite meaningful conversation.

 

Jack brings 20 years of event industry knowledge to ProGlobalEvents. He specializes in building live & virtual platforms for audiences to connect, engage and immerse themselves in the power of a shared experience. His skills range from ideation and concept development to defining an attendee journey through storytelling and design.

Jack understands the creative process is not linear, but a collaborative process between agency and client. He manages teams of designers and technology developers to pioneer impactful brand experiences. His diverse skillset and leadership ensure for award-winning results and memorable impressions.

 

In 2019, BizBash named Jack one of the top event designers in North America. SXSW awarded his work the “People’s Choice in Innovation” in 2021.

Jerome Nadel

Chief Marketing Officer

Jerome Nadel is Internationally experienced design-led marketing executive (CMO and GM) with a track record of improved market position, revenue growth, and M&A. He is an advance degreed psychologist and user experience product/service design expert, board member and advisor.

 

Prior to joining ProGlobalEvents |ProExhibits |XtendLive, he has had a variety of chief marketing officer and chief user experience officer roles at companies including Rambus, BrainChip, Human Factors International, SLP InfoWare, Gemplus, and Sagem. He started his career in the IBM Human Factors Labs.

 

He is also an avid cyclist with National and multiple California State Champion titles.

Ivan Fujihara

Chief Financial Officer

Ivan brings 25+ years in senior level management experience from a variety of technology industries.  His background includes accounting management, analytics and audit management for technology companies.  He has worked with companies such as THX, Ltd, Recruitology , Double Click, Creative Labs and more.  Ivan has also served on the board of Lincoln Families, a non-profit that supports East Bay children with the objective of disrupting the cycle of trauma and poverty.

Matt Rulis

Vice President of Sales

Matt is a marketing professional and has been managing marketing strategies, campaigns and environments for a diverse client base for over 15 years. From a service perspective, Matt and his team of Account Executives focus on fostering relationships to uphold a greater than 99% customer satisfaction rating year-over-year. Additionally, with extensive experience on the client-side of the industry, he understands that alignment between expectation and budget is paramount to a successful project. As a result, ProGlobalEvents' clients can expect a competitive advantage paired with top quality products and services. Matt is an avid fly-fisherman, enjoys most outdoor activities and is a true college football fanatic.

Tom Foley

VP of Operations

Heading the fabrication side of ProGlobalEvents is exhibit and event industry veteran, Tom Foley. For over 35 years he has been responsible for building amazing exhibits and environments for clients. Tom started out in the production area and has broad experience in project and operations management. He currently oversees production, warehouse, graphics and project management departments. Tom studied machine tool technology and welding before entering the industry. As a true "builder" he also enjoys restoring and modifying classic American cars.

Dick Wheeler

President

Dick serves as President of ProGlobalEvents and President of ProExhibits and is a board member of CEMA (Corporate Event Marketing Association). At ProExhibits he has been nationally recognized as an innovator and driving force in the fast-growing trade show exhibit and event industry. Under his leadership in 1997, the firm received INC magazine’s INC 500 award as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. His informative articles on developments and innovations in the trade show exhibit and event industry have appeared in national trade publications. Dick has a B.S. degree from Wittemore School of Business & Economics at the University of New Hampshire and has completed the Entrepreneurial Executive Leadership Program sponsored by MIT, YEO and INC. He is actively involved in Vistage, an interactive group of over 20,000 CEO’s and presidents worldwide and is a member of CEMA and EDPA.

Jody Tatro

Chief Executive Officer

In addition to being CEO of ProGlobalEvents, Jody is also the CEO of ProExhibits. With Jody at the helm, the company has been recognized repeatedly as one of the Top 50 Women Owned Businesses in Silicon Valley. She has set the outstanding client service standards for which the firm’s account management team is noted. Jody is a recipient of the YWCA’s Tribute to Women Award, the Junior League Community Volunteer Award and is listed in Who’s Who of Women in Business. Following her graduation from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Jody held various sales positions in several technology companies.