Planning a virtual summit is a big undertaking that often requires a great deal of collaboration and alignment of many variables to produce an exciting and impactful event!

If you've decided to bring in a co-host for your event to share the spotlight and the success, you'll be taking the collab part to the next level from the very start of the project. 

Co-hosts can bring a ton of value with diverse skills, and additional capacity for work, as well as the benefit of having someone else who is truly as invested in the success of the event as you are, to share your thoughts and plan accordingly. 

Before You Get Started

But before diving into the details and creating event magic, it's crucial for cohosts to agree upon key aspects that will shape the success of their event.

By establishing a strong foundation from the start, virtual summit cohosts can ensure a cohesive and impactful experience for their audience.

In this blog post, we will explore the essential elements that virtual summit cohosts should agree upon before embarking on their planning journey. From defining event goals and identifying target audiences to determining roles and responsibilities, we will guide you through the crucial steps that lay the groundwork for a successful virtual summit.

So, whether you are a seasoned virtual summit organizer or venturing into this realm for the first time, read on to discover how aligning on these key aspects will set you up for a collaborative and thriving virtual event.

Let's dive in!

8 Things To Agree On Before Co-Hosting A Virtual Summit

Before starting to plan their event, virtual summit cohosts should plan a meeting to discuss and agree on the following:

Event Goals and Objectives:

Cohosts should align on the purpose of the virtual summit, whether it is to educate, inspire, or generate leads. Clearly define the goals and objectives of not just your event (as it relates to your business and that of your cohost) but also what you intend for your attendees, speakers, and sponsors to gain from the experience.

Defining your event goals and objectives will help guide you through the entire planning process while making sure you stay on target.

Your Event Target Audience:

Identifying the target audience for your event is crucial for tailoring content and marketing efforts. You may have defined this earlier on in your initial planning when you came up with the idea of the event, but not that you have a cohost- it's best to go back and make sure you guys are on the same page.

Cohosts must agree on who they want to reach with their virtual summit so you can ensure that the needs and interests of this audience are who your speakers will be delivering the information to and creating it for.

Roles and Responsibilities:

It's important to establish clear roles and responsibilities for each cohost involved in organizing the virtual summit. This includes tasks such as content creation, speaker outreach, marketing, technical setup, and customer support.

Think about your strengths and where you could use a little assistance, and have your co-host do the same. 

Hopefully, there is a balance and you can pick up where the other person lacks, but if not have a conversation about who would be best suited for each role and start dividing up your work. 

Summit Session Topics:

Once you have some goals outlined, know who your event will serve as well as what each host will be responsible for it's time to start talking about the sessions that you see in your event.

Determine the specific topics you want to cover during the event. to do this, I find it best to start with creating a full braindump-style list of everything that comes to mind. If you can dedicate a planning meeting to completing this list or at least going through the topics and talking about why or how they help attendees accomplish the overall goal of the event, this will be incredibly helpful in shaping your content and getting your event ready to think about potential speakers. 

Timeline and Deadlines:

Setting a timeline with key milestones and deadlines ensures that everyone stays on track throughout the planning process. Cohosts should discuss important dates such as speaker confirmations, content submission deadlines, promotional activities, and event launches.

I totally recommend my Summit Host Start Kit, which includes project plans that allow you to create a custom to-do list, but if you have your own system for planning the summit- that will work as well! 

The point is to lay out pivotal points in your planning process, key dates for your speakers, and make sure you know what is due... who needs to deliver it... and when it needs to be done! 

Marketing Strategy:

Agreeing on a marketing strategy is essential for promoting the virtual summit effectively.

This includes deciding on channels to use (email marketing, social media, partnerships), creating a content calendar, determining budget allocation if necessary, and outlining any joint promotional efforts.

It's best to talk about this early on, so you can make a plan to block off some time on your marketing calendar to incorporate the promotion of the event. Getting too far along on the planning and not having a clear picture of who is promoting, when, and where will lead to a lack of promotion activities and effort, which will lead to low registration numbers.

Revenue Sharing & Compensation:

The last thing I suggest you talk about before agreeing to cohost a virtual summit is the compensation and how revenue will be split up. 

I would assume you have already discussed this or included the information in your pitch, but in case you and your cohost decided to host an event before any additional conversations or plans were made, this is one conversation that must be had. 

Talking about ticket sales, sponsorships and post-event launch plans for shared and unshare products will ensure everyone is on the same page and everything is transparent.

Before Co-Hosting A Virtual Summit

By agreeing upon these key aspects before starting to plan your event, you and your virtual summit cohost(s) can establish a strong foundation for collaboration and ensure a successful and cohesive virtual summit experience for their audience.

Remember, clear communication is the key to success!