Can You Co-Host A Virtual Summit?

Virtual Summits are an incredible way to make industry connections. From speakers and sponsors to new clients and a growing community of people who are interested in your summit topic, virtual summits can offer many benefits including ways to grow your network, your audience, and your community. 

Another incredible way to make a deeper connection to someone in your industry is to co-host your virtual summit with someone whose brand aligns well with your virtual summit's target audience and virtual summit topic. So the short answer is YES!

Co-hosting a virtual summit is a big decision, but one that I've found to be enjoyable. And while having a co-host is not the best decision for everyone or every event, it's definitely worth putting some extra thought into to see if it will add to the event experience and be an overall benefit!

Co-Hosting a Virtual Summit

Let's start off by saying planning and hosting a virtual summit by yourself is a big deal! It's a huge accomplishment and I give great respect to those who do it and do it well. With that said, when you plan and host the event by yourself you may feel a bit isolated throughout the process. With nobody there to bounce your ideas off of, discuss resolutions to issues that arise, or just work through the looming list of tasks to pull the whole thing together, you have to rely on yourself and only you to get it done. 

Co-hosting is a bit different!

You do have someone there to work through the process with. You have someone to talk through the tech, help out with the to-do list, and overall, you have someone to lean on and help split up the workload when stress creeps in. 

I find that having a co-host is enjoyable! It provides another source of creative ideas, an extra set of eyes, and two extra hands to pitch in and make the event as great as you envision. 

A co-host can also help to keep you accountable for hitting deadlines and moving the project forward as agreed upon! Unlike when you're working by yourself, having a co-host there to help keep you motivated and keep the excitement of the big day up, can be just what you need to fuel your virtual summit!

Pros of Co-Hosting a Virtual Summit

There are many reasons to have a co-host for your event. I want to cover a few here for you today, in hopes of bringing some benefits to the forefront and maybe helping you decide one way or the other. 

Someone To Share The Workload

Let's call a spade a spade, right? One of the biggest benefits of bringing on a co-host to your virtual summit is having someone to split up the giant to-do list with! Let's be real virtual summits, when done right, take a lot of work to pull off. Our launch plans have over 400 tasks from start to finish, and even if you don't use or follow them step by step- you'll be doing about the same if not more for your event!

So having someone to share the workload with is a huge benefit!

Additional Ideas to Make Your Event Great 

A co-host can be an incredible source of additional ideas for your virtual summit. This might be one of the best benefits and one of the reasons I truly love to work with a co-host to create virtual summits. 

Sometimes having someone else who is equally invested in the success of the event, who can offer additional ideas on sessions, topics, engagement, and swag, as well as bonuses and ticket options, is an amazing benefit!

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Two heads are better than one, especially when dealing with issues and problems. When dealing with so many moving pieces, like in a virtual summit there is always room for error. Sometimes things just don't go as planned or even when they do, sometimes you just need someone to talk you through it and help you line things up.

Having a co-host to help you figure out a workthrough or workaround makes dealing with unforeseen issues easier and often less stressful.

Stay Motivated Throughout The Planning

Who doesn't need someone to help keep them motivated, right? Well, a virtual summit co-host can help you do just that! And not only will a co-host help keep you motivated, but you can also help to keep them motivated. 

Helping to keep each other motivated and pushing through to meet and exceed your virtual summit event goals can only be a good thing! Your event will stay on track, you'll find you're checking things off of your to-do list on time or maybe even early, and you'll likely feel less stressed! 

Utilize Another Skill Set

Forget about doing everything yourself, especially the things you find you're not so great at or the things you just don't enjoy. Find a co-host who can take over in the areas you're not strong in. 

Split the workload and utilize each other's skill sets to bring your virtual summit to fruition! When you have a co-host you get to utilize a whole separate set of skills that will hopefully add to your event in only the best ways.

Extended Event Reach

Depending on the audience your co-host has already grown, you may be able to extend your initial event reach just by adding them to your event.

This could be a few hundred extra emails to target with your launch campaign emails of several thousand. Obviously, several thousand or ten of thousands would make a big impact on the initial launch campaign if the audience was indeed in the same niche and in need of the information and transformation your summit will create.

Makes It More Fun

Okay, last on my list of benefits of adding a co-host to your virtual summit is the fact that co-hosting events makes the planning process more fun! You have someone there to go through all the emotional ups and downs these huge events can bring about and you have a partner to talk through it all with. 

Hopefully, there will be good conversations back and forth between you and your co-host that lead to better virtual event strategies and event planning decisions. 

Con's of Co-Hosting a Virtual Summit

And just like there are many pros to co-hosting a virtual summit, there can be real cons to doing so as well. Choosing the right co-host makes all the difference, so before we wrap this post up I'm going to review my 2 biggest cons for co-hosting a virtual summit. 

Depending on Someone Else to Deliver

Choose your co-host wisely! Because regardless of if you know the person prior to the decision to co-host the event, you'll be relying on whoever you choose to actually deliver on their end of the bargain. 

For me, this always seems to be the hardest part. Trusting someone else with your event's success puts a lot of stress on the event from the very start. Take as much time as you need to research, talk with and really get to know your co-host before agreeing to anything!

Relinquishing Absolute Control Over The Event

Another con of having a co-host can be that you will no longer have complete control over all the decisions. Your co-host will likely want a say in major decisions as well as creative design, who the speakers will be, sponsors to pitch as well as things like tech platforms, ticket amounts, and even how many days to run the event for. 

This should be a big part of making your decision on whether you'll have a co-host or not. Relinquishing absolute control over your event can be a bigger deal to some people than others. And if you're one of those people who need to have the final say in all decisions, you may not enjoy co-hosting your virtual summit.

Co-hosting a virtual summit is really a big decision and not one that you should take lightly. I've personally found that working with a co-host can be very enjoyable when you have the right co-host, but you may feel differently and I encourage you to take time to decide which option is right for you.

If you're interested in hosting your own virtual summit or digital event, check out this post on how virtual summits work to get a little more information on the behind-the-scenes.