Virtual Summit: How To Choose A Name For Your Event

I totally agree that an epic event name could catapult your event into a social slam-dunk with a super creative hashtag that goes viral and gets tons of attention! A memorable name that sets the tone and speaks to your attendees, sponsors, and your speakers could be just what the doctor ordered...

But I tend to go in the totally opposite direction! 

My Two Sense On Choosing An Event Name

When I sit down to choose an event name it usually goes a little something like this...

1. I get the idea to host a virtual event.
2. I lock in on a topic and the general theme of the event.
3. That topic is usually the name of the event!

I don't ever really sit and brainstorm what to call the event, as I usually lean 100% toward a practical and straightforward name that easily identifies what the event will focus on. I like to make things easy both for myself and for others. 

So calling the event exactly what it is with only the addition of an identifier like Virtual Summit, Digital Conference, Job Fair, or maybe Webinar Series is what I tend to use for my events. 

When people come across my events, they know 100% what the event is about by reading the name and usually the URL. 

Want To Be Creative?

If you lean more towards the creative naming type, you may want to consider my first 2 steps in the list above as well as 2 additional steps I'll outline below before you decide on a name.

• Get an idea to host a virtual event. You'll still need to complete this step obviously if you're goal is to plan and host a virtual event. So this is an easy one. 
• Lock in on a topic and the general theme of the event. Again, you'll still need to lock in on a topic and the general theme of your event. Doing this is going to make the next 2 steps I suggest 100% easier to complete. So pick a topic, make it final and let's move on.

Okay so you completed my first 2 easy steps, now we need to move on to the next 2 steps you'll take in your event planning process, which will ultimately put you in a much better space to actually identify a name for your event- and hopefully make it catchy and creative!

• Identify your audience. You need to know who your audience is. Identify your target audience and set up an avatar so you know who you're talking to and who ultimately you intended to build this event for. There's nothing worse than talking to a group of people in a way that seems forced or worse...  inappropriate.
• Create a list of topics you plan to cover. Okay so now you know the topic and theme of your overall event as well as who it's being built for. Now is the time to start lining out your ideas for what you will be covering in the event. I usually make a list in Airtable of anything I can think of that relates to my topic/theme and then work back through them to narrow them down, weed the extras out and nail down the details of the ones I know for sure I need to deliver! 

Once you've done these additional steps, I would then start to brainstorm the ideas for names. 

You've done the work upfront that is going to help you get those creative juices flowing and hopefully at this point you've had some words, phrases, or even full names and tagline float through your mind. 

This is the perfect time to start jotting down event name ideas and sorting back through them to see what fits. 

Good luck!