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How to Build and Utilize an Effective Virtual Breakout Space

Breakout spaces are useful to have at live events, and they’re equally useful at virtual events too. By using virtual breakout spaces, you can encourage attendee participation and send engagement levels soaring, increasing the overall success of your event.

Why Your Virtual Event Needs Breakout Spaces

Given that events are all about bringing people together, what’s the point of having breakout spaces for smaller groups?

At live events, breakout spaces are important because they facilitate small-group interactions. Breakout spaces provide room for group discussions and collaboration while minimizing outside distractions. At live events, they can also be spaces where people can eat or relax in a quiet spot away from the main event areas.

Breakout spaces are also important at virtual events, whether attendees are gathering on a 2D platform or in a 3D virtual venue. Virtual breakout spaces are essential for facilitating and encouraging small-group interactions. This is particularly important at virtual events because these interactions help boost engagement.

At virtual events, breakout spaces are important for technical reasons too. Having multiple people talking over each other can cause unpleasant sound issues for other listeners. Some people may also experience audio delays, which may make it difficult to understand what people are saying. These issues are less likely to occur in a virtual breakout space. With fewer people in the group, there’s less chance that multiple people will try to speak at once.

How to Effectively Use Breakout Spaces at Virtual Events

Breakout spaces are typically used somewhat differently at virtual events than at in-person ones. At live events, breakout spaces are used in two different ways. One way is for breakout sessions, which are semi-structured activities that are part of the event agenda. The second is that they can be used as multipurpose spaces for informal and unstructured activities that aren’t part of the agenda.

At virtual events, breakout spaces are almost always used for specific event activities. For virtual events, these spaces are most effective when used for structured activities with defined goals.

It’s also important to be mindful of group sizes when deciding how to use breakout spaces at a virtual event. If the group is too small, it’s harder to get enough input for the session to be useful. If the group is too large, it’s harder to ensure everyone gets a chance to take part.

Ideal group size also depends somewhat on the purpose of the session. Smaller groups of four to six people are best for most virtual breakout sessions. But larger groups are okay if the session doesn’t involve a lot of back-and-forth discussion or collaborative work.

1. Lightning Talks

A virtual event can let you showcase a wide range of industry topics and voices. Lightning talks—which last only 5 or 10 minutes each—are a great way to hear from lots of people. And you can schedule several talks without your event agenda getting overwhelmingly packed. Plus, scheduling lightning talks in breakout spaces lets you run multiple talks at once, and this format works with any group size.

A speaking opportunity can also be an attractive addition to sponsorship packages. Sponsors will appreciate the chance to speak directly to your audience, and you can add extra event content without having to budget for it.

2. Campfire Chat/Roundtable

Both the campfire chat and the roundtable format focus on small group discussions. The roundtable is a more formal and goal-oriented option, while the campfire chat is casual and intimate. Campfire chats can center around either personal or professional subjects. They’re often used as icebreakers or “getting to know you” sessions.

A roundtable discussion is often used as accompaniment to a lecture or conference session. After the initial lecture, the main group splits up into multiple smaller groups. Those groups then head off, and each spends the breakout session discussing one particular aspect of the lecture. This format is especially useful for a virtual breakout space because it’s a highly structured format that encourages participation from every member of the group.

3. Brainstorming/Collaborative Discussion

Breakout spaces are generally the best option when your goal is to facilitate group collaboration that has a specific end goal. This format is similar to the roundtable but is more casual and less structured. However, because it’s unstructured, this kind of group interaction can get chaotic if the group is too large. It’s best to stick with smaller groups to ensure people can work together effectively.

4. Games and Activities

Icebreaker games, networking activities, and team-building exercises are all suitable for a virtual breakout space. All these activities can be modified to accommodate most group sizes. And there’s a wide range of options in all three categories that work well for virtual formats. For best results, go for activities that provide lots of opportunities for interaction.

5. Workshops and Demonstrations

This format is suitable for groups of most sizes, as it’s less about collaboration and more about teaching or instruction. It’s also suitable for a lunch-and-learn type of session. These sessions are perfect for event attendees who prefer a working lunch rather than taking a break. The virtual format lends itself particularly well to this kind of session, since every attendee gets the same unobstructed view of the demonstration material!

virtual breakout space

Virtual Breakout Spaces Are an Effective Engagement Strategy

Keeping engagement high is one of the biggest challenges for a virtual event. Having virtual breakout spaces at an event is an effective way to meet that challenge. The small-group interactions attendees enjoy in a virtual breakout space are perfect to help them stay engaged and keep motivation high throughout the event.

Rob Cummings

Ready to add a new dimension to your next event?

Mark Yujuico

Senior Product Marketing Manager

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Jody Tatro

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With over 30 years of industry experience, Jody is the Chairwoman of the Board of XtendLive, driving vision and strategy. Every strategic approach that goes out the door is influenced by Jody’s experience and philosophies on her high standards for client service. 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.

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Howard Citron

CTO

A product designer at heart, Howard has developed consumer and business products, large scale distributed systems, and software applications. With over 25 years of industry experience, he offers senior executives with innovative solutions to their most vexing software and systems challenges. He assists clients by exploring new market opportunities and acting as an internal venture manager within their organizations.

Robert Cummings

Director Of Technology

Robert is an acute and credible tech professional who helps create an invaluable virtual experience. With over 30 years of high-level tech experience, he has a proficient background in sales, market research, and finance. Robert strives to help clients understand the technology at its fullest aptitude and how it can best create a positive and valuable virtual event experience.

Jack Connolly

Jack Connolly

Chief Executive Officer

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.

Paul Miller

Chief Marketing Officer

Having served in many executive roles for over 25 years, Paul has a client-side perspective of the corporate events industry. He reaches clients through traditional and digital marketing programs and has a high involvement with technology strategies. In his spare time, he is a principal member of the non-profit Gratitude Network that mentors award-winning social entrepreneurs.

Matt Rulis

VP Of Business Development

Spending the last 15 years in sales, Matt has experience managing marketing strategies, campaigns, and environments for a diverse client base. His relentless tenacity and keen eye for detail shapes the renowned vision he has for client service. He focuses on fostering relationships to uphold XtendLive’s customer satisfaction ratings year-over-year.

Dick Wheeler

Chief Executive Officer

Dick is the CEO of XtendLive. He is an entrepreneur, innovator, and compelling force in the fast-growing virtual event industry. With over 30 years of industry experience, Dick possesses the astute leadership that is a sought-after gold standard in the industry. Under his leadership, the team has generated highly successful events for numerous companies while continuing to drive an imaginative vision for client’s virtual event needs.

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