Running a virtual conference sounds glamorous and super fun until you realise you’re juggling nine breakout rooms, a bunch of speakers, moderators and hosts… and trying not to get absolutely frazzled. What Kim Ellis learned from running the first virtual conference for L&D Free Spirits – warts and all.
Free Spirits LIVE! 2025 was our first ever conference, and what a day it was. In this post, I’m sharing the lessons learned, the bits I’d absolutely repeat, and what I’ll tweak next time. If you’re thinking about running your own virtual event, grab your notebook and dive in.
Step 1 – The idea
How the Free Spirits LIVE virtual conference came to life
If you want the full backstory of how the idea came about, check out the I Had a Cunning Plan blog post, there’s plenty in there I’ll only skim here.
Deciding to run a webinar, a LinkedIn Live, or a podcast is one thing. Putting on a full-blown virtual conference is another level entirely. You can’t go at it half-heartedly — you’ve got to live and breathe it from the moment the idea lands until well after the day itself.
Once that spark hits, the first job is to plan and set a timeline. And honestly, this is something I’ll handle differently next time. I gave myself just two months from idea to launch because I wanted it to land the week before the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition.
We did it — but with a longer lead time, I could’ve given people more notice to get it in their diaries. Even a simple save the date webpage would’ve helped. A fast turnaround gets results, but oh my gosh, the stress levels climb fast too.
Step 2 – Roping people in
Building a speaker line-up and partnerships for your online event
I’ve been around the networking and expo circuit a fair few years, so I knew I could pull together a strong mix of speakers and topics. For your first conference, though, you’ll need to call in a few favours.
Some people will immediately ask, “How much are you paying?” I hadn’t run a conference before, so I went with a profit share model: Free Spirits took 15% off the top, then everyone involved — keynotes, main speakers, hosts, moderators — split the rest evenly.
The idea was simple: the more tickets sold, the bigger everyone’s share. Within two weeks we had an agenda, and the webpage went live.
Lesson learned: it doesn’t need to be perfect before you launch. I wanted every speaker confirmed, every Skills Lab defined, and all sponsors onboard — but you don’t need that from day one. Launch with what you’ve got and build momentum as you go.
Think of it like fireworks: instead of one big finale, you start with a Catherine wheel, then a rocket, then a sparkling fountain. Drip-feeding sessions builds excitement — just be ready for a few late ticket buyers and the added stress that comes with that.
Step 3 – The marketing
How to promote a virtual conference without a huge budget
No matter how good your event is, it’ll go nowhere without marketing.
For our webinars, we usually run a six-week campaign: add the event to the website, post three or four times on social, send two emails, and include it in the monthly roundup.
That’s fine for a one-hour session but not for a full-day conference. With only eight weeks’ lead time for Free Spirits LIVE, it wasn’t enough. People already had commitments. So next time, I’ll give much more notice.
I also experimented with LinkedIn ads (£500 over three weeks). They drove over 100 page visits but no conversions. To make LinkedIn ads work, you’d need thousands and a much longer campaign. Lesson learned.
Instead, I’ll build excitement organically: drip-feed speaker announcements, share sneak peeks, and maybe offer early-bird and returning-attendee discounts.
One thing that worked brilliantly was the media pack I made for speakers, hosts, and sponsors. It included branded images, face/logo templates, and ready-made post text to make it easy to share. I also gave a few complimentary tickets as a thank-you — a small gesture that made a big difference.
Step 4 – Running the conference
Lessons from hosting a full-day online learning event
A few weeks out, I held walkthroughs with everyone involved, replicating breakout rooms and running through roles. At that stage, I still wasn’t sure if I could pull it all off — nine breakout rooms and one main room was no small feat.
One moderator suggested a breakout room cheat sheet so attendees could easily navigate between sessions. Great idea, so that was whipped up and shared the day before.
By then, the Conference Village in Slack had already been open for a week. Attendees were starting to connect, share, and get to know each other. It did add to the workload, but it also gave us space to share bonus resources — something I’ll definitely do again.
Biggest hitches? I shared my personal Zoom link so people wouldn’t have to dig out theirs. Lovely idea, except it meant everyone who joined showed up as me. We spent the first ten minutes asking people to rename themselves…it did give us a laugh though. And Mark kept having to take people out of the conference to record their podcast segments on Riverside, so that was a little frustrating.
If those were the only glitches, though, I’ll take it. Next time, I’ll also add more comfort breaks and a bit more breathing space between sessions. It was full-on from start to finish.
The wrap-up
Reflections and takeaways for future virtual conference hosts
Pulling off a full-day virtual conference with just two months’ prep? I’m still proud of that. It was a brilliant day with loads of positive feedback and a buzzing atmosphere throughout.
But I know I couldn’t have done it alone. Huge thanks to everyone who helped make it happen:
Pinky Ghadiali, Fiona McBride, Liz Burkinshaw, Nahdia Khan, Judy Parsons, Hayley Maisey, Paul Service, Thea Newcomb, Andy Candler, Kevin Watson, Hari Patience-Davies, Mark Gilroy, Viv Cole, Kelly Joanne Knight, Nicky Rudd, Tom McDowall, Erica Baron, Karien Stroucken, Andy Donnachie, and Rob Clarke.
And thanks to our brilliant sponsors and partners: Maisey Marketing, Scheer IMC, Training Journal, Learning News, and The CPD Group.
Finally, a massive thank you to all our attendees — you made it awesome.
If you’re thinking about running your own virtual conference, do it. It won’t be perfect, but neither was mine…and it turned into one of the proudest moments of my business life.
Oh, and if you’re wondering when we’ll do it again…well, we’re going to run them twice per year in March and October.
Cause we can’t just stop at one 😉
