A virtual event planning business plans and produces events that happen online or in hybrid form: webinars, virtual conferences, product launches, training days, award shows and community meetups. To start one, choose a niche, learn two or three event platforms deeply, package your services into planning and live production, and set up contracts and data-handling processes. Your value is a smooth run of show, engaged attendees and useful data afterwards.
This guide covers how to start a virtual event planning business in the US, the UK and Nigeria, with services, pricing maths and the privacy rules for attendee data.
Key takeaways
- Online events are now a normal part of event planning, not a pandemic stopgap.
- Specialise: B2B webinars, virtual conferences, hybrid town halls or online community events.
- Sell planning and live production separately; production days are where many projects go wrong.
- Registration lists are personal data. Get consent and store them securely.
Is virtual event planning still a real business?
Event planning is a growing profession, and the US labour data now treats online events as part of the job: corporate planners’ “events may be in person or online”.
- 172,100 meeting, convention and event planner jobs in the US (2025) US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
- 6% projected job growth, 2025–35, faster than average US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
- $61,160 median annual pay (May 2025) US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
The largest employer group is associations, non-profits and professional bodies. They run conferences, member webinars and AGMs, often with members spread across countries, which makes them natural buyers of virtual and hybrid events. In Nigeria, professional associations, churches, tech communities and diaspora groups run online events for members at home and abroad.
Step 1: Choose your niche and event types
| Niche | Typical events | Buyer |
|---|---|---|
| B2B marketing | Webinars, product launches, customer roundtables | Marketing teams |
| Associations and non-profits | Virtual conferences, AGMs, member training | Membership and events managers |
| Internal events | Town halls, onboarding, team celebrations | HR and internal comms |
| Education and training | Workshops, cohort sessions, graduations | Training providers, universities |
| Communities and faith groups | Livestreams, online gatherings, fundraisers | Community leaders |
B2B webinars are a good starting point because they repeat: a company that runs one a month needs the same skills each time. Our guide to starting an event planning business covers in-person skills if you plan to offer hybrid events.
Step 2: Package your services
- Strategy and planning: event goals, format, agenda, speaker briefs, run of show.
- Platform setup: registration pages, branding, ticketing, integrations with the client’s CRM.
- Production: rehearsals, speaker tech checks, live switching, moderation, captions, recordings.
- Engagement: polls, Q&A, breakout rooms, networking, giveaways.
- Promotion and follow-up: invitation emails, reminders, replay emails and attendee reports.
The promotion and follow-up work is often where clients see the return. A webinar that feeds a sales pipeline needs registration data flowing into the CRM and a follow-up sequence ready before the event; that’s lead generation work our email marketing and automation teams handle.
How to choose the right platform for each event
Match the platform to the event’s goal, not to habit:
| Event goal | What the platform must do well | Questions to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Generate leads (B2B webinar) | Registration forms, CRM integration, attendee reports | Can registrations sync to the client’s CRM automatically? |
| Educate (training, workshops) | Breakout rooms, polls, recordings, certificates | Can attendees rewatch and download materials? |
| Connect (community, networking) | Chat, small-group rooms, profiles | Will people actually meet each other, or just watch? |
| Broadcast (town halls, launches) | Stable streaming to large audiences, captions | What happens if 5,000 people join at once? |
Test every platform on a mid-range phone and a slow connection before recommending it. Some attendees will join from mobile data on older phones.
Step 3: Register and follow the data rules
| United States | United Kingdom | Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business registration | LLC or sole proprietorship; free EIN (IRS) | Sole trader (Self Assessment once trading income tops £1,000) or £100 limited company (Companies House) | Business name or company with the CAC; TIN |
| Attendee data | State privacy laws where they apply; follow the platform’s terms | UK GDPR: lawful basis, privacy notice, and consent for marketing emails | Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, overseen by the NDPC |
| Recording and images | Tell attendees sessions are recorded | Inform attendees about recording in the privacy notice | Inform attendees and get speaker consent for recordings |
| Insurance | Professional liability (errors and omissions) | Professional indemnity | Ask about professional liability for event contracts |
Step 4: Budget your startup costs
These are planning estimates, not quotes.
| Cost item | Planning estimate (US / UK) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Computer able to stream and switch | $1,000–$3,000 / £800–£2,500 | Plus a backup laptop for live events |
| Camera, microphone, lighting | $200–$1,000 / £150–£800 | For hosting and producing |
| Event platform subscriptions | Monthly or per event | Many clients pay for their own platform licence |
| Streaming and switching software | $0–$50 a month | Free options exist for simple productions |
| Backup internet | $20–$80 a month | A second connection or mobile hotspot |
| Website and branding | $500–$4,000 / £400–£3,200 | Case studies and an enquiry form |
| Contract template and insurance | $500–$2,500 / £400–£2,000 | Before your first paid event |
In Nigeria, a power plan is non-negotiable: an inverter or solar backup plus a second internet provider. Many clients bill in naira, but international clients can pay in dollars or pounds through a payment provider that pays out locally.
Step 5: Price per event
Worked example (replace with your numbers):
- A one-hour B2B webinar: 10 hours of planning and setup, 2 hours of rehearsal, 2 hours of live production, 3 hours of follow-up and reporting = 17 hours.
- At $60 an hour: 17 × $60 = $1,020 per webinar.
- A client running one webinar a month on a retainer: 12 × $1,020 = $12,240 a year.
- A one-day virtual conference with 8 sessions: about 120 hours = $7,200, plus any freelance producers you hire.
Four monthly webinar clients and four conferences a year bring in about $77,760 in fees from roughly 1,300 hours. Retainers make the calendar predictable; conferences add peaks.
Myth vs fact
- MythVirtual events are just video calls with more people.
- FactGood virtual events need a run of show, rehearsals, a producer, engagement planned minute by minute and a follow-up plan. That's the service clients pay for.
- MythVirtual event planning disappeared after the pandemic.
- FactOnline and hybrid formats remain part of how organisations run webinars, training and member events. US labour data now describes corporate events as in person or online.
Step 6: Win clients
First 90 days
-
Produce two showcase events
Run a free webinar for a community or non-profit and record the highlights.
-
Write a one-page service sheet
Packages, what's included and example timelines.
-
Pitch associations and B2B marketers
Offer a free audit of their last webinar's run of show and follow-up.
-
Partner with in-person planners
Offer to run the virtual side of their hybrid events.
-
Publish case studies
Registrations, attendance and engagement, with client permission.
-
Turn one-offs into retainers
Propose a monthly webinar series after every successful event.
Clients often judge a virtual event by attendance on the day, but much of the value sits in the follow-up. I'd build the post-event email sequence into every package: the recording, a useful resource and a clear next step for attendees. When you can show a client what happened after the webinar, you're selling growth rather than logistics.
Event-day checklist
- Run of show shared with every speaker and moderator
- Speaker tech checks done the day before
- Backup internet and power tested
- Backup host and backup laptop ready
- Captions switched on
- Recording consent and privacy notice in place
- Polls, Q&A and links pre-loaded
- Follow-up emails scheduled for after the event
Virtual event planning FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start a virtual event planning business?
If you already own a capable computer, you can start with a microphone, camera, lighting, backup internet, a website and a contract template. Our planning estimate for a full setup is roughly $2,200–$10,600 in the US, and clients often pay for platform licences.
Is virtual event planning still profitable?
Yes, especially with recurring clients like B2B marketing teams and associations that run regular webinars and member events. Profit depends on pricing for the full workload, including rehearsals and follow-up.
Do I need certification to be a virtual event planner?
No certification is legally required. Platform skills, a portfolio of produced events and professional event qualifications help clients trust you.
What platforms should virtual event planners know?
Learn one webinar platform, one virtual conference or event platform and one streaming tool deeply, then follow the client's choice. Being able to troubleshoot under pressure matters more than knowing every tool.
How do I handle attendee data legally?
Use a clear privacy notice, collect only what you need, get consent for marketing emails, and agree with the client who controls the data. UK GDPR and Nigeria's Data Protection Act 2023 both apply where relevant.
