Facebook virtual events: replacing in-person conferences during lockdowns

With COVID-19 stopping conferences from meeting in person, Facebook is exploring a product for them. You are the product manager: how would you design it? ```hint What does the venue give people? Streaming the talks is the easy part. Ask what attendees, organizers and sponsors each lose when there is no physical event, and where Facebook's existing strengths would make a difference. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the primary customer the organizer running the conference, the attendees, or the sponsors and exhibitors? - What kind of conference: industry and professional events, academic meetings, or fan and community conventions, and roughly how large? - Should this live inside the Facebook app, or can it be a separate product? - Is the goal engagement, a new revenue stream, or both, and would Facebook take a share of ticket or sponsorship revenue? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Facebook's reason to build this (mission fit and existing assets such as Groups, Events and Live video) and a clear goal for the product. - The conference ecosystem (organizers, attendees, speakers, sponsors) and a reasoned choice of whom to serve first. - Pain points of online conferences, especially lost networking and sponsor value, and features that address them. - A prioritized first version, success metrics and guardrails. - Risks such as professional privacy on a personal network, moderation of live rooms, and demand once in-person events return. ### Follow-up Questions - Many professionals do not want colleagues seeing their personal Facebook profile. How does that change your design? - In-person conferences come back. What happens to your product? - How would you prove to a sponsor that a virtual booth was worth paying for?