I can say that I am not fond of the virtual summits. What I'm less fond of is the prices they are charging. No nice meetings rooms etc, just the same bill for attending.

Can't offer any advice.

       Hi, Monica.  Count me out; I want to see people face to face, shake hands, share a cold beverage.  That's not happening from my desk chair, while I watch some far-away speaker on a computer screen.

   Suggest: 

    Hold the meeting in a State that doesn't mandate masks or prohibit gatherings of people.  People are tired of this mask nightmare; they are ready to get back into the real world.  A true convention (the kind we had prior to March 2020), should draw crowds and turn a profit for the hosts and the speakers.

Have not participated in anything online except for zoom meetings here in the Rain. No plans in the future to participate in any other type of virtual gatherings. The best to you Monica!

Quick polls and/or group questions to go out throughout presentations or in times of wait have made our online webinars fun! You can gather real time responses and see who your audience is made of, making more individualized information available depending on who you are speaking to. And as an audience member it kept me more entertained. ALSO doing a giveaway or some sort of contest for sponsors to gain engagement has worked well for us. 

"Best of' moments.
I have attended a significant number of convention/seminars/trade shows this year. As others have stated, Not my favorite mode. However it was those who sent the swag to my house that got my attention.
#2 Best of:  Being able to submit well crafted questions that were assured 100% response. Well crafted questions most often invite you onto the stage, digitally.
Those sponsors who delivered on #1 and #2 seperated me from my money.
For me, such a real estate convention would need to offfer somthing that is not same ole, same ole which means a willingness to break out of the mold, leave the pack, break some eggs, courage.
Who will be the GONE ROGUE presenters at your states annual convention?

I am not a fan of virtual conventions. I can handle an hour-long Zoom meeting but that's about my limit on butt time. 

the "best of" for me was finding something much more productive to do. sorry can't help.

I really wish you much success but my heart isn't in it either.  I'm a people person and not into virtual events.  I presume you can still have a version of an auction in which your vendors provide items/services that are bid on. Have also seen restaurants deliver dinners to participants homes and then they sit down together and eat, each at their own place. Participating restaurants would like that I'm sure. 

I hate this virtual stuff so much, I stopped attending. And when I "attended" I usually logged off relatively quickly. Just not my thing.

I am really enjoying all of the virtual conventions this year, saves so much money and time.

I also like that we have the ability to attend all of the workshops rather than just one breakout session per time slot like at a live convention.

One thing that KW did for our exhibitors at our convention a few weeks ago was to have a scavenger hunt requiring us to visit and download a document from each vendor to be eligable for a prize.

I wish you the best of luck.  I have not attended any of my own state's conventions (virutal or otherwise).  While I have done some all day trainings and such, for me the problem is "well, I'm at my computer and there are A MILLION things I need to do...." so the talks usually end up on the second screen (or often the second computer) in the background.

Addressing questions during the event is good, being able to submit questions ahead of time is better (as Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041 said).  The local chapter for the Asian real estate association has used a website "wheel of names" (or something to that effect) for a prize wheel to make picking the winner of the gift card/prize easier.

My company (eXp Realty) had a convention last year that was all online but not via zoom/etc. It used our Virbella platform which included thousands of avatars going to break out sessions, sitting in the auditorium listening to amazing speakers, attending a concert in a concert theater with a bathroom (just for a goof), tables where you could sit and have private conversations with other attendees, scavanger hunt through the online world, a big convention center with vendors who were there to answer questions and demonstrate their products (via avatar/online) stuff. It was actually entertaining and informative all at once. As an attendee (avatar), you could select your outfit, hair style, shoes, etc. Fun fun fun.

Oh my gosh, Monica, what fun! It's super late for me now and the creative corner of my brain has left me for the day but, if I think of something, I'll be back. 

Conventions have never been my thing. Virtual meetings ... not a fan of them either although I find myself attending many. 

What's best ... I have no clue. 

I wish you all the best.

This was in a completely different industry, but I found it very helpful that in a virtual environment some of the presentations were pre-recorded and could be watched anytime (or for a period after the convention). This was great because if the meetings were in person, I would have to choose between which break-out session to attend. With the pre-recorded sessions, I could take advantage of more presentations that were useful or interesting to me. The overall experience was positive, similar to the one Kat Palmiotti described. Good luck!

No idea, will be waiting for your post how that summit goes.

Thank heavens my educators association did a social distance in person last December.  They did a great job.

Good luck. I do not think I would attend a virtual convention. 

You will need to have some outstanding speakers to promote. Fortunately, the speakers can work from their home offices and there will be no travel expenses.

Not being a regular attendee of state meetings, I have no clue.