Virtual Events Aren’t Going Anywhere (And That’s a Good Thing!)

CBC News recently reported business travel isn’t expected to return to normal any time soon. That means virtual events are continuing across the country and around the world. This is good news!

Virtual events are far more than just a solution for people to meet together safely and socially distanced. Instead, virtual events provide viable solutions and actually add value to event engagement.

Over the last year, the development and use of virtual platforms for virtual event planning has grown considerably. People were forced to adapt. They had to try out new technology they may have been reluctant to use before. In order to keep meeting, communicating, educating, and inspiring, people had to innovate—and then embrace those innovations.

The result wasn’t just a way to meet together. Now, we have strategies that allow us to achieve even better outcomes virtually than we’re able to achieve through in-person events. 

Think Beyond Zoom

Zoom has become the most widely known virtual platform. Zoom events, however, are very utilitarian in design. While they do allow some features like polling and reactions, it is often lacking in engagement. Think beyond this simplified dynamic. Use a live poll. Create a word cloud, or use other interactive survey techniques to get the audience involved.

TV has been trying to accomplish this for years. Many live broadcasts have incorporated social media components and other options. For your next virtual event, consider how you can better bring people together, regardless of where they are.

Zoom fatigue is a real challenge. Around 38 per cent of virtual workers surveyed, admitted to suffering Zoom fatigue. Effective virtual events, on the other hand, don’t create that type of fatigue. They’re engaging and interactive. In fact, virtual events have turned into functions that people want to attend.

With the right virtual event platform, you can create networking opportunities, hold trade shows, and offer one-on-one or group interactions. In most cases, these event highlights are just as successful as they would be at an in-person event. You can even allow tweets and Instagram photos to appear live on the screen to help increase audience interaction.

Virtual Events Are Preferred

Many people have shown a marked preference for virtual events. This is not just because of the pandemic, but in general. Virtual events are less expensive and more convenient for many attendees. For people with busy schedules, the ability to replay an event later can be a significant draw.

Virtual events are also ideal for organizers. Here are just some of the benefits our clients have found.

• Broader relationships. Through virtual events, you can create relationships and interactions with people that you might not be able to interact with in person. Instead of having to worry about distance, you can simply focus on relationship-building. 
• A global audience. The audience for virtual events is much larger than ones for in-person events, since anyone can attend. They also provide the opportunity to build and maintain long-distance business-to-business relationships and a global pool of talent. Many people were previously limited by the expenses associated with travelling to events. Now, they can join.
• Higher engagement and longer content interaction. During virtual events, viewers can interact with the content longer. They can even go back and watch it a second time, if needed. Remote events also allow for easy recording. This makes it easy for content to be used again for marketing and educational purposes.
• More event opportunities. Events are taking place that might never have happened before. For example, many people are hosting virtual reunions with guests who are scattered geographically. Virtual events make them accessible to everyone. 
• Greener events. Less travel means less pollution. When you offer virtual options, there are fewer emissions associated with travel.

Explore Your Virtual Event Options

Virtual events—or hybrid events that incorporate both digital and in-person elements—aren’t just a stopgap measure intended to help pull society through the pandemic. They’re here to stay. Are you curious about the options you have available for online event planning? Contact us today to learn more.