In the world of virtual conferences, events & meetups, things are changing fast. But what should you emphasize? Digital or virtual events?
A massive shift in 2020 brought offline events onto the digital ecosystem. The number of communities and organizations launching indicates that the benefits of the virtual event have risen significantly.
It's not an either/or situation. Having an event in person will always have its charm, but an online version that provides a broader reach and experience can augment it.
The kind of events that a virtual platform can host is not limited. Platforms like these can be used for events such as tech conferences, virtual trade shows, career fairs, and workshops.
A successful virtual event relies on selecting the right hosting platform. For example, workshops, meetups, trade shows, and career fairs require a higher degree of networking & interaction.
Virtual vs. Physical Events – Which Approach is Best?
The common goal of a professional or social event is always to bring people together for a single purpose - to educate, inform, discuss, or celebrate. For most people, in-person events are the best way to accomplish these goals, but there are several different types of events you can host today, including:
Live – All participants are physically present in the same venue.
Virtual – The entire event is conducted online.
Hybrid – Some people attend in person while others participate online.
What's the best way to determine what approach to take for your event? It depends on a number of factors, including the size of your event, the budget, the timeline, and the location of attendees. Each strategy offers unique benefits.
You can use this quick guide to determine which type of event will work best for you by considering the pros and cons of each.
The Pros and Cons of Virtual Events
The Pros
Long-term availability of content
In a standard in-person conference, once the discussion is over, it is over. You can't rewind. Today some of them are recorded and placed online - like TED Talks or something similar - but most of them are one-offs.
As with physical events, some of the talks will likely be pre-recorded for editing and publishing (as well as being recorded when they are delivered live) and then made available for people who were unable to attend the live session.
Research and data collection
A company looking to generate interest in its product or service can benefit greatly from the information gained from hosting an online event. While many in-person events require a registration process, virtually gated events require only an email address and a brief questionnaire about where they are from, who they are working for, and other details.
The technology behind virtual events can also help you collect information about viewing habits, questions asked, and other insights that can assist your sales team.
Adaptability
The benefits of a virtual event even by design offers far more flexibility. Event organizers can design an event to meet the needs of participants, speakers, and hosts. In addition, these events offer you a wide range of linguistic options, levels of interaction, and monetization options. Furthermore, virtual events can technically be extended for longer periods with fewer resources than physical events, which have a time-bound duration.
Aside from that, you also save on venue, travel, hotel, and food expenses. Alternatively, the same budget may be allocated to hiring better speakers or leading industry experts. These measures could also help you bring in a much bigger audience.
Networking
It's a battle between Face-to-Face and Interface-to-Interface. A personal meeting with someone you have only spoken with on the phone or via email adds an important dimension to the relationship, allowing for a different kind of interaction. Though virtual event providers have advanced chatting technology, allowing attendees to converse and engage within the event, handshakes are still very much needed in the world. However, networking can be easier virtually in the department of buying experiences.
In general, attendees are eager to learn what vendors offer. There are tons of tools out there that everyone is unaware of, so by chatting up booth reps on a virtual events platform, we can learn a lot about what's new and possible, all without feeling pressured into buying.
The Cons
Having fewer personal connections
The benefit of virtual events is that they are convenient, quick, and easy; however, you cannot interact with other attendees. In addition to the event content, the chance for attendees to interact with others (and your subject matter experts) with similar interests is likely to be key for them, so they may think the event is of little value and choose not to attend.
Conflicts in time zones
There is no doubt that time zone conflicts are one of the most dreaded disadvantages of live events. That's why, as an event organizer, you should strive to schedule your event, conference, or meeting at a time that balances the time zones fairly. But this does take some legwork and time.
Pros and Cons of Physical Events
Pros
- Contact on a one-to-one basis
- A sense of anticipation and excitement for reuniting in person
- The entire group is in the same location, sharing a shared experience (as opposed to a hybrid).
- Collaboration and brainstorming are easier
- Boosting attendance morale and combating 'screen fatigue."
- Vendor support for local businesses
- Potential to generate more revenue
Cons
- Attendees' travel expenses
- Planning and scoping require additional time and resources
- No matter how much you mitigate it, there will always be inherent risks (COVID risks, financial risks)
- The unpredictable nature of COVID
- People unable to attend for a variety of reasons may not have access to the event.
How to Host a Virtual Event
A virtual event requires careful planning, so you need to prepare carefully. Here's what you need to do:
Plan the type of event you'd like to host: Will you host a large multi-session virtual event or a one-session webinar or webcast? The type of event that you want to host will dictate your platform requirements.
Make a platform choice: Not all online event platforms are the same. You need to know precisely what features and support your platform provider offers if you are planning to run a particular type of event.
Decide whether tickets are required or will it be free: In the same way that physical events can be gated, virtual events can be charged for attendance. Be sure your platform can support a paid model if you decide on one.
Configure the event environment: This will likely require you to work closely with your platform provider. Determine what type of branding you want, if sponsorship branding is necessary, and what types of events you will hold.
Choosing your speakers: While you don't need this information right away, speakers can be a big draw at an event, so ensure to include information about your speakers on your promotional materials (including your registration page).
Schedule your meeting date and time: Think about factors like the audience and speaker's availability (though simulated and pre-recordings can help).
Publicize your webinar: If you are planning an in-person event, you will want to carefully plan your multi-channel promotion strategy (social media, email marketing, landing pages, and website banners) to ensure your event's success.
Ensure that your content is engaging and captivating: You can either have your events/marketing team do this or have the speakers do this in more traditional conference layouts. You should have your content a couple of days in advance, so you have plenty of time to upload it and practice.
It's all about practice: Ensure you know your content (or your speakers do). Scheduling dry runs will ensure that your audience won't be in for any surprises on the big day.
Continually engage your audience: Make sure you follow up with your audience after the event - whether it's a survey, a video link, or a link to a future event. Maintain their interest even after it's over.
Virtual Events: The Ideal Circumstances
An ideal virtual event should be hosted in the following circumstances. Consider changing your format if any (or all) of these conditions aren't met.
- You have an international audience.
- You can use great content to attract attendees and keep them engaged. It's important to remember that Zoom fatigue is real, and the bar has been set high for virtual content.
- With experience in virtual events, your AV provider can offer recommendations, set up, and produce your virtual events on a platform that meets your needs.
- Agendas can be adapted to suit shorter attention spans and are conducive to virtual events.
- Attendance by virtual attendees has been indicated.
- There is a willingness on your part (and that of your audience) to use many types of engagement strategies, such as gamification, Q&A, virtual networking, polls, quizzes, and more.
Conclusion
Virtual events are an effective, scalable, and innovative way to build, engage, and monetize your community. Digital marketing has changed & online meetups are now a large part of nearly every marketer's strategy. As governments and companies take steps to combat climate change, a renewed focus has emerged on the benefit of virtual events (not to mention the increased interest coming from businesses as they cope with the consequences of the Coronavirus outbreak).
Nonetheless, your entire experience depends on the technology supporting your virtual event. A platform such as Oreed will help you save time, run your event smoothly, and make your clients happier with an experience bound to last.
Only virtual event success metrics can accurately determine whether an event was a success. The data from an enterprise database like Oreed can be tracked centrally and provide insight, allowing you to make smarter decisions on an automated basis. Along with improving attendance rates, Oreed can help you plan events with a greater level of engagement.
