Virtual Events are Here to Stay
Was your event canceled due to Covid-19? Many events were cancelled or postponed due to the gathering restrictions imposed by our government. Some canceled completely, others rescheduled to later dates. While quarantine wreaked havoc on our society, it caused even greater economic damage to our economy. Some of the worst hit industries were sporting, entertainment and conventions. All of which depend on people gathering. With no end in sight soon, the events and conference industry were crushed for 2020. Some are even predicting no gatherings for events until mid-2021 causing planners to consider virtual events.
On a more positive note as states are reopening, they are those looking to begin live events by January 2021. While that is great news terms like Zoom meeting and quarantine have made an indelible imprint on our society which have created the need to virtualize our lives. As an alternative to canceling events many organizations have begun considering online solutions to replace their live events. According to LogMeIn, an online software company, webinar usage has increased by over 300%. Companies like Zoom, a Covid-19 favorite meeting software, is seeing an unprecedented surge in use. While these products are great for small meetings and online webinars, they cannot replace live conferences entirely. If you want to take your event digital, you will need Virtual Conference software which can create an experience and not just a means of connecting on our computer monitors.
Virtual conference software creates a great opportunity to run a digital event in place of a live event. However, to provide a similar experience to live events the software must include attendee networking and socialization, educational interaction, attendance tracking and exhibitor participation. These key elements coupled with digital Q&A and Polling options create the kind of experience and value that live events provide. While virtual events can never completely replace the live experience that events and educational conferences can, they are a great option in these challenging times.
With Covid-19s life altering effects lingering for some time, future events will likely provide new virtual options for those who cannot or do not want to travel. Live events will begin to provide online options to view and even experience a conference as if they were there. Robotics and device apps will play a key role into creating a window into the live exhibit hall and meeting experiences. The effects will be especially beneficial to those who cannot travel due to health or medical conditions. Conference organizers will need to provide this plurality of live and virtual experience simultaneously to attract and retain attendees.
Many organizations will embrace virtual meetings and events to offer more content at a lower cost. This coupled with live networking will be a win-win to meeting organizers and attendees where choice will be king. Offering weekly or monthly webinars, quarterly virtual events, and annual live conferences will give attendees flexibility and be every organizations a winning portfolio. Finding the software and services that can empower each organization will be critical for events to succeed in the future because Virtual Events are here to stay.
