How Virtual Events Are Changing the Event Industry

Virtual events are booming. At the beginning of the pandemic, the only “platform” that people had for virtual events was Zoom. But Zoom isn’t a virtual events platform. Not even close.

In this article, we will discuss what a virtual event is, how to successfully host a virtual event, and the types of virtual events that can be held.

 

What is a virtual event?

 

A virtual event isn’t just a video conference where people sit back and listen to a speaker without being engaged or actively participating in the activities. Whereas video conferencing software does have features such as chat boxes and “Raise Your Hand” buttons to let the audience comment or ask questions, this is a far cry from a fully-fledged virtual event.

The best way to define a virtual event is to think of it in terms of in-person events. What do you see when you go to an in-person event? There’s usually a reception area, booths, branding, sponsors, people to meet, separate spaces to have a discussion, the ability to exchange contact details, even places to buy food and drink!

Well, a virtual event is all of that (minus the food and drink, perhaps, although you can get that from your own kitchen, which is also a lot more sustainable). Virtual events bring people in and engage them in the event. People are actively involved in the event, are able to meet others, and can participate in polls, surveys, live Q&A sessions, and much more.

 

How do you host a virtual event?

 

Fully-fledged virtual events must be hosted on a virtual events platform that provides all the necessary features to prepare and hold that virtual event. It is vital that the events platform provides a comprehensive set of features or else the event is less likely to be a success.

The during-event features required include:

• Reception area
• Agenda
• Live stages
• Sessions (multiple and concurrent)
• Networking lounges
• 1:1 chat rooms
• And so on

Pre-event features must include:

• Ticket sales
• Marketing tools
• Invitations
• Entry barcodes
• Etc.

After-event features must include:

• Detailed analytics of attendee engagement
• Detailed analytics on all aspects of the event
• Downloadable reports
• Follow-up emails as necessary

And all of it should integrate easily with your CRM.

 

As you can see, a fully-fledged virtual events platform is far more than mere video conferencing! And this is one of the reasons they’re booming, because it is entirely possible to have a full-blown event experience for virtual event attendees at a fraction of the cost. Also, using the ticketing, invitation, and marketing tools provided, the lives of event organizers are made much simpler because they can manage everything from one central dashboard.

 

Virtual events are better for the environment

 

The other driving force behind the popularity of online events is their positive impact on the environment.

Unfortunately, the events industry has gotten a bit of a bad rap for its negative impact on the environment. This negative impact comes about through:

• Travel to and from the event by attendees, raising an event’s carbon footprint. This travel includes planes, trains, and vehicles.
• Plastic wastage that eventually lands in landfills.
• Carbon emissions from generators and above-normal electricity usage.

In a world where sustainability and environmental impact have become more than just buzzwords, but rather more like battle cries in a very real crisis, reducing that negative environmental impact isn’t a choice but a duty.

 

What are the types of virtual events that can be held?

 

Practically any type of event can be held virtually. And some events are even better in many respects when held virtually. These events include:

• Conferences
• Trade shows
• Webinars
• Medical events
• Training courses
• Workshops
• Awards shows
• Member engagement events (such as for sports clubs)
• Employee engagement events (particularly useful for businesses with a lot of branches in distant locations)
• Hackathons
• Job fairs
• Social gatherings and meetups
• Internal company events

 

What can virtual events offer that in-person events can’t?

 

Virtual events have several one-ups on in-person events that in-person events cannot replicate or cannot replicate easily.

 

AI-driven networking

 

Virtual events use AI-powered networking features which in-person events simply don’t have. The EventsX mobile app does offer the same AI-powered networking tool for in-person events—people carry their mobile phones and can receive notifications within the app on potential matches. But, even so, the connection is usually done online, via the app, because rushing around large event grounds to meet every potential connection means you'll end up meeting fewer people.

 

More attendees, easier to attend

 

Removing the travel logistics to attendance means that a lot more people can attend due to reduced costs. And it’s also better for the environment!

 

In-depth analytics

 

When using the correct virtual events platform, you should be able to access extensive analytics at a granular level to understand how well your event fared. These analytics will show you things such as user engagement per session, and even which pieces of content had the most engagement.

Using such analytics, it becomes possible to create ever more successful events at each iteration because you know what people liked and what they didn't.

 

Takeaway

 

Virtual events are shaping the future because they are the future. Although the pandemic made online events an absolute necessity in 2020, forcing even the Frankfurt Book Fair entirely online, it has now become the event type of choice (or hybrid events, which is a mix of in-person and virtual) for many organizers. The best way to run a successful online event is to use a sophisticated events platform to prepare, organize, invite, hold, and finally analyze the event.

 

To learn about how EventsX can help you organize your next virtual event successfully, click here.