Business owners, travel lovers, event-goers, and all, have greeted the year of 2020 excitedly and were all set to unlock achievements, not until the COVID-19 began to outbreak. The current pandemic has shocked people, businesses, and the economy as a whole. Most had struggled to cope up even worst, had nowhere to go.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, all kinds of events worldwide were canceled. From small events locally to larger sports associations and business gatherings, there are restrictions to meet physically. Going out to places is limited. But instead of doing nothing, many companies have become flexible during these times. No one would have expected this day would come, but they are switching to virtual events.
What is A Virtual Event?
Rather than gathering in-person, individuals get to experience the event and its content online or virtual. Examples of virtual events are attending a webinar online, video workout class, and meeting using a video conference medium from anywhere, anytime. Big thanks to the advancement of technology, things impossible before are fast-moving beyond our expectations now.
Well, virtual events are not far different from in-person events and are done for the same purposes. The goal to address your message, increase revenues, find leads, and more is still present. Though it has been a challenge for many to keep on track with their clients without losing revenue and delivering the same value of service, virtual events continue to capture the same experience as offline events.
But still, marketers can’t deny the benefits of hosting in-person events that companies used to organize. Strengthening connections with your leads and customers is crucial. However, in various instances, especially during the pandemic, hosting virtual events has more gains than in-person.
In-person events are not possible. In the meantime, companies opt to host virtual events since they are ascendable and less expensive. Let’s dive into more detail and view five reasons why many have shifted to hosting virtual events.
5 Reasons Why Many Have Shifted To Virtual Events
1. Works As An Alternative
Event companies have to come up with decisions they wouldn’t want to happen. They have to cancel, postpone and reschedule their list of events. But of course, they couldn’t just let it pass as they still need to produce sales to move forward. These are where virtual events became answers to cope up with the pandemic. It provides the same opportunity to network with the audience. Gladly, people were very responsive to virtual events.
But unlike in-person events, the online gathering will not work the same way if organizers are not creative enough. While you get to establish relationships with your clients uninterrupted when meeting in-person, it takes effort to make it work virtually.
2. Ascendable to Set-up
One more reason why many are hosting virtual events is that they are more flexible to manage than in-person. With the use of different platforms available today like Zoom or Google Meet and social media with Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, it has become easy to engage with many people from anywhere in the world.
Compared to in-person events where the checklist seems unending- there are loads to prepare. From the venue, food, and up to arranging the equipment, there are amounts to consider. Imagine organizing huge in-person events for many different countries, then that would be a heavy workload. But through virtual events, it won’t cost you that much, as you can reach a larger audience in one.
3. Low Constraints On Access
There will always be constraints on access to any event. But it became manageable through virtual events. There’s no need to travel that costs time but to engage in events while staying at home. Without a physical location, you know exactly where to buy new Twitter followers.
If you are trying to host an in-person event that markets either old or too young people who can’t go out due to COVID-19 protocols, it would be hard to pull-off. They wouldn’t be able to attend even if they are interested. It is why virtual events are making it possible. The chances of getting participants are higher and safer at the same time.
4. Less Expensive than Buying Twitter Followers
In-person events incur many costs in a venue, food, equipment, marketing materials, and others. Just looking at it now, you will need a budget to spend. While in virtual events, your main costs will only be the platform. These won’t cost you as much as in-person events are expensive. A hosting platform that works pretty well with a simple set-up will do. One good thing is that you have many platform options to choose from, whichever suits your preference. You can use the saved money to buy yourself Twitter followers instead.
5. Valuable Information is Available in the Long-run
At some in-person events, participants get information from speakers and learn from them. During huge events, most of the speakers caught the heart of many and provided the participants with a copy of the discussion they can go back after. It can also be a strategy to generate more leads for your business from the participants.
While the opportunity during in-person events is undeniable, virtual events can offer a more long-term shot for your business and lead generation. With event platforms, you can make your event available in the long-run and make valuable information accessible to many people. Again, the organizer must make sure the event is engaging enough to drive attendees.
Conclusion
Overall, the significance of face-to-face interaction is vital. Virtual events can or will never replace the best gains from in-person events, yet a good alternative. It may not be as impactful as a physical one but is much easier to organize. It needs good marketing and effective promotion. With virtual events, your content matters above all.
Given that no one has seen this coming, working on alternatives is best for any business or person. This pandemic has shown that not only virtual events are viable but engaging as well. It may have been a challenging year for everyone but adapting to it is necessary. The future of any event can still be exciting as it was before. It’s best not to fret about the switch but learn from it.