As the event industry grapples with the constraints of the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is some good news, a ‘silver lining’ in the world of virtual events.

There is no question that 2020 has been a challenging year for the corporate events industry. But while our physical world seems to shrink our virtual world expands like never before, offering a silver lining in the form of dynamic, effective and responsible virtual events. Here are some of the benefits our clients are noticing as they pivot to virtual:

Reduced Overhead

Holding a physical event comes with costs like venue hire, catering, accommodation, and transport. A virtual event can eliminate those expenses, allowing you to focus your budget on elevated content, technology, and engagement. Plus, the content created as part of your live event can be repurposed for other campaigns, maximizing your return on investment.

Scalability

Virtual events are not limited by the maximum occupancy of a ballroom or exhibition hall. We are seeing virtual events in 2020 draw many more attendees than the live version in 2019. This gives you the opportunity to expand your list of invitees to take full advantage of the event. Every attendee gets a front row seat for the live event and organizers have the option of making all or part the content available on demand after the event. Gone are the days of missing a breakout session because there were two on at the same time. Watch one live and one on demand. Easy!

Increased Engagement & Connection

Despite the distance between your attendees, virtual events can be great tools for engagement and connection. By using live chat, Q&A sessions, breakout rooms, downloadable resources and online polls, a virtual event becomes an interactive experience where your attendees engage with your content and each other on a new level.

Adaptability

A virtual event can be tailored to fit your specific objectives and goals and ensure you receive return on your investment. With the variety of tools available today to event professionals, almost any event can be held online with the right know-how and experience. Everything from a simple Zoom meeting with some shared content and chat to a complex event involving multiple tracks, breakouts and a trade show floor. The boom in virtual event technology has resulted in myriad choices for hosting virtual events.

Sponsorship

Virtual events are adaptable and expandable, making integrating sponsorship easy. This enables our clients to lower their costs and elevate their event by adding quality content and allowing your sponsors to reach a much larger audience. Include sponsors in your virtual event content to increase value on both sides of the relationship.

Sustainability

Virtual and hybrid events produce less waste, consume fewer resources, and have a much lower impact on the environment. Consequently, they offer an excellent way to improve the sustainability of your event program.

Reliability

Holding an event online makes it less susceptible to unforeseen events, like Covid-19 hotspots, storms, travel cancellations or venue problems. Because attendees are widely distributed, challenges that might derail a physical event can be more easily managed online.

Measurability and data

When done correctly, virtual events yield a wealth of data to help you optimize your program. Registration data, session attendance, engagement and much more can all be easily collected and sent straight to your desktop as easy-to-access reports. This makes calculating return on investment a breeze and gives you a wealth of information for future events and other marketing activities.

If you would like to learn more about what a great virtual event might look like for your organization, contact us below.

Let’s chat about your meeting and events program and how we can help you leverage the advantages of virtual and hybrid events. Contact us here…