Virtual events were the only kind available to us for a long time. They became a normal part of life when gathering online was the only option. From virtual festivals to family quizzes on Zoom, most people experienced some kind of virtual event over the past two years.
Now, we have found a new appreciation for going out and being together. Restrictions have been lifted. We get to experience all the things we had taken for granted before. It’s an amazing time with families being reunited and whole industries rising from the ashes.
So, is it worth hosting a virtual event now you don’t need to?
It’s a big question many businesses are now being faced with. Will people be desperate to get together again, or will they have found they prefer the safety of their own home? The last thing you want is to invest in an event that no one shows up to.
To determine whether a virtual event is worth your time, let’s have a look at some market statistics and see where people sit on this:
The Numbers
72% of people expect to attend more or the same number of online events even after in-person events return in full.
The virtual events industry is expected to grow from $78 billion to $774 billion – about ten-fold – over the coming decade (Grand View Research).
64% of participants agree that the quality of speakers and relevance of content, respectively encourage them to sign up for events (Vimeo).
59% or over half of survey participants say they’re likely to leave a live event due to technical issues. (Vimeo)
67% of online events attendees agree that it’s essential for presenters to be engaging and passionate about the subject they’re talking about (RedBack Connect)
What The Stats Tell Us
It’s clear that virtual events aren’t going anywhere, but we can see there are some common issues here.
What we can conclude is that it is worth hosting virtual events post-pandemic, but they need to be done right. They need to be engaging. They need to be informative. And most of all they need to run smoothly.
As people aren’t together in person it’s much harder to create an atmosphere. So, what your event lacks in atmosphere, it must make up for in interesting, relevant, and well-presented content. Invest in the best speakers. Host Q&A sessions. Offer break-out rooms for networking. Make it engaging.
Technical issues are another common theme. When your event is virtual you are relying completely on technology. This can be overwhelming especially when there are hundreds of software companies telling you their platform is the best.
This is where we come in. We’ve hosted hundreds of live events for our clients. We’re trusted to deliver seamless experiences for big brands. We know our stuff.
You don’t have to worry about which platform might be best, how to set up or how to keep your audience from switching off. That’s our job. It’s what we do and it’s what we’re passionate about.
If you’re considering hosting a virtual event, get in touch with us and we can walk you through what you might need.
we are an integral part of your team. We design, plan and deliver outstanding live, hybrid and virtual events.
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