Why Digital and Virtual Events Are Here to Stay
Digital events should continue long past the pandemic
By: Lisa Mwange
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
In 2020 everything shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic, no one knew how long we would be in isolation for, and live events started to look like a thing of the past. No one wanted to be in close proximity to hundreds of other people when their health was on the line. Many industries were hit hard by the shutdown however, one aspect of society that continued to rise were the mobile and digital habits of users. Marketers saw this and developed the saving grace for musicians, comedians, and others who relied on live performances were virtual and digital events.
The problem is that ever since the pandemic has slowed down and world has begun to open again live shows are occurring more and more and virtual events are becoming a thing of the past. Many brands and companies are opting for live events over their digital counter parts because of the couple of downsides to the medium that have not been ironed out yet.
Multiple market researchers have claimed that this should not be the case, the marketing and event planning industry needs to utilize digital events in order to stay afloat.
Benefits of Virtual Events
The benefits of virtual events have become clearer in the past two years and a few reasons as to why they are a more beneficial option to the live events are:
1. Greenest Option
Virtual events can be held without forcing the attendees to drive, get on a plane or rent a building that need heating, cooling, and power. This in turn lowers the carbon footprint and negative effects that traditional events have. (Reydar)
2. Instant Demand
The beauty of virtual events is that your audience can access the video feed from wherever they are whenever they want. Time zones and busy schedules are no longer a problem that you must combat.
Image Credit: Vecteezy
3. Data
Data, data, data, the one factor that every marketer needs to be able to know what their target audience needs. One of the more important pieces of data that can be collected is location of the audience. Marketers can use this info to know where the majority of their audience is located so that when in-person events are held they know which areas of the world will have the most attendees.
Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash
4. Cheaper
Companies no longer must pay for venue spaces, hotels, most equipment, or food when holding a virtual event. Meaning that the portion of the budget that usually goes to these can be reallocated in more productive aspects such as key speakers.
Just because virtual events are a better option in most scenario, this may not always be the case.
1. Look over your creative brief, not all events translate to virtual well
Sometimes the brief will suggest that the content will only resonate in a live setting and changing the objective after everything has been planned may cause your team to become unfocused (Garvey 2020).
2. Live Stream overload
There are two type of live stream overload that one can encounter. First, the internet has come a long way in terms of broadband speed and capacity, however when there are hundreds of people trying to watch the same event at a time one could encounter the dreaded freeze and shut down. Causing frustration and some attendees may give up and leave the live all together
Secondly, there has been an overload in live events in the past years and many users have become overloaded with the various options. They may ask the question: what will I get out of this event that multiple others I have been to haven’t already given me? There are only so many different interactive activities one can do virtually before it becomes overdone and tired. (Garvey 2020)
A Happy Medium?
Why should we have to choose between two viable options, instead we can optimize the reach of an event and cater to each attendees’ preferences.
How can we do this? By utilizing hybrid events, offering both an in person and virtual tickets so that those who prefer to stay in the comfort of their home can.
In January 2022 AdAge claimed that virtual events should no longer be optional and that there is a dire need for hybrid events. Their reasoning: Flexibility is Key
Reporting that “brands and marketers thrive on live events like CES to learn about the latest innovations and create new business partnerships. During the pandemic, companies have had to adapt to prepare for live events, but they also need last-minute options to meet virtually, according to event planners…” (Fabcomlive).
