How Virtual Events Are Better Than Physical Events?
The year 2020 has witnessed an increase in the number of virtual events than ever before. Every other day more and more brands are leveraging virtual events to expand their reach globally. The change in scenarios has taken place with the advent of the coronavirus global pandemic. Due to it, a sudden shift in live physical events has been witnessed all year. The percentage of virtual events has skyrocketed in 2020 resulting in upsurging the demand for virtual event platforms. Today, the internet is piled up with a wide range of virtual event platforms, which suits you the best, depends on your business requirements.
Undoubtedly, virtual events have helped many businesses around the world to keep going in challenging times. If you are still juggling online virtual events, we have briefly explained some ways that explain how virtual events are better than in-person events.
During the recent global health crisis, virtual events served as a great substitute for live physical events. Recently, when physical events stopped due to the restrictions implied on public gatherings, virtual events came as an aid. It prevented many businesses from dipping down and keep generating revenues during the challenging times of pandemic.
Face-to-face interactions hold their own significance, but online events offer many perks over in-person events that in-person events can’t match. Various advantages offered by virtual events make them capable to be a part of regular event programs.
Every day organizations and businesses are hosting various virtual events on a regular basis. Right from virtual meetings, webinars, virtual conferences, town halls, workshops, exhibitions, trade fairs, job fairs, and more are hosted on comprehensive virtual event platforms.
In this post, we have listed some of the best things about virtual events that made it better than physical events. To know more, read on:
1. Geographical location is no more a barrier with virtual events
The biggest challenge faced during face-to-face events is the biggest advantage of virtual events. Unlike live physical events, virtual events do not have any geographical constraint. Virtual events enable attendees from all parts of the world to access the event virtually from remote locations. The need for traveling to attend an event gets completely escalated with virtual events. It does not matter in which part of the world you reside or what is your time zone. Virtual events enable you to be a part of the event remotely via any device supported by an internet connection. It enables you to tap a wide spectrum of global audience attendees seamlessly. However, resulting in having better attendance at the event. Additionally, virtual events allow you to make your event available on-demand for attendees who missed attending it live. It enables audiences residing in different time zones to catch your event later.
2. Virtual events work well for busy people
Many times people get stuck into important chores and miss attending an event they are interested in. They might miss it due to time shortage or other work commitments that come up at the last moment. The attendees who missed attending an event might be the potential prospect that can be converted into a lead.
Virtual events can’t clear out their busy schedules. But, virtual events can be accessed by attendees from their respective locations at their preferred time slot. They can simply ask to access the event on-demand. Therefore, if you have missed attending a live virtual event that does not mean you have missed it completely. You do not need to shuffle your schedule to attend a virtual event as it does not require any traveling. Attending a virtual event is just a few taps away.
3. A cost-effective alternative
Virtual events are a cost-effective alternative to organize an event. Face-to-face events require you to rent a venue, hire staff, make arrangements for food and beverages, accommodation, traveling, etc. All such charges get completely escalated with virtual events. It enables attendees to access the event from the comfort of their own homes without having to travel. With virtual events, you not only overcome these additional charges but can charge low for e-tickets too. As your expenses get reduced, charging less for the e-tickets results in increasing your virtual attendees.
4. Virtual events enable you to hire expert speakers for the event
Virtual events are not limited to speakers located in the same region of the event. Like attendees, virtual events enable speakers and presenters to tune in from anywhere in the world. You can hire the most talented speaker for your virtual event who’s tone suits the best to your event. If the time zone of your speaker is not the same as yours, you can pre-record and roll it out during the event.
5. Prevents from health risks
Virtual events are comparatively lower at risk when compared to physical ones. In challenging times like today, we have to wear face masks, maintain social distancing, and get our temperature checked wherever we go. Virtual events escalate the need for doing all such activities without limiting the registration. It prevents the attendees from transmitting any communicable disease.
6. Reduction in carbon footprints and waste disposal
Tons of waste have been disposed of after every live physical event. Whereas, a large gathering of people at in-person events results in releasing increased carbon emissions that hamper the environment. Virtual events considerably reduce carbon footprints thus protecting mother nature.
7. Virtual events encourage interactivity and engagements
A majority of people feel face-to-face events are more interactive than virtual ones as people are surrounded by other attendees. But we differ, it’s a myth.
Online events drive meaningful interactions during the event. Live polls, surveys, Q&A sessions, etc enables your attendees to share their opinions and interact seamlessly with others. Introverts who find it difficult to cross through the crowd or hesitate in asking questions during a live physical event, even respond well in chats and polls during online events.
Virtual events enable you to ask your attendees to share their instant feedback before the event comes to a close. Additionally, it enables you to send follow-ups and have relationships with attendees even after the event gets over.
8. Virtual events are measurable
Virtual events can be tracked right from the start till the finish line. A comprehensive virtual event platform offers robust data measuring features that helps you to track every move of digital attendees. How they navigated throughout the event? What they liked and disliked about the event? What are the most engaging hotspots of the event? Whom they interacted with? What they interacted with? And so on. Each and every move of the digital attendee is recorded. It helps in creating a detailed analytics report to measure the success of virtual events. Tracking so much of insights is nearly impossible with live physical events.
9. You can not pause or rewind physical events
Face-to-face events offer some advantages like in-person touch, handshakes, feeling of belongingness, meeting old acquaintances, and so on. But, attendees can not stop a live physical event amid or rewind it to watch the most exciting part. As virtual events are available on-demand, attendees can pause and rewind the event to watch it again and again.
We have listed some of the areas where virtual events have overshadowed live physical events. Today, virtual events have become the first priority of digital marketers with the perks it serves.