It is not surprising that the pandemic catapulted virtual events into the stratosphere. These online gatherings once served as a pretty good solution for now for the unfortunate alternative of canceling personal events. As the event landscape shifted, event professionals realized that the virtual would not be merely a temporary adjustment, but a key part of the event strategy going forward – one that includes hybrid events with on-site components and online components.
Our List of Hidden Benefits of Virtual Events:
1. Increase Participation
The potential to increase your participation – even exponentially – is huge. It is much easier to get people on board for a virtual event than an in-person event that they have to commit to from a budget and time perspective.
2. Improved Registration
Kiss the last-minute recorder headache goodbye. When participants sign up at the last minute for a virtual event, there is no need to remove everything and try to arrange F&B orders to make sure they do not miss a meal.
3. No More Hidden Fees
No more hidden fees from your place – oh yes, because you do not need one! Your event lives entirely online.
4. Worldwide Access
The world is your oyster, literally. Hosting a virtual event means you can open the registration for anyone in any place in the world. How great is that?
5. Innovative Analysis
Now is the time to take analysis seriously, as virtual events provide the opportunity for much greater tracking (who attends which sessions, who stays for the entire duration, who is leaving halfway through – and why?). Data is power, because the more you know, the more you will tailor future events to deliver exactly what participants need and want.
6. Better Lead Recovery
Better analysis means better lead (and lead recovery) for exhibitors and sponsors, too. This is a good win that your sales team will thank you for.
7. Go Green
Virtual events are a much greener alternative than live events. No paper is required and travel costs as greenhouse gases are eliminated, so we are calling it: They are great for the environment!
8. All Weather is Welcome
Do not like the look of plastic tents? Us too. Thankfully, virtual events do not require a backup plan (or accommodation) in case of bad weather, so you can opt out of your pro membership on the Weather Channel app.
9. Logistics
No problem if you can not read the code or grab the Advil bottle whenever you need to decipher the legal. With virtual events, there are no hotel or venue contracts to negotiate. Even better? Eliminating the need for physical logistics (like creating all those annoying signs!) This means you will have more time to focus on making the actual virtual event experience memorable.
10. Reliable Staff
Forget about worrying if your staff will get out of bed and go to the place early enough to set up for registration. As long as you can count on them to reach out from their sleeping quarters to their computer, you are fine!
11. No Neighbours, No Problem
Virtual events eliminate any worries about what will happen next door, from an attractive furry convention to a sales meeting from your main competitor.
12. COVID-19 Free
While you certainly expect attendees to wash their hands and clean regularly to stay safe and well, their health is completely off your plate. No hand-cleaning points (or responsibilities) are required on your part when running a virtual event.
13. Say Goodbye To Economy Seats
When you remove travel commitments from the table, this can open up a whole new realm of high-caliber speakers that you may not have been able to secure for a live event. Plus, without the physical space and cost on-site, you will have more budget to spend on talent to make your event content top-notch.
14. Introvert’s Paradise
All introverts among your participants will love you. Awkward cocktail hours and mixers, disappear! It can be much easier to chat and get to know others from behind-the-screen security.
15. Easily Collect Feedback
Since your participants will already be on their devices, tuning in to your event, it will most likely be much easier to gather feedback – think real-time polls, surveys, and feedback to speakers and sessions. All of this data can help inform decisions as you plan future events or even focus directly on the moment.
16. FREEDOM!
Not being tied to a place’s policies and time constraints allows for much greater flexibility in scheduling, as well as the ability to provide more personalized opportunities for attendees. Is your group a night owl herd? Consider the start time of the afternoon that goes later in the evening. Do you have participants in many different time zones? Offer choices for them to watch sessions or attend when appropriate for them.
17. Unleash Your Inner Creative Spirit
Virtual events do not have to be just virtual – it’s easy (and fun!) To combine a physical component as well. For example, you can organize a happy virtual networking hour and send a couple of DIY cocktails in advance to each participant, so they can create their own old-fashioned or G&T models from home as they watch together.
18. No More Weird Conversations
On a similar note, there is no need to observe the crowd at an open event and clumsily ask irresponsible drunkards to leave.
19. Use Your Restroom
No more directing people to the restrooms when you are in the middle of handling 100 other things. End of story.
20. No More Food Allergies Again
Go through the tedious process of planning a menu that will satisfy every (most) participant and accommodate dozens of dietary restrictions. Everyone can choose exactly what they want to eat for each meal from the comfort of their fridge, saving you any complaints that may arise from a group meal service!
21. No More Finder’s Keepers
No need to get lost and find where you left off trying to find the right owner of a forgotten jacket or a handful of rogue laptop chargers.
22. Selfie Time!
It takes less effort to get participants to post on social media about how much they are learning and how much fun they are having at your virtual event as they are already on their devices. The challenge is to create more interesting images than a screen filled with heads talking about them posting – but you can do that by creating tutorials, contests, questions, hashtags, social libraries, and more.
23. Goodbye, Noisy Participants!
No more annoying phone calls or voice notifications interrupting sessions. If any participants are making unnecessary background noise, you can mute them on your virtual platform.
24. Show your hard work
Virtual events help strengthen your reputation as a company. You are demonstrating your adaptive technology, agility, and the advantage of technology, providing tools,and knowledge links to your participants.
25. Finally, Throw Those Heels in the Trash
One of our favorite parts of virtual events as an event planner? Your feet will not kill you until the end of the day. See you later, blisters, and pain from running all day. You can even be barefoot if you want. We will not judge – and your participants will never know.
Now, all of these advantages do not mean you can put it in navigation control and navigate straight into your virtual event without purpose and effort. However not having to deal with many of the typical challenges for in-person events means you can focus more on streamlining your workflow, creating and executing a stellar communication strategy, and setting up processes to design an event. For maximum commitment and ROI. Look, then tell us in the comments what we lost.
Need help getting started? Future’s Past Events to the Rescue! Contact us today for a demonstration to learn how we can help you create the perfect virtual event to help you achieve your business goals.
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