Virtual Events Vs Physical Events
As the global pandemic strived, almost every sector of the economy was severely disrupted. Under these circumstances virtual event platforms played a phenomenal part and rescued many marketers and organisers.
Businesses shifted their business to virtual events to keep them running and reconnect with their employees, companies, brands.
No doubt, virtual events gained more momentum in 2020 but in-person events will always have their own charm. Virtual events helped organisations to generate qualified leads and expand their business worldwide. Today we are all heading towards hybrid events which have gained the victory over physical events completely. Read on to have an insight about hybrid virtual events.
Virtual Events
2020 has changed everything, organisations which used to run their business offline are now hosting their meetings in a digital space. It enabled them to reach, network and connect with audiences globally in real-time. With the vast development of digital platforms, managing virtual sessions and booths helped in connecting with the attendees no matter where they are located.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, most businesses are now going digital but there lies a major query: what are the differences which lie between virtual events and physical events? Also who wins the battle Virtual events vs Physical events? The answer is yet to be revealed.
As the time passes virtual events are taking over physical ones. In this particular article we have mentioned the differences between in-person events and virtual events and why hybrid events are swaying everywhere
Virtual Events Vs Physical Events
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In terms of Eco-friendly and reliability
The very first advantage of virtual events is it is eco-friendly and reliable unlike physical events. Earlier people had to travel at distant locations to attend meetings, or organise large conference rooms with air conditioners. You are just one click away from attending or conducting any conferences, meeting at your own home comfort. With this you are also playing a major role in reducing the carbon footprint and making the environment cleaner and sustainable. Physical events can have negative environmental impacts which include: Pollution from vehicle emissions, noise, litters and so forth. Furthermore, digital events don’t have to be cancelled in case of global pandemic, unreliable weather or any other unforeseen circumstances. Hence it made events more reliable and accurate to go virtual.
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In terms of Cost-effectiveness
When it comes to planning an event everybody wants to proceed with a cost-effective plan and virtual events have shown better results. Conducting an offline conference requires a lot of planning and mandatory expenses which includes:
-Renting a venue
-Hiring technical staff
-Accommodation
-Decorators, speakers, organisers expenses in some cases
-Food and beverages and other overheads.
Now if you conduct an online conference it not only becomes cost effective for attendees but also organisers. And why not? You are saving on the expenses which are required to conduct on-ground meetings. Bonus point is you can allocate this same budget in getting an influential and experienced speaker from the industry. This way it can help in attracting a larger audience. Undoubtingly, physical events promote better event experiences to audiences which they cherish in the long run, but costs way too much. Virtual events on the other hand have lower costs and generate more potential leads.
Hence, virtual events are more cost-effective than traditional ways of hosting events indisputably.
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In terms of feedbacks
Feedback is collected in both physical and virtual events to analyse the success of the program but both work differently. Digital events can be a great medium in terms of gathering feedbacks. It can keep a track wherein it shows detailed insights about registration, comments, downloads, what the attendee viewed, shared or clicked and so forth of the audience. Isn’t that a massive success? You can simply send a NPS (Net Promoter Score) right after your event is concluded. Whereas, post-event surveys in an offline event can be challenging and time consuming. To measure the success of your event keeping a complete track of mass data collection is a must. It will help you foster leads and work upon the respective areas which did not fascinated any attendees in the next event.
To make sure you have a complete track of data collection, hosting an event virtually will be the correct choice.
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In terms of Networking Options
Conducting on-ground meeting is great for building strong relations with the brand and other organisations. This can help you have a one-on-one conversation with the client. But after COVID-19 majority of the population shifted their focus to more digital space, spending more time on laptop and mobile screens. It also became a friend to many as it helped in saving money and time while connecting you with worldwide attendees through virtual platforms.
As technology advances, virtual event companies have begun offering live video, audio individual and group chat options. This has really benefited businesses to replicate close and interactive sessions with other organisation. Apart from that, online events have also indulged themselves into many intriguing features like quizzes, live polls, surveys, spin the wheel, Q & A sessions which enables audiences a better network and have a chance to provide genuine opinions.
You can access these networking options through both offline and online events. But without a doubt virtual events allow participants to freely participate in any activities.
- Impact on ROI
Calculating the impact of ROI cannot be done in a long run and becomes difficult to measure in the very beginning. Both virtual and physical event formats leave a lasting impression on respective audiences.
Virtual events can help businesses generate new and better leads, the session can be run a number of days at a single click. Whereas in-person events are time consuming and you can only attend it once. You can experience a better possibility of long term impact on ROI with virtual events. It can differ from organisation to organisation depending upon their company goals.
Over to you
All in all, virtual events and physical events are both here to stay. However, due to the onset of coronavirus, virtual events have really evolved and played a vital role in businesses. They have become the most attractive, innovative and adaptive ways of developing, monetizing, and engaging the community. Many of the businesses today are choosing hybrid events as it combines both virtual attendees and physical audiences in the same platform which has made it more convenient in delivering the original content to the attendees.