We’re all wondering when we might be able to attend a face-to-face event again. Could this shift towards virtual be here to stay? It seems quite likely. It could even morph into a hybrid offering that combines a physical presence and an online experience.
Virtual: a logical choice
For anyone in the event industry, virtual has played a key role in the way we work in recent years. This is even truer for the tumultuous months we’ve just lived through. While many companies had already implemented technology to diversify their service offering and to enhance their performance internally, it’s clear that virtual events will be part of the event landscape for a long time to come.
Of course, virtual events are nothing new and we’ve seen more and more of them in recent years. They take up a much bigger space now and have become as important a service as the in-person offering. Since March 2020, we have witnessed the need to adapt event concepts to a virtual formula.
Each time a client comes to us, the first question is: “Can we do our project virtually?” Even before physical distancing measures, the response was always affirmative, but it has now become a conspicuous and natural part of our vocabulary.
A convenient solution
Virtual events like webinars and webcasts offer considerable benefits for both organizers and attendees. Their accessibility creates an opportunity for organizers to engage more people. All one needs is an Internet connection to enjoy a remote conference, workshop or business meeting. There’s no need to plan a multi-day trip and coordinate travel for participants, which greatly reduces costs for the organizers and for the companies that send their employees for training or to attend conferences outside their region.
A hybrid event is a successful event
Depending on the type of event, a hybrid formula might be worth considering. At Niché we believe that virtual will play a role in our events for months or even years to come. Although face-to-face offers a more human experience, there’s no reason why virtual shouldn’t be integrated into an event.
For example, have you considered offering participants the possibility to access the content of a specific conference transmitted in real time during a conference? A larger number of people would have the opportunity to attend, and the convivial aspect would still be maintained for the participants present on site.
In short, a hybrid formula can offer a range of possibilities for elevating your events by making them more accessible and dynamic.