Virtual events allow users to interact with companies or colleagues in the comfort of their home, office, or nearby coffee shop via chat or video conference.
Virtual events do not need to be complicated, but they must be well planned and produced to make your event successful. In this article we present the 13 benefits of virtual events, check it out!
Benefits of virtual events during Covid
Despite the sensitive climate in the face of the pandemic, the essence of those who work with events and entertainment remains the same: connecting people, positively impacting society, and creating amazing experiences.
Even if forcibly, Covid-19 has nudged all sectors towards the digitization of services. We need to adapt and learn how to navigate through these turbulent waves of change.
In this context, online events emerge as a safe and effective alternative to continue delivering experiences to the public, wherever they may be. But that’s not all: there are several advantages of doing online events, especially at a time when you need to find ways to keep your business alive.
1. The costs are low
In general, virtual events are cheaper. The only thing that planners need to worry about paying are the costs of the virtual meeting platform and renting specialized services.
You will save a lot by not having to pay for the rental of the space or the sound equipment, for example, but you will also save money with the coffee-break, accommodation and tickets of the guests, materials for the day of the event, among other demands.The only expenses will be with the platform, the promotion, and the equipment needed for the video recording.
With an online event you can reach an impressive number of people using only a good internet connection, a computer, your own webcam to take the images, and headphones to capture the audio, for example. And each one in his or her own home, or anywhere else in the world! Of course, the more equipment you have at your disposal, the more quality your event will have, but remember that this is not a prerequisite!
2. They save time
Another benefit of virtual events is that you also save a lot of time. Yours, your team’s, and the attendees’. Although virtual events require some time to set up the platform and the site, the time spent on organization is less than that of a face-to-face event.
Registration, which is done through the event’s website, does not require any physical presence for collection, much less making participants travel for it.
3. Global reach
With virtual events, it is much easier to reach and involve more people!
Unlike face-to-face events, virtual events are not restricted to a single location or have a limit to the number of people allowed. So, since there is no geographical limit, all that is required to access the platform is for the attendee to have a computer or mobile device and an Internet connection.
In addition, there is the possibility of increasing the number of event participants, since a much larger number of people can connect in a virtual room. One of the biggest benefits of virtual events is that your event can go global!
You can also promote your event easily by sharing the link to your website and social media channels. People from all over the world can participate instantly, thus increasing your audience and allowing everyone to attend, no matter where they live.
The secret to this is to work hard on the quality of the content you share and on the promotion. So, don’t waste time and start broadening the horizons of your events right now!
4. They’re flexible and variable
Because virtual events take place online, you have a lot of flexibility in how you broadcast your event. To participate or host a virtual event, all you need is an Internet connection and a device to access the Internet. Most platforms are compatible with access via a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Regardless of the type of event, you can choose to make the sessions interactive, offer different language options, invite speakers, and more. One of the benefits of virtual events is that they are flexible and can be tailored to your needs and goals.
5. It is easier to make connections
Unlike in-person events, virtual events are highly interactive and friendly, increasing registrant participation and engagement. Virtual events offer tools such as polls, Q&A, live chat, and even a downloadable resource section so your attendees can fully engage with your content.
In addition, virtual events tend to be more fast-paced, as attendees don’t have to move from session to session or booth to booth, and it can be easier to make connections with other attendees and speakers than a face-to-face event.
6. It is easy to collect feedback
Just like in-person events, feedback is crucial for virtual events. However, unlike face-to-face events, at virtual events attendees are constantly online and can easily respond to surveys in real time.
This real-time feedback is a great benefit of virtual events, and will not only help presenters assess how the session is going, but will also be useful for measuring the overall success of your virtual event.
7. It is easy to measure results
Although the data that virtual events produce will vary depending on the platform and event management software you use, it is still easier to gather data and measure results about your event and attendees during a virtual event than it is at an in-person event.
You have planned your event down to the smallest detail. The budget study was accurate. Your marketing and communication plan was well executed. Sales are within the predicted margin. Everything was going well… until a crisis arrived.
Dealing with crisis management is part of the daily routine for those who produce events. The more experienced an event producer is, the more capable he becomes of dealing with unforeseen events. However, as time goes by, the more accustomed they become to “doing things the same way”. It is a paradox – but the good news is that there is a solution.
8. Availability
A face-to-face event is, by nature, live. It only has one chance of happening. How many events have you seen canceled due to rain or force majeure?
One of the advantages of doing online events is that they do not have to be live. It can be recorded and accessed many times in various formats. Your availability is much greater. What an advantage: this means you can put your online event on sale for a whole year (or more!).
You can, for example, sell an online event that takes place live, but you can also record this event and make it available for sale, for a lower price, to those who could not attend the live event.
9. They are simpler to organize!
You may not yet be a fan of online events, but on one point you must agree with me: these are simpler events to organize! Do you know why?
Much of the stress of organizing an event comes from the need to find the perfect venue with affordable rent, the investment in preparing all the materials that will be delivered during the event, not to mention the D-Day rush to leave in order, from cleaning to delivering the certificates of participation.
With an online event you can save energy on this work and even increase your chances of having a bigger audience! Can you imagine the work it would take to organize, welcome, and accommodate a number of people that could, for example, be in a live broadcast?
To think that it is possible to handle all this with a reduced team and a much smaller investment, and still counting on the right partnerships, because you can’t do it all by yourself! A great help is a virtual event platform, like the one from expertshare, which can help with tasks such as registration and certifications, while you study to find ways to make your event even better.
10. They increase sales
Yes, that’s right! One of the benefits of virtual events is the possibility to increase your sales. Think with me, your event will reach a much larger audience and this will increase your numbers. Of course, everything will depend on the promotion and sales strategy you use.
These results may not appear in the first edition of the event, especially if it is your first contact with this type of organization. But take advantage of the fact that the Internet allows you not only to reach more people, but also to follow those interested in your type of event. So, invest in these people! Send exclusive content, make posts that engage on social networks to demonstrate your authority on the subject and make them remember your event!
11. Makes your event known better
This, without a doubt, is the greatest desire of every event organizer. Who doesn’t want to have their event as a reference in the market, to be recognized and known inside and outside the country?
There are no limits when it comes to the Internet. So grab hold of all the possibilities it offers to spread the idea and the name of your event. You can, for example, get in touch with some micro-influencers that speak to your target audience to work on a well-directed promotion that seeks to reach not only many people, but mainly the right people!
You can do this through social networks and sponsored posts, sending e-mail marketing, and nurturing these people with good content and consistency. What will really impact these people is the positioning of your event. Show that you have authority on the subject and more and more people will be interested in what you have to talk about.
Tip: You need to know the advantages of investing in email marketing, an essential strategy for online events! Click here and check out our e-book that has all the directions for those who want to learn about the subject!
12. Generates material for the post-event
One of the main advantages of doing an online event is having, at the end of the event, content to use as you wish. What in physical events require a specialized team to make the recordings of the lectures, increasing the costs, can be done while your event takes place, at no additional cost!
Later, this material can be used to promote the next editions or as an online course that can be sold, for example. You can also make the complete event available on your YouTube channel, if you have one, of course. What you cannot miss is the chance to take advantage of this material!
13. Provides interaction and engagement
Those who think it is impossible to create engagement during an online event are wrong, on the contrary! Besides participating in the event, people feel more comfortable to comment and ask questions, through the chat, because they feel closer to the speakers. Without a doubt, having that speaker that used to be on a stage, distant and often without access, in the online event the reality is another.
But how can I create an online event?
Much has been said about the benefits of virtual events, especially after so many adjustments we needed to make in our routines because of Covid-19 and the need for social distance. And it’s not for nothing, after all, this has been the best option to continue investing in the events market, to discover the digital world even more and to keep organizing amazing events!
Creating an online event is very simple! You need to take care of the planning, think about the objectives, define the team, budget, and other details typical of any event. One of the main differences in this modality is the exchange of choosing a physical place for a tool for online transmission.
In addition, it is also very important to choose, as soon as possible, an event platform to help in the organization, because online events can be very different from physical ones, but still have the same needs, such as creating the site, selling registrations, accreditation, and issuing certificates, among others.
