Virtual conferences have replaced in-person meetings and conferences across the COVID impacted world. But how successful has been the shift to Virtual events? It’s a mixed bag, according to an IDC survey. Even as about half of the events lost audience in the transition, 46% gained attendees as a result.
Removing travel requirements and audience familiarity with video presentations worked together to keep event attendance largely intact, according to the survey.
Looking ahead, virtual events are people’s new ‘real world’ events
Wayne Kurtzman, research director, Social and Collaboration at IDC
Attendee perspective:
- About half of the attendees at these virtual events were neutral on their experience, more or less getting what they expected.
- Nearly a third indicated that they had a better experience than expected
- Some attendees stated they had a better experience than an in-person event.
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Organisers perspective:
- Even though the metric used by most organizers to measure success was attendance, but downloads, revenue, and audience engagement also scored well
- Tech companies were more successful with audience engagement
- Companies with branded communities saw higher session attendance and greater social media hashtag usage
- Nearly 50% said virtual events less expensive to produce than an in-person event
Also read: Technologists: Heroes of the digital era amid COVID-19
Scope for Improvement:
While Organisers declared virtual events as success, attendees felt there was room for improvement
- Engagements during the event as one of the top areas for improvement
- Audio Quality
- Need for closed captions
- Networking opportunities warranting further attention
To succeed in the new world, event organisers need to make sure attendees have easy ways to engage with each other and the speakers.
IDC’s Mr Kurtzman said “Use platforms that were meant for the purpose and prepare the platform, the social and support teams. Finally, make the impression a good one with video, lighting, and audio – and usable, authentic content.”
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