VIRTUAL EVENTS: NEED OF THE HOUR

Virtual events consist of events that involve individuals interacting in an online mode rather than meeting in the physical environment. Virtual Events can offer numerous ways for participants to communicate and connect to each other. The popular forms of Virtual events include virtual trade shows, virtual job fairs, virtual sales meetings, virtual expos, virtual conferences.

During the pandemic stage, Virtual Events are becoming an alternative to live events and often aim at creating a similar experience. It is economically efficient to gather thousands of attendees through an online mode around the globe. Due to the dramatic increase in the virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic, events apart from those of the corporate world, which would normally occur onsite with live performances and audiences have also jumped to the online mode of conduction.

Both virtual and live events have been throwing their own pros and cons at the audiences and the event industry.

Virtual events withdraw the travel expenses, production cost, and are more time-effective. No matter how easy-going virtual events may sound, the audience is always inclined towards face-face interaction.

We humans as social beings crave social gatherings and networking with new individuals. Opportunities to connect with individuals can’t be achieved via online modes, live events are always more engrossing and fun to be a part of. In virtual events, it is comparatively demanding to engage the audience, thus audience engagement becomes one of the largest cons of virtual events.

Virtual events being affected by technical glitches and poor connection add up to more of its disadvantages.

To conclude, virtual events can never take up the place live events have made in the industry. Virtual events can be complementary to face-face interactions but can never be a supplement to them. In the near future, the industry might see upcoming hybrid events, taking place both in an online mode and with a live audience.