When the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the world, much of the world changed, including the meetings and events industry. Social restrictions prohibited people from moving about and gathering in large groups. It was a hefty price to pay, but that did not stop businesses from finding solutions to postponed or canceled events.
It hasn’t been long since the stay-at-home orders were eased, but the threat is still present. One of the biggest fears of organizers and managers is the after-effects of this multi-billion-dollar industry. Can it still go back to its pre-pandemic vigor? What can businesses and organizations expect for the future of events? This article analyzes the possibilities.
Adoption of virtual events
Events provide plenty of personal interaction and networking. It is very valuable in that sponsors and attendees can forge meaningful connections and find opportunities for growth. Prior to 2020, face-to-face meetings were the lifeline of any entity working to progress in their niche.
However, the events industry was on the verge of moving to the digital era even before the pandemic. Multinational companies leveraged video calling applications and live chat to communicate across borders. Technology helped industry experts reimagine the world of events, such as virtual meeting spaces and live streaming, among others.
In a way, the global pandemic pushed forth this new movement. People had to move to the digital sphere—there was no exception in the early months of COVID-19. The lockdowns accelerated the adoption of virtual events in the world today. According to the GBTA study, virtual meetings for companies rose from 32 times in 2019 to 125 times in 2020.
Now, virtual happenings are widespread and span various sectors across the globe. Besides being a safety precaution, it has relatively lower costs and eases the worry of health, catering, and human logistics. Thus, people can expect virtual events to dominate in the not-so-distant future while the pandemic is still lurking in the shadows.
Hybrid events: the new standard
A hybrid event, in the simplest definition, is a combination of in-person and virtual elements. It is the more plausible future of the events industry. Experts and key players believe that the world cannot go back to purely face-to-face occasions, given the many benefits of virtual events. A reconciliation of the past and present gave way to this new global standard.
The most significant contribution of hybrid events is easy access for everybody, regardless of their location. In this type of event, attendees can choose to attend in-person or join a virtual crowd. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, especially for companies with multiple branches domestically or globally.
Hybrid events offer the flexibility to host the event simultaneously in multiple venues, allowing attendees to join in-person or virtually. It’s like a watch party, but in the business sense – the hosting entity can invite attendees to join at the location that’s most convenient for them.
For this type of event, companies need to hire the best planners to get every element right. Hybrid meetings and occasions require in-depth knowledge of techniques that work. Since it’s a new event design, navigating it properly is something only professionals can do. Porto Digital Agency is one such dependable team with specialized methods for hybrid events, guaranteeing success!
