In-Person Events VS Virtual Events – A Unique Perspective

Online events are the greatest in the industry and well worth your time, but not every firm is as proactive in this aspect, resulting in mediocre events, whether in-person events or online events such as live streaming or webinar. But which of the two possibilities – virtual or in-person – is the most effective? Should one form of pandemic be completely eradicated and replaced with another once the pandemic is over?

Let’s get a closer understanding of the pros and cons of the virtual and in-person events, to understand which format could be your go-to option.

The Pros of Organizing Virtual Events

Accessibility and Simplicity

Internationally, the average person owns five or even more internet-connected devices registered in their name. Sure, they could have one of those strange smart fridge-freezers which you can tweet from that for strange reasons, but it’s more probable that they have a smartphone, an ipad, a computer or two, and most likely a smart TV. If given the challenge, almost everyone can make their way onto a virtual platform, which, for obvious reasons, makes the events significantly more accessible. Furthermore, if an event is normally held in a distant city, moving it to the internet would allow far more people to participate, owing to logistical concerns.

Content available for a long time

When it comes to a traditional in-person event, once a session has taken place, that’s usually it. Of course, a large number are now recorded and posted online, but most are one-time events.

With virtual events, it’s likely that some of the presentations will be pre-recorded for ease of dissemination and editing (in addition to being recorded when delivered live), and then posted to a certain sort of network or web service for anyone who couldn’t make the talk at the time it was given.

Attendees won’t have to worry about missing numerous keynotes or running from one exposition to the next because the majority of the content will be right at their fingertips. It’s a really effective mechanism that saves lives and prevents a lot of conflicts.

Seamless Information Collection

For a corporation trying to increase interest in its products or service, the data gathered from holding an online event can be extremely significant. While various in-person events will necessitate some sort of sign-up procedure, online events are often gated until a possibility gives you an e – mail address and fills out a simple form about where they’re from, their company, and a few other small details.

Virtual event technology can also be used to collect statistics on viewing patterns, questions answered, and other insights that might benefit your sales staff.

The Cons of Organizing Virtual Events:

Inability to concentrate

Given that you’re reading an article about virtual and in-person events, you’re probably aware that an online meeting using Zoom or another comparable platform that lasts longer than 30 seconds can be completely endless.

When you’re sitting before a laptop screen, it’s easy to let your mind wander, and it’s much harder to care when someone is babbling for 30 to 45 minutes on something or other, with no one else present and no direct connection to the speaker. Of course, it is more of a human mistake and less to do with technology, and the same could be said about the other widely used apps, and it’s something that any activity that operates online in place of “the real deal” has to deal with.

Leaving a keynote speech in person is an embarrassing circumstance that most people would strive to avoid, however having anything on your computer droning on for minute upon minute would rarely prevent anyone from getting up and making a cup of coffee or browsing Twitter.

Inauthentic

This one is self-explanatory. It can be harder to link on a personal level if you are sitting alone in your workplace, kitchen, or living room, watching someone giving a live chat to a camera instead of in a room full of people.

Although the best programs and presenters will overcome this, it may be a concern for individuals.

The Unique Benefits and Drawbacks of In-Person Event

A More Relaxed Approach

Not to be confused with having a ‘loser mentality,’ which is obviously problematic, having a looser approach somewhat feeds into the idea that exiting the workplace for the day and attending an event, particularly at night, may easily transform into a ‘work getaway.’ People have had more fun in person, regardless of what is going on. Of course, the ‘work day out’ attitude means some people may have a few too many cups of complimentary beverages, but it also means that people are more relaxed when networking and interacting, which results in a more positive outlook toward your event and, in turn, more contracts being opened and closed.

More Interactive, Direct, and Personal

As noted in the previous paragraph, speaking in person is much more productive and convenient than communicating over a webcam or instant chat. Virtual event platforms are now attempting to replicate the ‘foyer’ experience between keynote speeches and lectures at an on-ground event, however, this is a difficult condition to replicate.

Bumping into someone and chatting about what you just watched, how work is going, or anything else can be all it needs to make a serious business linkage – or simply have a better experience – and for the moment being, until something changes with online events, the only way to accomplish a seamless and collaborative connection like that is through on-ground events.

Freebies are available.

Walking through the various stalls and presentations and grabbing up a load of junk you don’t need is one of the greatest parts of going to an event place. A little pen, five different branded notepads, plus a lanyard you’ll never use? Yes!

All of these items are inexpensive to produce and help people feel better about the firm that distributes them.

For good or worse, it’s not something that can readily be recreated online, unless you ask them to fill out a form and send them a package of goodies, that you can rule out just because of the overheads.

Expenditure

Renting full event halls, arranging keynote speakers, maybe supplying catering, and having everything within one place at the same time, as you presumably know or have imagined, is a logistical problem, and one that can be rather costly.

While the results may be excellent, studies from 2020 reveal that fewer individuals attended in-person events in 2020 & 2021.
The expense has become a huge factor in the case of in-person events. However, taking help from a live streaming service provider or online event platform will help you enhance the in-person event experience to a great degree.

Organizing virtual events have been very beneficial for global institutions & agencies as it simplified various aspects of an event. However, shifting to an on-ground event can be challenging again. Therefore, the best decision would be to enrich your in-person events with virtual functionalities provided by the top virtual event tech companies. Go on and make your decision based on your preference.