TAKING ADVANTAGE OF VIRTUAL EVENTS DURING A PANDEMIC

12. COVER PAGE - HOW VIRTUAL EVENTS CAN HELP DURING A PANDEMIC.jpg

THE DAMAGE OF COVID GLOBAL PANDEMIC TO THE HOSPITALITY AND EVENT INDUSTRY

It’s hard to think about another time when we have seen such a rapid change in the world as we are experiencing right now during the current global pandemic. 

It goes without saying that some of the sectors that were majorly affected by the pandemic are filming locations, hospitality and the live event industries.

Thousands of events were taking place and many more were planned for the Spring of 2020 and all of a sudden, during the month of March, everything stopped and all events were called off. 

Most of live events for the rest of the year have been canceled and every event planner is wondering when we will all be able to get back to work on creating unforgettable experiences for our clients.

Many people say after this pandemic fewer people will be willing to attend live events but we truly think Covid will bring three positive effects on the event industry:

  1. A lot of businesses will discover they don’t need their current amount of office space as more people can actually work from home very effectively with the tools now available. Maybe office space will become more sociable with hot-desking and better conference room facilities for running big internal and virtual events more easily.

  2. With less face-to-face business contact, events and tradeshows will become even more important as one of the only ways to meet and get to know customers and prospects in-person to solidify these connections.

  3. By trying virtual events in the meantime, a lot of the technology and ways of doing things will encourage companies to apply these new discoveries to enhance their physical events – Virtual success will encourage event planners to blend in these virtual tactics for delegates who physically can’t attend the actual live event.


VIRTUAL EVENTS ON THE RISE

Let’s take look at virtual events during a Global Pandemic. Certainly, we’re all inundated with emails telling us how to switch to ‘virtual’. Here size matters. There’s a vast difference between a true virtual event and a webinar. Effectively switching a 100-person live meeting to virtual and a 5,000+ person to virtual is humungous. 

If it’s small, then a well-planned webinar may do the trick. But large events are another animal altogether. To successfully engage large audiences, planners need to think about the reasons people attend face-to-face events and simulate the same experience virtually. And that isn’t easy.

The first question is what’s the objective? Is it to showcase the new technology, expose new customers to your brand, provide a networking forum for users, drive leads, entertain, or all of the above?

Due to the pandemic event venues are restricted to host any gathering which causes many companies exploring virtual experience with the purpose of team building or customer appreciation. 

Here are a few examples of virtual events:

  • virtual cooking classes with celebrity chefs

  • virtual wine tastings with certified sommeliers

  • virtual magic shows

  • virtual customized team/building games and experiences 

The second question is, what format will be used? Here are three options: 

1. Live Streaming

When a speaker is presenting live and it is streamed for an audience to view and interact with, in real-time:

– Chat with one another 

– Take notes on points that are important to them

– Engage in live Q&A

– Participate in polls and surveys

2. Pre-recorded Content

This format works best with session tracks where organizers are sharing a lot of content. It can still be engaging for your audience. In fact, through public and private chat, participants can personalize their schedules and interact with other attendees and presenters in much the same way they would in a live session. 

3. Hybrid

Some of the sessions take place live and other sessions are pre-recorded. Perhaps build excitement with a live stream keynote before offering the audience pre-recorded, interactive sessions and tracks.

Our team at Piovra Group is now offering virtual experiences to our corporate and private clients. We have a  curated list of virtual events available through the end of the year and we are looking forward to customized the next virtual experience for your employees or customers.

Feel free to contact us today to learn more about what we have to offer.

Luca Fiorini