The COVID-19 epidemic has made it necessary to discover alternate means to organise gatherings while preserving social distance protocols, which has made virtual events a trend in recent years. A virtual event is a gathering of people that occurs online using different platforms and technology. Several advantages come with this kind of event, including affordability, accessibility, and adaptability. But not every virtual event platform is made equal. The top virtual event platforms provide a variety of features that both event planners and attendees will find useful. We’ll look at the advantages of using the best virtual event platform and how it can make your events more productive.
- Adaptable branding: Having the opportunity to customise your event’s branding is one of the main advantages of choosing the best virtual event platform. This implies that you can design a virtual setting that complements your business and the event’s theme. You may add your corporate logo, alter the colour scheme, and add other branding components to a platform that is easily adaptable so that guests will find the event more appealing and memorable.
- Easy of use: The finest platforms for virtual events are simple to use and navigate. This is crucial because it guarantees that participants may participate in the event without experiencing any technological difficulties and can effortlessly navigate the virtual environment. Clear instructions on how to use the platform’s many features and functionalities, such as how to access live sessions, communicate with other attendees, and take part in activities, should also be provided.
- Versatility: A strong virtual event platform should be adaptable enough to support a variety of events, from trade shows and exhibits to webinars and virtual conferences. As a result, the platform must offer a variety of features that may be altered to meet the particular requirements of various event kinds. A virtual conference may need several breakout rooms for various sessions, but a virtual trade fair may need a virtual exhibit hall where participants may engage with exhibitors and see product demonstrations.
- Higher accessibility: Accessibility is one of the key advantages of virtual events. Virtual events, in contrast to real-world ones, are accessible from anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection. Due to travel limits, financial limitations, or other factors, people who previously couldn’t attend a real event can now take part in virtual events.
- Cost-effectiveness: In general, holding a virtual event is less expensive than hosting a physical event. This is due to the fact that there are no costs for the venue, transport, or lodging of participants and speakers.
- Increased involvement: Live chat, Q&A sessions, polls, and surveys are just a few of the tools that the finest virtual event systems include to increase attendee engagement. These tools make the event more interactive and engaging by enabling guests to communicate with speakers and other attendees in real-time. Moreover, virtual events can be made more engaging for attendees by adding points and awards for taking part in various activities.
- Gathering and analysing data: Virtual events offer insightful data that can be used to enhance real-world events in the future. The top virtual event systems give event planners access to analytics tools that let them monitor participant involvement, activity, and preferences. Future events can be made more successful by using this data to make educated decisions about event content, timing, and format.
- Flexibility: Physical events are less flexible than virtual activities. It is simpler to arrange activities that take into account various time zones and schedules because they may be conducted at any time and participants can join from anywhere. Virtual events can also be recorded and made accessible for on-demand watching, enabling participants who couldn’t make it to the live event to catch up later.
- Increased ROI: For event planners, virtual events can increase return on investment (ROI). This is so that revenue from virtual events can be generated more easily and affordably than from actual events. For instance, virtual events may reach a larger audience and hence draw more sponsors and exhibitors. Virtual events can also be made money by charging for entry or including premium services like VIP access or one-on-one sessions.
- Enhanced safety: The COVID-19 epidemic has made safety during event hosting even more crucial. As there is no chance of the virus spreading, virtual events are a safer option to real-world ones. This is crucial for events with large people because there is a higher risk of transmission.
- Improved impact on the environment: Comparatively speaking, virtual events have less of a carbon impact than actual ones. This is due to the absence of travel requirements for speakers or attendees, which lowers transportation-related carbon emissions. With no printed materials like brochures or fliers, virtual events also produce less trash.
With so many advantages for participants as well as event organisers, virtual events have established themselves as a crucial component of the events sector. The best virtual event platforms provide a variety of features that improve the virtual event experience, such as customizable branding, simplicity, adaptability, increased accessibility, cost-effectiveness, higher engagement, data collection and analysis, flexibility, improved ROI, increased safety, better environmental impact, improved networking opportunities, improved time management, and greater scalability.
