Blog Articles

Consumers have recently undergone a dramatic shift in expectations. Now more and more consumers expect top digital experiences. Organisations are scrambling to update their offerings and the events industry is no different. But as McKinsey research shows, companies only have a short transition period before we settle into the “new normal.”

So what will online events look like under the “new normal?” In his new book, Reinventing Live, entrepreneur and events expert Marco Giberti predicts that online events will become significantly more sophisticated. He writes that “Post-Covid virtual events and webinars will be unrecognizable. It will be like comparing traditional TV with streaming.”

Soon, planners will no longer be able to get away with unprofessional events that “look like a bad video call.” Along with these shifts in customer expectations, event planners face another challenge that impacts event success: Zoom fatigue.

With the rise of remote working, viewers are spending more and more time in online meetings. This can be exhausting and can impact your audience’s drive to attend virtual events. After a long day at work, who wants to spend more time in front of their laptop?

To adapt to the new normal and overcome Zoom fatigue, event planners need to create engaging virtual experiences that win viewer attention. Drawing on some of the best recent online events, we’ve put together six key steps to improving your online events. Let’s dive in.

Webinars have been around for decades and, just like almost anything that’s been around this long, they have evolved. Over the past years, webinars have seen a huge uptick and continue to gain popularity.

In just months, the global landscape has changed dramatically, with almost every sector having to pivot to digital technology. For now, in-person meetings, lectures, events and conferences are off-the-table (or restricted to fewer numbers), leaving companies to rely on virtual meeting and webinar platforms such as GoToWebinar, Microsoft Teams and Zoom to continue operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the events industry status quo. And for companies to survive and thrive in our ‘new normal’, they need to rise to the challenge of hosting smooth, engaging events in virtual environments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a key driver in the rapid adoption of virtual environments. 

This is not to say that their rise in popularity was unforeseen — the format has carved a niche in the events landscape and will continue to alter the DNA of physical events in the future. Hybrid events are expected to continue to gain relevance, catering to both on-site and remote attendees.

Up until recently, online events were considered a last resort for event professionals. Mainstream digital experiences lagged behind their on-location counterparts and were largely the preserve of art exhibitions and the “the really risqué” (or borderline gimmicky). 

With more events move online, event organisers and managers of traditionally “offline” events are coming to realise that the landscape is much different.

In light of the challenges presented by COVID-19, more and more events are taking place online.

When it comes to assessing the success of an event, a key variable to consider is audience engagement. Opinions, discussions, questions – these are all signs of audience engagement and, more importantly, proof your event is interesting.