Online video conferences are more popular than ever—and based on what medical experts and our government officials are saying, we may not have mass gatherings until 2021. In Q1 of 2020 alone, the use of video conferencing platform Zoom increased from 10 million to 200 million daily active users.
Not only is virtual the only way we are able to connect, but businesses are also learning online events are a less expensive and more flexible way to connect with their audiences. As one of the largest business keynote speaker bureaus, BigSpeak Speakers Bureau saw a massive shift toward online keynotes, virtual conferences, and webinar format keynote speaking.
You may be leary of hosting or attending online events. In the past, poor video technology and boring presenters made virtual meetings an inferior experience. But that’s all changed. Digital events and presenters have dramatically improved over the past month—similar to the old adage, “necessity is the mother of invention.” It also helps that the technology is rapidly advancing, easier to use, and presenters are getting more polished and media-savvy—each day.
As you ramp up to hosting your first digital event (or prepare for your next one), here are six advantages virtual conferences have over traditional in-person events and venues.
1) Flexibility
Virtual events aren’t fixed in time, space, and size like your typical live event. You can offer a virtual conference anytime, anywhere, for any amount of people. You can have one presenter or multiple presenters and offer multiple meeting times to accommodate your audience’s preferences. Moreover, video conferencing platforms also offer more interactivity options with real-time surveys, polls, chat, questions, and more.
2) Affordability
When you go digital, you don’t need to break your budget. For virtual production, all you need is a computer and a quiet room. Video conference platforms are also very affordable for hosting large audiences—up to thousands of people. And top presenters? They won’t bankrupt you either. Great keynote speakers will often present for a reduced fee for virtual events.
3) Agility
You can be spontaneous and current with your topics when you go digital. Since you need less time to set up a live event, you can stage a video conference almost immediately when something important happens. You can hire keynote experts today to help you with your needs, rather than waiting months to have a speaker come to your event and talk about something that’s no longer relevant.
4) Networking
But what about networking, you ask? How can you make connections online? Networking online can be even better than offline. When you attend your typical in-person keynote, you often don’t know the name of the person sitting next to you or what they are thinking. They could be a great contact but you wouldn’t know it.
When you’re online, you can see the names of audience members who are chatting about the presentation, what they are talking about, and jump right into a discussion. It’s a faster and easier way to connect with like minds.
5) Fast feedback
Digital conferences are great for getting instant feedback on your presentation. When you use digital surveys and polls, you get results in real-time rather than having to wait weeks for an email survey—which, let’s be honest, people are less likely to fill out vs an instant poll.
Immediate feedback can help you modify your event in progress as well as prepare for better future events. It’s also easier to gauge the success of your event.
6) Deep data collection
Data collection is much easier when you stage a virtual experience. Video conferencing platforms let you know exactly who your audience is and what they do. You can gather demographic data, attendance numbers, number of views, type of engagement and more to get an idea who is tuning in, to what, and for how long.
