What Are Virtual Events and How Do They Work?

Conferences, trade fairs, career fairs, and seminars are becoming popular, including in most companies and large organizations. These events can actually be seen as part of campaigns to reach a wider audience, attract job seekers, or introduce new products. However, we are all now aware of the current global situation where these events are not possible in physical environments.

For this reason, many industries have now turned to virtual events. Although physical events and conferences are a well-known method of organizing events, it is not as difficult as it seems to bring them to a virtual environment. Although it may seem difficult and complex for people who have not experienced it before, they are actually not as difficult and complex as one might think. Once you've read and learned what virtual events are and why people host them, you'll find that hosting virtual events is a very useful idea for your company.

What are Virtual Events?

Let's start with the basics first and explain what virtual events are for you in detail. A virtual event provides a platform for audiences, attendees, presenters and brands to communicate. In this environment, participants can share ideas, discuss different topics and new products, and experience virtually the same situations they experience in physical environments. The situation that arises here is actually very similar to any other physical event that a brand or organization can organize. Only these events take place online.

Virtual events can be as simple or complex as they need to be. It can be done simply through social media or through a video conferencing tool. However, if you want to show up at a career fair, trade show, or something similar, using a virtual event platform will benefit you even more.

Now let's consider a virtual trade fair. A trade fair consists of dozens of brands exhibiting their products. They present these products through live product demos or presentations. Brands can try to be more interactive and engage viewers more in their product showcases. This process can be done through live chat, Q&A sessions or even live surveys. Trade fairs are just an example for virtual events. There are many different types of virtual events that you can take advantage of. We will look at all of these in later stages.

As you probably know, exhibitors and visitors have certain expectations when they attend business, academic, or conference-style events. There has to be a sense of involvement and participation, and that's basically what a good virtual event is all about. It's not just about generating more income, it can be about building a larger and more loyal audience.

How Do Virtual Events Work?

Now we all know what virtual events are. Well, let's see how they work together. Different events such as career fairs, conferences or even open days have different needs. Your needs and goals will vary depending on the type of event you're hosting and what audience you're trying to target. However, we can review some common aspects that emerged in different virtual events.

Let's talk about the beginner level first. For this, you need video conferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and even live streaming services like Twitch or YouTube. Sometimes simple thinking works and allows you to focus more on your business and products than the main event. However, some events need extra tools and services. Let's look at a few features that distinguish virtual events from physical events.

What are the Features of Virtual Event Platforms?

Landing Pages

Whatever your event, whether physical or virtual, it is necessary to set up a website. If you don't want a completely separate website for the event, use a landing page for your event that works like a microsite. The landing page is the page people are directed to when they want to register for an event. People can visit this page directly or find it through your social media posts.

With a landing page, you can inform visitors about the event schedule, which brands and speakers will be available, and how to sign up. It is important to have an attractive landing page so that people are enthusiastic about the event.

On-Demand Content

A big part of what makes virtual events so popular is on-demand content. This is something you get in some degree of physical event as well. Even then, recording every moment of a physical event is incredibly difficult, as you know. This is a situation that proves that virtual events are arguably more preferable. Keynotes, presentations, demos, product demos, and more can be easily viewed during and after the event.

Live Broadcasts

Live broadcasts are essential when it comes to virtual events. Of course, you can pre-record everything and then publish it on a website or Youtube channel. However, this approach does not create the kind of personal connections a live event does. Broadcast sessions are a crucial component of hosting any virtual event.

A large event will have a large number of sessions that will work better when broadcast live. Meetings, conferences, trade shows, and other events use broadcasts to create a more interactive experience among attendees. It also makes Q&A sessions, polls, and other interaction features feel more authentic.

Customization

A good virtual event platform will allow you to customize your event to your liking. As we all know, brand image and representation mean as much or even more than actual products these days. So it would be handy to have a privileged solution. A good virtual event platform allows you to use your own brand. It allows you to include all aspects of your brand with customization. This applies to the landing page, event lobby, auditorium, exhibition stands and more. Another aspect of customization is social media integration. The impact of social media is huge and applies to every industry. When it comes to marketing and promoting the event itself, make sure the platform allows you to include social media channels.

What are the Benefits of Virtual Events?

From what we've talked about so far, virtual events bring many advantages and opportunities to most industries. It depends on what your requirements are and how well you manage to run an event. Therefore, when done properly, you can find many benefits that virtual events have to offer. We will quickly review a few of them.

Better analysis: In general, it is rather difficult for a participant to keep track of all the events they have attended within an event. Fortunately, many virtual event platforms can help you track how many times an attendee has visited a booth or attended how many sessions. This helps you assess overall engagement and participant interest.

High access: Reaching a wider audience is almost always helpful, regardless of the event. Although physical events work well in this regard, travel costs, schedule conflicts, travel restrictions, etc. You restrict some people for reasons. E.g; It is difficult for people with disabilities to participate in physical events. Hosting a virtual event allows people from anywhere in the world to easily attend your event from the comfort of their own home.

Low costs: When it comes to virtual events, resources and overall costs are saved. You won't have to worry about venue rent, equipment costs, catering costs and more. Of course, virtual events have other costs, such as the platform fee itself and a few software services you may need to purchase. However, in most cases, virtual events are more economical than physical events.t

If you want to discover the power of virtual events and take your company a few steps further from where it is, experience this experience now with Endless Fairs. Contact us now for detailed information about virtual events. Make an unforgettable event with our solid and reliable platform.

Stay tuned to Endless Fairs to learn more about virtual and hybrid fairs.