The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world as we know it in nearly every way. Industries across the globe were forced to learn new ways of operation to accommodate the new way of life that we adopted. Businesses specifically took a hit, finding and putting into motion new ways to communicate, travel, and hold events for employees.
Events needed to change quickly
The shift to digital engagement was rapid, as COVID-19 hit rather quickly in March 2020. Since that point, its integration has been gradual, a shift that we are still seeing in abundance today.
Modes of communication were the first to see this change, as their impact was immediate for most businesses. Email and video conferencing took over the scene, with phone calls, messaging platforms, audio conferencing, and other virtual methods of correspondence becoming imperative to corporate operations.
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Among these, email was the most popular and common, replacing physical conversations and meetings that would otherwise be held in a physical office.
Business travel is another sector that has forever been changed by the pandemic. Many frequent travellers who often did so for business have claimed that they “will never return to the road” thanks to the ease and accessibility of virtual options.
These numbers remain strong in 2022, with 42 per cent of those interviewed still standing by these claims. Business travel’s share of hotel room revenue is also expected to continue to drop in the coming years.
Event holding and attendance is the sector of business operations that took the biggest hit and saw the most changes. With the emergence of platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, 70 per cent of physical events were switched to hybrid or virtual in 2020.
In fact, Zoom held more than 45 billion minutes of webinars in 2020, and Teams saw 894 per cent growth in the first three months of the pandemic alone. This exponential growth, however, has not slowed as the pandemic draws to a close.
In 2022, digital events will remain popular. Almost 50 per cent of events are planned to be virtual, and almost 40 per cent are planned to be hybrid.
People crave better virtual experiences
Despite the success and popularity of these platforms, when they are designed poorly, they create challenges. Many employees that use video conferencing regularly experience technical issues, poor communication, and a loss of productivity.
In addition, the amount of eye contact and participant face size on screens during a video chat is unnatural. It has been found that this can create a stressful experience and can lead to a detrimental hyper-aroused state. Seeing oneself in real-time on a screen can be draining and even increase self-criticism.
Despite these challenges of interacting digitally, people still prefer attending events online. Of people who attend ten or more events every year, studies show that 46 per cent attended online events, and only 13 per cent attended physical events. From a business perspective, they need virtual programming for a number of reasons.
Holding events online instead of in person saves time, as employees don’t need to travel and physically gather at a set location. Also, it reduces costs as there are fewer expenses due to travel, cutting some existing travel costs by 30 per cent.
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Virtual events also can increase productivity by allowing more time to be allocated to other important tasks. Finally, these platforms increase employee engagement and focus as they are less likely to multitask while on videos compared to phone calls.
The rise of hybrid events
Hybrid events have been found to be the best way to create a more engaging and exciting corporate event. Hybrid programming can be defined as a separate experience in which two audiences are connected by the content they’re accessing.
Studies show that 72 per cent of virtual event attendees believe that they will get more value from attending a hybrid event than a physical event. With the goal in mind to create the best experience for every audience, event planners use gamification and metaverse technology to ensure this outcome.
These tools can boost engagement and curiosity in the topic at hand, using new and revolutionary technology to foster a better environment for all involved.
As the height of the pandemic draws to a close, it is clear that physical events are not going away. However, businesses can reach new and greater audiences than ever before through hybrid and virtual events on digital campuses.
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