Exploring the Innovative Future of Virtual Events
This is one time of the year, usually in the summer, when people rush to concerts, festivals, fairs, etc. And who possibly doesn’t root for and enjoy all of this? Events are a major part of our lives. Whether they are work events, social events, entertainment events, or any other type. Each has advantages that cannot be overlooked. However, what if, for any reason—a zombie apocalypse, for instance—the event can’t be held and you can’t be present? Well, easy. We create an event that is almost realistic and that people can attend from anywhere in the world. If you had heard such words 3-5 years ago, you wouldn’t have believed that this was 1% attainable. But hey? Everything is progressing at maximum speed, and so are future events. In this article, we will discuss the promising future of virtual events and how they have made our lives easier.
How Did the Concept of Virtual Events Start?
The concept of virtual events has been around for some time, long before it was popularized. However, it has become the star of the show and a lifesaver in the past few years. In 2020, the world went into a major lockdown—a complete one. Where people couldn’t go on the streets, barely communicate, and stuff like this. We all remember how hard and lonely they were. As we were deprived of the major thing that makes humans human, which is communication. Since it was taking longer than anyone would have ever imagined. And for this reason, we had to adapt and live our normal lives one way or another. The lockdown prohibited many of the vents that people anticipated. Summer festivals were canceled, as were cons, exhibits, and everything else. Needless to say, the importance of these events is both profit-wise for organizations and socially for individuals.
Luckily, technology always has an answer. Developers then started to work around this dilemma of making people attend and enjoy events without endangering their lives at the same time. The ultimate solution for this was going virtual. We had enough technologies, enough resources, and obviously enough time, so they started on this idea. In a significant period of time, the concept of virtual events arrived, starting first with important work events like meetings, training, and team-building. Shortly after this, the concept proved its major effectiveness, it started to go wilder and more inclusive of types of events like entertainment. Thus, if you go back in time three years, you’d remember the number of virtual concerts that were held, which were actually pretty successful.
Advantages of Virtual Events
As we previously said, virtual events came as a lifesaver in such hard times when we were desperate for anything that could make us continue on with our lives. The list of advantages of the future of virtual events can go on forever, but let us explore the most important ones.
The first advantage of virtual events is their wide and global reach. Usually, global events are more exclusive to the countries where they are held. If people were to go the extra mile, they would need to fly across oceans and exert great effort. What makes virtual events special is that these limits are now over. People from all over the world can attend any event they’d like. No matter where it was held before. They would get the same amazing experience wherever they were.
The second advantage is reducing negative environmental impacts. Some events can contain thousands of people, others can contain a hundred thousand. As the number of attendees grows, you can certainly imagine the amount of resources consumed and waste produced. Also, this means that more people would travel to the place of the event, which would increase the carbon footprint. By reducing or eliminating the need for physical travel and event facilities, virtual events are better for the environment.
Lastly, virtual events save much effort and money for organizations. The process of setting up an event is not as easy as it may look. It requires much effort, resources, and money to be done. From renting a venue, setting activities and seminars, and flying people out. In addition to the scalability that virtual events offer, they also save organizations tons of money.
Events and the Impact of Technology: What Should We Expect From the Future of Virtual Events
Virtual reality and augmented reality will enhance the event experience
Emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have the potential to revolutionize how people interact with events. Virtual reality (VR) allows participants to enter a simulated environment and feel as though they are actually there, regardless of their actual location. This has the potential to make the experience of virtual attendees more exciting and interactive. The greatest example of this is the metaverse events taking place everywhere, such as the Decentraland music festival. Conversely, augmented reality (AR) superimposes digital information in the real world, allowing users to access additional knowledge or interact with virtual elements even though they experience an event in person. Virtual and augmented reality has the potential to enhance the experience of virtual events, making them more memorable for the people involved. We can anticipate more virtual events incorporating these technologies as they develop and become more widely available over the next few years.
Hybrid Events Will Become the Norm
Hybrid events are quickly becoming the next big thing as the popularity of virtual events continues to rise. The in-person and online elements of these gatherings are a wonderful balance. Those who may need assistance getting to the actual location can participate, and the event’s overall reach can expand as a result. Hybrid events are becoming more practical as technology improves, and both in-person and remote participants can enjoy a smooth and interactive experience. Since this format combines the strengths of both traditional and modern events, it stands to reason that its popularity will only grow in the years to come.
Artificial Intelligence Will Play a Bigger Role in Event Planning and Management
AI is making waves in many fields, and the event planning and management industry is no exception. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to streamline and automate many parts of planning an event, including but not limited to registration, ticketing, attendee engagement, and feedback. Chatbots powered by AI can provide timely responses to FAQs and general inquiries from attendees, relieving some of the burden on event planners. Moreover, AI algorithms can examine data from previous events to spot patterns and trends, empowering organizers to make evidence-based choices. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in virtual events has already improved efficiency and made the process more personalized for both organizers and attendees, and this trend is only expected to continue.
Personalization and Customization Will Be Keys to Attendee Engagement
To keep people interested in future virtual events, organizers will need to tailor the experience to each individual participant. Because of the advancement of technology, organizers can now cater to each participant specifically. Sessions and workshops might be recommended to attendees based on their interests. Social gatherings could be tailored to their profession, and attendees’ prior interactions with the event could be used to tailor the information they receive during the event. Virtual events have the potential to provide a more satisfying and memorable experience for guests by customizing them to their individual preferences and interests.
Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Practices Will Be Prioritized in Virtual Events
As we mentioned above, one of the main advantages of virtual events is that they reduce negative environmental impacts. That is why we should witness a major green movement in virtual and physical events as well. In light of growing global awareness of the environmental impact of large-scale events, virtual events are likely to place a greater emphasis on sustainability and environmentally conscious practices. Utilizing renewable energy sources to power the event, decreasing waste with digital documents and virtual giveaway bags, and establishing programs to offset carbon emissions are all possible ways to go green at an event. In addition, virtual events can lessen attendees’ need for travel, cutting down on both greenhouse gas emissions and the overall environmental toll. Sustainable virtual events may still deliver on their promise to provide participants with rich and rewarding experiences while also helping to create a more sustainable future.
The Role of Apps in the Future of Virtual Events
To make all of this possible, you have to provide people with a window or a path where they can access and enjoy the promising future of virtual events. In this case, apps played a major role in being the path that made virtual events more seamless and allowed as many people to attend such events. At first, apps in this category were limited to online meetings, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. However, over time, other apps like vFairs and Whova emerged. They offered more to take the attendees’ experience to the max. The more perks these new apps offered were seamless planning and attendance processes. In addition, it created new channels for communication among attendees to strengthen the social part of events.
All of this made apps an internal part of the future of virtual events. Developers are now rushing to create, implement new technologies, test, and publish new virtual event apps that could take the concept to a whole new level. Thus, if you want to start with events, start with an app.
In Summary
It is not a long time until we will get to experience everything virtually. It started with education and entertainment, and now we have virtual events. The path that technology is moving towards is promising and intelligent to a major extent. This, in turn, will help shape all industries and aspects of life. We can now expect that the future of virtual events is blossoming, and this is not even its full potential. Thus, we need to work and anticipate what will come next.
Who knows? Maybe next year we will get to attend virtual events from outer space.
