The Future of Virtual and Hybrid Events

After COVID-19 upended the ways employees travel to and attend events, business travel may never be the same again. 42% of frequent business travelers expressed the desire to “never return to the road” in 2022. Thanks to the lingering popularity of hybrid and virtual events, these travelers’ wishes can come true.

In 2020, 70% of physical events switched to hybrid or virtual delivery. This was done to avoid canceling the event entirely due to pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions. Now in 2022, when most pandemic barriers have disappeared, 40% of events are still planned to be virtual. 72% of professionals expressed the same interest in virtual events as they once had for physical events. Audiences have moved from conference room seats to either Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

While virtual events can be more convenient for attendees, they present their own set of frustrations. Technology issues run rampant, and “Zoom fatigue” is a real phenomenon at longer events. Businesses can take the popularity of online meetings to create more exciting events for their attendees. Trends such as gamification can boost event engagement. For example, an event could have a list of milestones for attendees to complete. Whoever completes the most wins.

The power of virtual events
Source: engagez.com

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