Before the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a global increase in online activity, digital programming and virtual events realized a steep rise in popularity. And it’s only getting higher. As in-person events have been canceled or scaled back, organizations have turned to virtual events as a way to maintain a connection with their audiences. According to a recent report from Fortune Business Insights, the global virtual meeting software market size is projected to reach $ 41.58 billion by the end of 2027.
So, why are companies making such an investment in online programming?
The Key Benefits of Virtual Events
Virtual events offer convenience and flexibility for both organizers and attendees. People can participate in virtual events from the comfort of their homes or offices, and they can access programs remotely anywhere with an internet connection. Furthermore, virtual events can be recorded and made available on demand, which allows people to watch them at their convenience.
Virtual events also offer greater reach and scalability than their physical counterparts and inherently promote inclusivity and accessibility. Physical events can be difficult for potential attendees to take part in simply due to proximity, mobility and expense, but its alternative offers organizations the ability to reach a global audience, allowing them to increase their visibility and exposure without the in-person requirement. And, because the production costs of online programming are generally lower, virtual events tend to be more cost-effective.
Creating a Successful Virtual Event
The success of any event is dependent on establishing primary objectives, which could range from lead generation to increasing brand/product awareness or improving employee retention. Once objectives are established, marketers should conduct audience research to better understand demographic profiles, interests, and needs in order to improve event messaging and promotional campaigns as well as generate content for the program itself that is relevant to their ideal attendee group. Knowing your audience is also essential for effective planning and allocating resources and costs.
For those in charge of making the event a success overall, modern video technology offers comprehensive data on who attended when, how well they watched, what they thought of the content being provided, and how they interacted with interactive features.
Today’s video technology enables event producers to broadcast and stream their programs live to hundreds of thousands of participants with excellent visual quality while also offering methods for attendees to interact via polls, chat, surveys, and icons.
As the world incorporates what the COVID-19 pandemic made seemingly normal, virtual formats will persist, while the hybrid space is already being adopted by businesses and events. James Weiss, Big Drop’s Senior Director, stated the following:
Marketers and producers owe it to the brands they represent to strongly consider their programming formats. The pandemic’s forcing of digital attendance gave rise to inevitable fatigue that has become somewhat of a turn-off for certain event-goers. However, the beauty of virtual events is that there is no limit to how immersive an online experience can really be, and that may be the sexiest aspect that in-person programming just can’t compete with. Further, with the massive migration to offering these virtual experiences, the competition for eyes-on-screens is breeding a better class of online programs for attendees – it’s almost worth it to attend as many as possible just to see how the virtual boundaries are being pushed and who is willing to invest in their attendees the most.”
In the future, we may expect more immersive Metaverse experiences, and both augmented reality and virtual reality will raise the bar for events. Check out our article on AR and VR.
AMC Upfront
Upfront Connect 2.0 has been launched as an advanced planning, creative content, and information tool that improves upon the original Upfront Connect online resource. The first Upfront Connect was released in the previous spring as a complete and highly efficient online platform for advertising partners and agencies during the company’s initial fully remote upfront.
AMCN’s clients can choose to tailor the dashboard to their preferences or rely on AMC sales staff to populate it with relevant information. The dashboard features a detailed programming calendar, show descriptions, an extensive list of sponsorable opportunities, and insightful case studies, among other valuable resources. Additionally, clients can indulge in their favorite AMC Networks shows through the Screening Room. With exclusive first looks at upcoming original series and must-watch episode lists curated by AMC Networks talent, clients can stay up to date with the latest releases while binge-watching popular shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Killing Eve,” and “Better Call Saul.”
Media Platform
MediaPlatform provides companies with the ability to create tailor-made, high-quality live-streaming business broadcasts that engage their hybrid workforce, captivate virtual events and meeting attendees, and analyze and comprehend each viewer’s experience. As businesses realize the limitations of video tools adopted to manage pandemic-related office closures, MediaPlatform is stepping in to support organizations in centralizing and scaling their video communications to meet enterprise-grade scale and security requirements.
The platform empowers corporate media producers to develop dynamic and customizable experiences that reflect their brand and culture. Producers can create an unlimited number of layouts by adding, layering, and resizing media elements, including videos, texts, images, and interactive features like sentiment voting, Q&A, polls, and surveys, using a simple widget-based, drag-and-drop process, both before and during a live webcast.
In Conclusion…
Virtual events offer convenience, flexibility, scalability, reach, cost-effectiveness, and inclusivity, making them an attractive option for organizations to connect with their audience. Based on this, virtual events are here to stay and organizations will continue to adapt them to their communication strategies in the future.