LIVE VIRTUAL EVENTS

What is a Virtual Event?

A virtual event is a webinar, specialized landing page, content hub or digital experience produced to support an event taking place either online or in-person. Virtual events are analogous to trade shows, conferences or other in-person speaking engagements, but there are some key distinctions to keep in mind. 

First, all virtual events have two key features: some form of multimedia content, and engagement tools empowering digital audiences to interact with content, brands and — depending on how the event is set up — speakers. 

Second, virtual events can run in association with, or as an extension of, in-person events like trade shows or conferences. When this is the case, virtual events or digital experiences can run either live, simulive or on-demand, depending on what level of immersion a producer wants, what goals they have for their digital experience 

Third, all virtual events feature some level of advanced analytics and integration. Advanced analytics should be able to summarize not just the number, names and time spent in an experience, but also what resources were downloaded, what questions were asked and how engaged an overall attendee was with a presentation. 

Data from virtual events should also be able to flow easily between a Platform and backend systems, like customer relationship management or marketing automation platforms. This way, demand generation and sales teams can make the most out of events and accelerate opportunities.

Why Choose a Virtual Event

Choose a virtual event to get the most out of your in-person event. A digital experience can help brands realize a better return-on-investment for conferences, summits and trade shows while also boosting overall brand engagement, market-qualified leads and pipeline. 

While virtual events and digital experiences can act as extensions of conferences, trade shows or other physical events, they can also outright replace them — saving organizations a significant amount of time, money and energy organizing and venue costs. Virtual events are excellent alternatives to running in-person conferences when resources are concerned. 

Choose a virtual event to expand your total addressable audiences and connect with important accounts, customers and prospects who cannot attend a physical event in-person. For example, summits and roadshows are excellent opportunities for virtual events, empowering you to reach interested professionals in a region who can’t travel to a venue. 

Finally, choose a virtual event or experience if you’d like to get a better idea of your audience, their interests and their relationship with your brand. Digital experiences generate a lot of data that can help organizations better understand what content works, why and what messages resonate with prospects across the entire buying cycle.