ARE SMART MEETINGS REALLY SMART?
could not get to a local meeting for various reasons. Individuals also found this
option favorable while attending a meeting for the first time and not being
sure of what to expect. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic has prompted a
global shift in Meetings & Events, many moving from in-person gatherings to a
more virtual implementation.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home orders have led to
significant changes in the way people work. One of these changes involves
increased use of video conferencing as a means of communicating or holding
work meetings. Videoconferencing Platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet,
Web Ex and Microsoft Teams have bolsters the interaction and connection
with individuals while accommodating different types of event.
Festal Events, embraces these changes not only during these unprecedentedly
uncertain times, but to inspire future potential and expand their reach, engage
and empower potential clients to connect locally and globally, especially at a
time when timely research and connection are of such great importance.
The question arises whether Smart Events are really Smart?
Ever since the Pandemic began, we all have had an advanced working
experience in an online environment. Everyone was remote, which made the
means of communication difficult, hence introducing virtual meets and events.
While the world is in Flux, the need for establishing connections and learning is
greater than ever. While every aspect has its two faces, Smart Meetings have
its Pros & Cons too. A Face-to-Face interaction can never compete a
videoconference.
Cons:
While virtual events have made things easier in today’s era, there are a
number of things that have been causing trouble and have been less liked by
individuals who preferred real meets.
Speaking in a nutshell, every single human likes to gather and communicate.
With the increase in Smart Meetings, the Social Stuff that was done earlier has
come to a standstill. Earlier, when a group of people sat for a meeting, extra conversations regarding personal interests and thoughts were shared.
However, today, during virtual meet, every individual is more concerned about
leaving the meet. This has created a major drift among individuals who would
otherwise prefer Meet & Greets.
It is true that learning something specific is easier online. The process of
collecting and learning something has changed in various ways. Today you can
compile a heap of information with some taps on the keyboard. The Internet is
great for that, and we’ve just proven that this is the way to do it. But it doesn’t
help us with the social side. Scheduling meetings virtually can turn out to be a
task. Asking all individuals to attend the meet on time with all requirements
fulfilled can turn out to be challenging.
We are well aware of the fact that Physical Events can be less distracting.
There’s a difference between what you present in person and what you
present online. How people learn is different. The value of going to a
conference is that you’re in that space, for that specific period. You are not
distracted by everything that’s around you, on your desk, that’s calling for your
attention. There are a million things that interrupt the spontaneous process of
learning and sharing.
The wow factor is hard to replicate in smart meetings. One of the major
reasons why people attend industry events is to make contacts, close sales and
learn. For many people, another part of it is the excitement of seeing what’s
new and what’s making a splash in their industry. It’s the wow factor of a new
product that everyone’s talking about or an amazing new exhibit feature that’s
on everyone’s must-see list. Online events can sometimes lack that sense of
wonder. Due to which one is not showered with afterhours networking
opportunity. Sometimes, the most effective networking is done out-of-session,
at afterhours social events. These parties and get-togethers are usually popular
and well-attended at in-person events. Everyone gets a chance to let off some
steam after long days, and both friendships and business relationships can be
made and strengthened.
It is a task to hold attendees attention while in a live event, where the
individuals are at a dedicated space and the attention is held captive with the
help of presentations and two way interaction. They’re watching
presentations, visiting exhibits, networking with other attendees. There are no
other stimuli pulling their focus away, so their attention is yours. On the other
hand, if people are attending a virtual event from home, they might have other things competing for their attention. It can, therefore, be challenging for event
hosts to provide content that keeps people focused.
Pros:
There are lots of reasons people Love Virtual Events and find value in
attending them. And there are big benefits for event hosts too.
The year 2020 turned the meetings and events industry on its head, with
lingering changes here to stay. It’s no surprise that the pandemic catapulted
virtual events into the stratosphere. These online gatherings once served as a
good-enough-for-now solution to the unfortunate alternative of cancelling in-
person events completely. As the event landscape shifted, event professionals
realized that virtual would not just be a temporary fix, but a key part of event
strategy going forward - one that includes hybrid events with both on-site and
online components.
Whether it’s before, during, or after a physical event, getting information to
the people who need to see it can be difficult. In particular, at busy events it’s
easy for people to miss key speakers or presentations, or for important
sponsor booths to get less traffic than expected. The bigger the event, the
more information there is to circulate, and the harder it is to put the right info
in front of the right people.
Put that event online, and suddenly it becomes much easier to make sure that
every attendee gets the information that’s most relevant to their interests. By
using registration information to categorize and segment your attendee list,
you can send targeted information to attendees via email and your event
website. You can also serve sponsor messaging to every website user to ensure
that info is seen multiple times by each attendee. Using website analytics, you
can also track how attendees respond to the information—even in real time.
That’s something you can’t easily do at an in-person event!
A virtual event doesn’t just make it easier to provide information, it also makes
it easier to get information. Online, you can track attendees with ease, by
providing unique identifiers that tie each attendee to their login and
registration info. That gives you some powerful data collection and analytic
opportunities, since you can then track how people interact with the event.
For event hosts, one of the hardest aspects of running the show is balancing its
expenses, value, and cost. A big, exciting event needs a big venue and plenty of vendors. And the higher the cost of the event, the more it costs to attend. To
justify the cost, you need to provide plenty of value, but adding value costs
money.
An online event has comparably less of those budget-busting expenses. There’s
no large food and beverage budget nor hotel and travel expenses, just to name
a few differences. This typically makes the event budget lower, meaning
potentially significant savings from converting a physical event into an online
one.
At busy events, one of the hardest things for attendees is juggling their
schedule. Fitting in speakers and workshops around networking meetings and
visiting exhibits can put a lot of pressure on people who want to do as much as
possible in a scant few days. For event hosts, creating a schedule that
facilitates high attendance levels can be its own logistical nightmare.
A well-designed virtual event renders all of this irrelevant. If everything is
online, attendees can see and do all they want. They missed the start time for
a speaker livestream? No problem—they can locate it from the speaker list
and watch a replay any time. With this approach to content design, attendees
will find it much easier to attend presentations they want to see live, such as
interactive workshops and Q&A sessions.
Not everyone who wants to attend a live event can do so. There are several
barriers that may prevent someone from attending, like, Cost, Location and
Accessibility.
Festal Events LLP has joined hands with the online events fashion. While we
planned Online Events we made sure each member had a chance to
participate. We include breaks to reduce video fatigue and breakout rooms for
parallel small-group discussions that help increase efficiency. We develop a
more scripted schedule that we follow closely to ensure that everyone knows
what to expect.
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