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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Perhaps it is the coronavirus and the restrictions it has brought.
Perhaps it is the rising cost of organising physical events.
Perhaps it is the limits a physical event has to live with, some of them fairly unpredictable.
It is probably all of this and more, but for some time now we have found ourselves answering this question several times a day.
The wording changes, but the substance is always the same: can you have your cake and eat it?
And can you do it without losing your mind?[/vc_column_text][gem_quote custom_style=”1″ quote_color=”#08a7e1″]The short answer is: “Yes, virtual events can be as effective as physical ones, and sometimes even more so.”[/gem_quote][vc_column_text]First of all, seeing a sharp opposition between virtual events and physical events is wrong and, above all, leads to some false conclusions.
Any event can of course be 100% virtual or 100% physical, but these days it is more often made up of virtual and physical elements in varying proportions, depending on needs, on constraints of time, space and cost, and on what attendees, speakers and sponsors require.[/vc_column_text][gem_quote custom_style=”1″ quote_color=”#08a7e1″]A virtual dimension can support the effectiveness of a physical event, and can even increase it, when it is well designed and built on the right technology. [/gem_quote][vc_column_text]Whether you look at this as an event organiser or as an attendee, you will certainly have noticed how much of the virtual is already present in the events you produce or have taken part in. You have probably noticed it more than most, but in general the virtual that works “is not seen”: it fits in and enriches the experience seamlessly.
In this way the virtual enriches the physical experience, strengthens it and removes some of the limits built into on-site events. Think of something simple, such as bringing in the one speaker who would really make the difference but who lives on the other side of the world and is always fully booked. Even assuming they could be brought onto the stage, the cost would be considerable, and it is far from obvious that the resources spent would pay off. Why not consider a virtual appearance instead, using technology able to build a warm, engaging relationship with the audience?
The virtual does not have to mean cold technology that puts the machine centre stage: it can in fact create settings where — precisely because constraints and protocols are reduced — everything becomes easier, warmer and more comfortable. Here too, a simple example: think how uncomfortable it is to ask a speaker a question live in front of a room full of peers, and how much easier it is to ask the same question online, through a familiar, reassuring channel such as a chat. Often less embarrassment produces conversations that are more interesting and more productive for everyone.[/vc_column_text][gem_quote custom_style=”1″ quote_color=”#08a7e1″]Second point: the virtual can be one stage of a journey; it does not have to be the whole journey.[/gem_quote][vc_column_text]
From the very beginning, when we set out with SharEvent to bring technology to the heart of the events industry, we worked in support of activities held in person. As we grew, the technology grew with us, and so did the weight it took on within the industry. So, almost without noticing, we came to consider running events that were entirely online, 100% virtual.
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That is how the virtual events that have made us so well known in recent times came about.
[/gem_quote][vc_column_text]When we say we barely noticed it happening, that is not false modesty, it is the truth. Focused every day on building the best possible experience for everyone taking part in an event, organisers included, we never spent much time thinking about the boundary between real and virtual. In that process technology was a means, not an end.
This brought us a result that was as unexpected as it was welcome: SharEvent can now support a physical event through technology just as well as it can run a completely virtual one. Think of a large event, for example: it could have one physical edition a year and several virtual editions in the remaining months. With SharEvent the consistency between experiences, tools and features would be complete: attendance and engagement would grow without costs getting out of hand. Not a bad prospect. It would also protect you from any mishap that might make organising the physical dates difficult or prohibitive: they could be replaced by virtual ones without the experience of anyone involved being diminished or reduced in any way.
Think of it as a switch you can turn on or off when you need to or, quite simply, when you want to. Not bad at all.[/vc_column_text][gem_quote custom_style=”1″ quote_color=”#08a7e1″]
Third: the virtual is effective when it is designed around an experience.
[/gem_quote][vc_column_text]It is not the tool that determines the result, but the way that tool is used. For a long time — perhaps more when it was only imagined than now that it is an everyday reality — the virtual was treated almost as a value in itself. In fact the virtual, and the technology behind it, are tools, and so they are only as good as the use made of them. That is also why, in our experience, arguing about whether virtual events are effective or not, compared with real ones, makes little sense.
An event is effective if it is designed to be effective for everyone with a stake in it.
Tools help, of course, as does the experience needed to choose them and use them well. But just as using tools badly gives poor results, with event technology too the outcome depends far less on how much of it you use than on how, where and when you use it. That is why we built SharEvent as a modular structure of components that can perform different functions depending on how they are used. So when we ask our clients “What experience do you want to create?” we can build the event around the answer. And make it effective even when it is virtual.[/vc_column_text][gem_divider margin_top=”20″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1590675339317{margin-top: 25px !important;}”]
Would you like to try it? Discover the SharEvent virtual event, then call us to request a live demo.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1590675402673{margin-top: 15px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1589469504654{margin-left: 50px !important;}”][vc_btn title=”DISCOVER THE SHAREVENT VIRTUAL EVENT” color=”primary” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fsharevent.com%2Fvirtual-events%2F|title:Evento%20Virtuale||”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_btn title=”REQUEST A LIVE DEMO FOR YOUR VIRTUAL EVENT” color=”primary” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fsharevent.com%2Frequest-a-demo%2F|title:Comincia%20ora||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]