Top Challenges When Organizing a Virtual Event
Martech Outlook | Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Online events have doubled recently, with organizers allowing participants access to live sessions and on-demand content.
FREMONT, CA: Renaming 2020 as the "year of virtual events" would be acceptable. With the Covid-19 pandemic danger still looming, online events have more than doubled, with organizers providing live and on-demand content to attendees. In these challenging times, the primary objective is to create and maintain a "connected experience" for everyone. However, only some things with virtual events are easy sailing. According to a recent poll, approximately one-third of event organizers have not hosted online conferences because they believe virtual environments cannot provide the value that event attendees generally seek. Availability of the appropriate technology infrastructure is also a problem, as is the challenge of maintaining consistent engagement among attendees. Below are some of the significant obstacles event planners confront while arranging a virtual event:
Lack of technical expertise: On average, one out of every five event planners only organize virtual events if they need more infrastructure and technical expertise. Those who attempt to plan virtual events for the first time are likely to encounter even more obstacles, as their lack of experience is a significant bottleneck. A fully online or hybrid event requires many considerations, including creating an optimal content flow, planning an efficient attendee interaction strategy, selecting the best event tech platform/streaming tool, and prompt troubleshooting. Idealistically, an event planner should attend a few online conferences to learn how things are handled and then begin preparing their event.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
Insufficient technological support: There is currently an abundance of event management solutions accessible. Not all of them, however, are equally suitable for virtual events. When inadequate technical help is also unavailable, the difficulties increase. A first-time remote conference organizer is unlikely to find everything intuitive or be able to answer attendees' technology questions. It only takes a short time for the overall guest experience to deteriorate if the event technology provider provides little or no support, resulting in negative publicity.
Absence of participation opportunities: Virtual events are gaining prominence in a society devastated by pandemics. The reality remains, however, that online conferences provide a different exposure and networking value than in-person events. Features such as live polls, surveys, and Q&A are only partially practical for virtual events, as they do not provide participants with the necessary peer-to-peer networking. The lack of live engagement alternatives is a significant worry for over half of all event planners worldwide. Organizers should opt for virtual event platforms with built-in live chat and, preferably, a social community-building element to overcome this obstacle. Exhibitors, sponsors, and partners should also be able to reach out to participants easily.
More in News

