The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how meetings and events are conducted. Today, the odds are that there is no working professional who hasn’t attended an online event, meeting, or training session. The ongoing social distancing requirements, technological advances, and other factors have propelled virtual events to new heights, making them the preferred mode of hosting meetings and events.

Are virtual events the way forward?

An individual or an organization hosts an event for various reasons such as discovering prospective clients, boosting customer loyalty as well as retention, introducing a new product, conducting online classes or training, or having talks/discussions. And if one evaluates the purpose of hosting an event and its end result then they will find that a well planned online event is equally interactive, effective, and filled with networking opportunities as in-person events, and that too from the comfort of home.

Advantages of hosting virtual events:

• Accessibility: Virtual events are accessible to anyone from anywhere i.e. you can host an event from Rome and have attendees join from Chicago, or host from your home and join from your office. Similarly, this is also a blessing for those individuals who are not able to attend in person events due to travel time, lack of logistics, bad weather, or just being too lazy to get out of the house.
• Scalability: One of the main benefits of virtual events is that they can be scaled to include a large number of participants on the fly at a much lower cost and planning. Such events open the door to greater networking opportunities as there are fewer entry barriers.
• Budget: Hosting face-to-face conferences or gatherings is expensive. One needs to consider a hundred details such as location, badges, service, and accommodation in order to ensure its smooth functioning. Online events save you from these hassles and are much more cost-effective.
• Force majeure: The emergence of natural disasters, current social distancing norms, or disruption in transport services can make it difficult for individuals to attend in-person events. But none of these restrictions limits the attendees from joining an event online.

Key statistics:

As online presence is on the rise in all parts of the world, marketers today want to capitalize on this excellent opportunity with both hands. Here are some statistics that give you insights into the online events industry.

According to a research, the global market for Web and Video Conferencing SaaS is projected to reach a revised size of US$13.1 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 18.2% over the analysis period 2020-2027. As technology adoption is increasing and is likely to accelerate in coming years, companies are willing to embrace digital platforms for organizing events.

Statistics for webinars:

• Reports indicate that B2B companies hold almost 61% of the total webinars held in any given year.
• Around 73% of B2B marketers feel that a webinar is the best way to generate high-quality leads.
• On average, a webinar receives almost 260 registrations.
• For organizations, nearly 57% of webinar registrations come from email.
• Also, studies suggest that 20% to 40% of webinar attendees turn into qualified leads.
• Moreover, on an average nearly 23 webinars are hosted by an organization.
• The majority (93%) of event professionals plan to invest in virtual events moving forward.
• Around 92% of marketers believe event software makes it easier to achieve business outcomes.
• The majority (89%) of those who use event software believe that they save time when planning events.
• 91% of respondents believe event software makes it easier to achieve business outcomes.

Besides global statistics, here are regional overview virtual event platform market characteristics and key factors with regional relevance. [4]

Getting started with the virtual event

In order to remain a front runner amidst global competition, businesses are focusing on integrating the most advanced features with their online event and video conferencing platforms. Some of these features include:

• Custom registration forms
• Custom email invitations
• Ability to market events through various social channels
• Automated reminders at regular intervals
• Detailed event reports
• Accessing this data on any third-party platform of your choice
• Follow up surveys
• Free or paid access to live events and their recordings

And most importantly, as you get only one chance of making sure all your attendees have joined your online event successfully, you need to make sure that the solution you choose addresses this crucial aspect.

Beetsol is a solution that offers all these features and more

We at Beetsol provide our customers with truly tailor cut and white-label online event management solutions that help them host the most complete and flawless online events for their audiences, prospective clients, and other shareholders seamlessly.
And we would love an opportunity to show you how we do that.

Start your journey with Beetsol.