During a time where “social distancing” and “quarantine” have become pretty regular words in our vocabulary, we’ve heightened our creativity to make life feel as normal as possible. This, for so many of us, means incorporating virtual events into our new (hopefully temporary) lifestyles.
Our New Normal: Virtual Events
In the beginning of the pandemic, so many events were canceled/postponed due to the CDC guidelines and city restrictions. Students weren’t able to return to school buildings, many offices and workplaces were closed, and sporting events were canceled. The idea to host events virtually soon spread like wildfire when businesses began exploring ways to practice safety during the pandemic. A virtual event could be the ideal solution to practicing safety while still being social, or it could be a complete disaster. Let’s weigh some of the pros and cons.
The Cons
- Technology can be an amazing thing, or a quite challenging thing… in virtual event hosting, it’s easy for technology to show its challenges. The unpredictability of technology is the biggest con that could hinder your virtual event’s success. Another con is that some events just aren’t meant to be virtual. It’s important to know when to go virtual and when to just cancel or postpone. At the end of the 2019-20 school year, a lot of schools were discussing holding virtual proms for their graduating seniors. Although the thought was genuine and sincere, imagine how awkward it would be. (Tip: Hire a pro to help, don’t do it by yourself!)
- Lastly, we must think about revenue streams. Although a virtual event may save you money, it may be very difficult to make money. Depending on your event, most people may have a hard time paying to attend something virtually.
The Pros
- There are so many good things that can come from hosting virtual events. First, they’re relatively inexpensive. By going virtual the costs of a venue, decor, food, and entertainment are reduced or eliminated. Most hosting sites (i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) are free and able to hold large amounts of guests attending at once.
- Another pro is that your guests are in the comfort of their own spaces. Most people do better in familiar environments, and this can create a more authentic experience for your guests.
- In hosting an event virtually, you’re allowing participation to a wider audience. This is probably the most beneficial aspect to hosting virtually: There are no location restrictions or barriers. With just a code and a link, anyone can attend.
- It encourages new opportunities for your guests to network with people who they otherwise wouldn’t have come in contact with.
In event planning, whether it be virtual or in-person, take time to plan and strategize to insure your event’s success. Virtual Events will be around for quite some time. In fact, some events may even have the option to attend either live or virtual in the future. Think of the worst possible scenarios, and create solutions to fix them. It’s always better to be safe than sorry! If your event is debating on whether or not to go virtual, let Philly PR Girl help you decide! Contact us at Info@PhillyPRGirl.com to see how we can help!
