We’ve been talking a lot about virtual trade shows recently, but trade shows are only one type of virtual event. Let’s explore some other event types that have become popular as a result of the pandemic. One or more of these may be just what you need to escalate your business to the next level.
1. Virtual Conferences and Summits
This is what most event planners actually look at when talking about virtual events. Online conferences or summits are basically a series of webinars strung together where speakers present a topic, much like a live conference. The reason why this is so popular is that these are relatively easy to create using a technology like Zoom.
2. Webinars
Webinars are a single session of a conference, often with a sales pitch during the last quarter of the presentation. This is a popular way to launch a new product, by giving away a ton of free content, then asking the viewers to buy at the end. Often webinars include polls and Q&A to help engage the audience.
3. Online Music Concerts
As events across the globe have been cancelled, concerts have found a new home virtually. The great thing about concerts is they can be recorded and watched over and over again. You can also use premium headphones to get a great audio experience.
4. Virtual Tours
Whether you are in the real estate industry giving a tour of a new house or building, or giving tours to a group of tourists, these events can be live and interactive, much like doing a Facebook Live video.
5. Virtual Expos and Trade Shows
Most online expos are designed to simply generate leads for the exhibitors and the result is that most are not very interactive. WebStores has set out to change that, which is why we have been concentrating on these types of virtual events, by combining many of the previously listed technologies along with ecommerce shopping experiences to provide a complete package that closely mimics attending an actual show. These types of events can include many sub types including:
- Career and Job Fairs
Employers are given a “virtual booth” to talk about their company and job seakers can talk 1:1 with recruiters. A job board makes a great addition to this type of event. - College and University Fairs
High School juniors and seniors can visit virtual booths hosted by various schools to help them decide where they want to attend college. 1:1 interactions with school representatives as well as individual presentations make this great way to compare a number of educational choices without traveling. - Wedding Expos
Experiences like wedding venues are difficult in the physical world without a lot of travel. Consolidate everything in a single event with the opportunity to interview event spaces, officiants, disc jockies, photographers, florists, attire and more to help narrow down your choices. - Vacation Rentals
AirBNB, VRBO, and other guest accommodations are perfect for showcasing virtually. Guests can compare packages, ask questions, and book on the spot when they find their ideal getaway. - Health Fairs
A virtual show is the perfect opportunity to educate the public about various aspects of your health and sell supplements and programs while reaching a large audience. - Benefits Fairs and Charity Auctions
Keynote speakers combined with a “silent auction” are typical of physical benefit dinners, and you can create a similar type of event virtually.
Obviously, there are some draw backs to virtual events, such as eating a dinner at your charity event, or getting involved in the crowd hysteria at a concert. Virtual events are not a replacement for physical events, they are an extension of physical events when we can’t meet in person. This is not just limited to a world-wide pandemic, it affects all of us on a regular basis with time and money constraints related to travel and our schedule. As online business owners, we should be looking at ways that we can expand our online sales both as attendees and possibly hosting our own online events. contact WebStores Ltd and let us help you get started.
Greg Jameson has been writing blog articles on ecommerce and internet marketing for over 10 years. Learn more about Greg at https://webstoresltd.com/about/
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