Virtual Reality: event organisers are having to raise the bar to keep digital audiences engaged

Last week, tech giant Apple held its latest annual launch event. With a chosen few invited in person to Apple Park in Cupertino, California, the majority of fans had to be content with attending virtually, via a live stream on Apple’s YouTube Channel.

The heavily-trailed “Wonderlust” event featured Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, and colleagues extolling the virtues of the new iPhone 15 series and revealing the latest functions of its Apple Watch models, in what really amounted to a 90-minute advert. The 2022 version was watched by more than 30 million people across the world, which explains why it’s become such a significant date in Apple’s marketing calendar, ahead of the all-important Christmas sales period.

Now, not many brands can attract and hold an audience like Apple, but virtual events have become a mainstay in the communications armoury of many organisations. Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to re-assess the way they communicate and engage with their audiences, the popularity of online events has exploded, while software developers scrambled to launch their new digital event platforms onto the market.

A study of more than 8,000 marketers found that 40% of all events held in 2022 were delivered fully virtually, an increase of 5% on the previous year, while four in 10 respondents said their organisation intended to increase their annual spending on online events.

It’s hard to argue with the convenience offered by a virtual event. Organisers can attract large audiences, using contributors based in multiple locations and offering delegates the chance to join in from the comfort of their home office or living room.

Sustainability has also been a big driver of virtual events, with more organisations concerned about reducing their carbon footprint turning to technology as part of the solution.  Research has also suggested that virtual events have been successful in helping businesses to attract and engage with ‘Gen Z’ audiences.

Online events are not without their challenges though, as the post-pandemic phenomenon of virtual event fatigue has started having a real impact on both drop-off and engagement rates. Virtual audiences have become more demanding, and organisers now need to deliver a more immersive experience for delegates, whether through interactive polling, live Q&As or virtual networking to keep attendance and engagement levels high.

Continually improving the delegate experience to stay ahead of your competition and satisfy the expectation that each event you put on will top your last is critical.

We’ve seen the importance of constant innovation and evaluation across all our virtual events, including the Welsh Government’s Wales Climate Week that we’ve been running virtually since 2020, as well as a host of others for the likes of BT, Natural Resources Wales and the recently-formed Celtic Freeport. There’s no doubt the bar has been raised and organisations need to consider a variety of session formats, employ clever use of technology, and continue to act on feedback from online audiences, to ensure their events remain relevant and meaningful.

As the market has become more crowded, promoting virtual events has also become tougher. Delegates want to know exactly what they’re signing up to and, importantly, what they’re going to get from attending. With many of us still spending significant parts of our day on video calls, the attraction of attending another run-of-the-mill online event is certainly beginning to wane.

A huge amount of planning goes into delivering a high-quality virtual event, from agreeing the format and timings, and developing audience-focused marketing plans, to ensuring that all contributors are adequately briefed and prepared. Optimising the delegate journey is also essential for success, from the initial communication, through registration to the live event experience.

Despite the advances in technology and improvements in the virtual event experience, the return of physical events has been welcomed in the UK, with many businesses relishing the opportunity to catch up with customers and meet new contacts.

Figures from the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) seem to bear this out, with the number of events held at the UK’s main exhibition venues almost back to pre-Covid levels in 2022. The experience of our own conference division, Waterfront, has been very similar, with its upcoming Planning for Infrastructure in Wales event expecting one of its biggest ever audiences.

Many organisations still feel that face-to-face events are a great way to showcase their brand, engage with their audiences and maintain strong relationships and for delegates, the real value in attending events often lies in those chance meetings and side-conversations that just can’t be replicated over a laptop screen.

One solution for many organisations could involve going ‘hybrid’, where organisers deliver all the benefits of a physical event but still want to offer delegates the chance to attend virtually. Hybrid events can be costly but also extremely effective, offering the best of both worlds by accommodating multiple audiences, from remote workers, to the digitally-excluded.

It’s clear that there’s a place for physical, virtual and hybrid events in our post-Covid world but although the delivery format may be different, the rules of engagement are the same. While every event needs to deliver against the organiser’s own objectives, delegates must be educated, informed and entertained, or they’ll start voting with their feet, or hitting the exit session button.

This article was written by our chief executive, Angharad Neagle, and featured in the Western Mail on 18 August 2023