Virtual conferences had already become an important part of the events industry landscape prior to COVID-19, but clearly the pandemic has pushed them into the mainstream. Even when face-to-face events become more possible again, we expect a much greater reliance on virtual delivery to persist.
CARRBORO, N.C. (PRWEB) OCTOBER 24, 2021
A new report released by Leading Learning, a provider of resources for professionals in the business of continuing education, professional development, and lifelong learning, offers insights into the tremendous growth in virtual conferences triggered by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on traditional face-to-face events.
The Virtual Conferences Report, which is available for download at no charge on the Leading Learning Web site, draws on data from a recent non-statistical survey. The 75-page report continues the work of five previous publications—the first issued in 2011—in which Leading Learning or its parent company, Tagoras, has tracked the evolution of virtual conferences.
Highlights from the new report include the following:
- Of the 215 qualified responses, 83.7 percent have previously offered a virtual conference—a huge leap compared to the 21.6 percent of 2020 respondents who had previously offered one.
- “Due to COVID-19” was cited by 93.5 percent of respondents as the reason their organization decided to offer a virtual conference.
- Of respondents that have held a virtual conference, 68.0 percent of have no formal, documented strategy for virtual conferences, and 5.3 percent say they are not sure whether they have a strategy.
- Only 15.8 percent report virtual conferences lasting no more than a day and a half—down from 48.6 percent in 2020—and 27.4 percent report virtual conferences longer than three days.
- Over three-quarters (84.1 percent) report that registrations for their virtual conference either met or exceeded expectations.
- Of those that have held a virtual conference, 82.5 percent say they will again.
“Virtual conferences had already become an important part of the events industry landscape prior to COVID-19,” said Tagoras managing director Celisa Steele, “but clearly the pandemic has pushed them into the mainstream. Even when face-to-face events become more possible again, we expect a much greater reliance on virtual delivery to persist.”
James Parker, CEO of Digitell, Inc., the sponsor of the report, highlighted how virtual conferences enable organizations to reach underserved members and customers. “Prior to COVID, surveys told us that 86 percent of online attendees had never attended a physical conference,” said Parker, “so this is an opportunity for your organization to considerably grow your total audience and fulfill your organization’s mission to educate the industry.”
The Leading Learning report provides data on many aspects of virtual conferences, from the most common approaches used, to major technologies, to the results organization are getting with registration and attendance. The report also offers a portrait of what characterizes organizations reporting the most success with their virtual events.
The Virtual Conferences Report from Leading Learning can be downloaded can be downloaded for free at:
https://www.leadinglearning.com/virtual-conferences-report
