One thing becomes crystal clear as we approach the second quarter of 2021: the chances of large conferences or trade shows taking place in-person this year are close to none. Despite our hopes, it'll take months for the vaccines to be widespread enough to turn the tide, so online events will continue to dominate the event industry. 

How many ads or social media posts promoting virtual events do you see daily? With thousands of global organizations switching to online events in 2020, creating a truly compelling event marketing campaign on any given digital channel can be quite the challenge. 

The past few months have required a certain degree of creativity and a great deal of imagination to cope during the global pandemic; the sudden transition to virtual events is a perfect example of this. But it feels like the main focus was on surviving rather than thriving in the event industry. 

If there's one thing we've learnt in the past few months, it's how much we value live events. Never before have we been completely denied the opportunity for face-to-face interaction - not on this scale, anyway. And just like we're currently experiencing a COVID-related virtual events boom, no doubt there'll be one for in-person functions as soon as the threat of coronavirus subsides. 

The event industry is undergoing a major and unexpected transformation and the reason behind it is simple: COVID-19 outbreak, which led to thousands of in-person business gatherings being postponed or even cancelled.

Organizations around the world have been switching to virtual events to keep their attendees safe. But virtual events were already an important strategy for marketing and networking.

Trade shows have long been an important staple for marketing products, services, and brands. They also serve as a unique opportunity to network and make connections with potential partners and customers.

Companies are faced with high barriers when trying to introduce audiences to a new platform or product. While investing copious amounts of time and money in their product, they are challenged by audiences used to a lot of interactivity and immediate rewards, limited attention spans, and regular distractions including mobile notifications, and much more.

Given the situation of the current global pandemic where a person’s interactivity is limited, virtual events are a strong contender to attract audiences and showcase both the complexity and simplicity of physical products. As almost all companies worldwide are working from home, the ability to attract a global audience remotely is now a major priority. Companies are finding that this method maximizes their ROI to potential clients and attracts users to understanding the benefits of their products.