The Emergence of COVID-19 Has Increased the Demand for Virtual Events

A virtual event an online meeting that involves many people participating in a virtual setting online, instead of actually meeting in a physical venue. Virtual events tend to be multi-Session online events which tend to feature live webcasts and webinars. These sessions are facilitated by Web based technical assistance programs such as teleseminars or webinars. Many of these virtual events are highly interactive, allowing participants to communicate via screen sharing tools, voice conferences, instant messaging, and other Internet based technologies.

Virtual events can vary from very simple tutorials, training modules, product demonstrations, or social network events to more comprehensive business training sessions and retreats. Virtual events differ from traditional in-person events in numerous ways. Virtual events allow for an unlimited number of attendees, whereas in-person events have a finite number of seats available. The main difference between virtual events and in-person events is that in-person events usually involve only one or two people at a time, whereas in virtual events there is always a room for everyone.

Virtual events are also cheaper to organize. The Internet, for example, makes it possible to host a virtual event for a fraction of the cost of hosting an in-person event, because Internet users do not require specialized equipment. Also, since most users will be participating online, advertising is not needed, and sponsorships are not required either. Another way in which virtual events differ from traditional ones is that attendees could be able to interact with their own network of peers, instead of having to speak with sponsors, organizers, or other speakers.

This allows for a more personalized experience. With the Internet, attendees could also make use of visual and audio tools such as voice conferences or screen sharing to help them participate more easily. The demand for virtual events has increased in the past few months due to the emergence of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). For instance, Microsoft, the United States-based technology company, announced that the company crossed 44.00 million daily active users in March 2020 as organizations are increasingly using the digital platform to continue their business processes during the pandemic.