The event industry has been turned topsy-turvy with the advent of the novel Coronavirus. Since then, event organizers and attendees alike have turned tovirtual event platforms, that claim to be as good as in-person events. The successful hosting of a networking event is an integral aspect of event management, not only for organisers but also for participants. How can a video call replicate genuine face-to-face conversations that take place during a live event? Is that even possible? In this piece, we will be answering these questions, in order to determine whether virtual networking adds any real value to events as a whole.

Virtual Networking | Why It Matters

To begin, ask yourself: What do you look forward to the most when attending an event, and what are the top networking must-haves at a virtual event? A variety of networking opportunities make attending an event more desirable, but how likely are you to return to the same event next year if you already have good networking opportunities?

The answer depends on your goals and objectives - whether you want to highlight your business, sell something, or look for your competitors. Coming to the realm of online events, the most essential component of a successful virtual event is technical prowess and value generation. If attendees are unable to log in, or are made to witness a faulty video, the experience feels pretty sub-par. However, a flawless technical experience will improve the overall aura of your virtual network experience, and add value to the real world.

Apart from this, feedback from your attendees is crucial for achieving an upward-spiralling graph. It allows you to gauge whether you may or may not have missed something. As virtual platforms are equipped with seamless virtual polls, seminars, social walls, chat rooms, and much more, they have evolved into an asset for the event industry, especially in a COVID-plagued world.

Virtual Connections Can be More Relaxed/Genuine

Consider this: some factors are accessible and important during an in-person event but are deemed unnecessary in a virtual environment, especially in the case of social networks.

An example of the above comes in the form of virtual happy hours or post-event virtual gatherings. In these virtual rooms, the vibe is more relaxed, the conversations more genuine, and the sales run smoothly with introductions and casual exchanges. This implies that more authentic, lighthearted conversations flourish in virtual environments. You can choose to relax on the couch while drinking a beer and chatting to other industry experts - that's one of the key upsides of virtual networking.

Virtual Events Grant Endless Networking Possibilities

Apart from this, one can create as many virtual few rooms as they like and organize them around a theme, or simply have an open virtual space where a small number of participants can meet and chat over drinks/snacks of their own! The ability to bring participants into a virtual space and inspire them with its possibilities is no small achievement and worth every penny of your operational/technical costs. This will not only help you retain attendees, but also allow you garner sponsors that are most valuable for your events/most sought after.

Automated Matchmaking Boosts Networking

Additionally, one also needs to curate small, unique opportunities where automatic matchmaking comes into play and puts together attendees with similar interests. Diverse individuals from varied backgrounds and business experiences come together for events - hence, as an event organiser, one’s prime directive is to create event experiences that cater to all kinds of attendees. This boosts the possibility of genuine networking, as people with similar interests, backgrounds, and visions are bound to gravitate towards one another and forge fruitful business associations.

To sum up, virtual networking is not only as effective as in-person collaborations but appears to a supersede the latter in more ways than one. As we gradually approach a post-COVID world, the goal is not to replace real events but to augment them. What better way to do so, than virtual networking? The magic of events shall always remain, and the show, undoubtedly, will go on.

Author : Praveen