Top 5 Virtual Event Trends to Expect in B2B in 2021

Events are an essential part of any business or corporates. With the change in times, events have been evolving rapidly. The sudden outbreak of the global pandemic in 2020 transformed the event industry completely. In no time, virtual events became part of the new normal to keep going smoothly and generating revenues. Over the past few years, a sudden surge in the demand for virtual events and virtual event technology has been recorded ever since the pandemic hit the nations.

Right from seminars, meetings, conferences, trade shows, expos, exhibitions, and all the other live physical events has been transformed into virtual venues. Organisations and businesses are left with no other option rather than adopting virtual events to keep sailing smoothly. The percentage of virtual events has accelerated at a rapid pace since 2020.

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With the paradigm shift in the event patterns, the ways of marketing have also evolved. It has been well anticipated that virtual events are here to stay for long and undeniably the future of the event industry. Taking that into account, marketers and event planners have made certain predictions about the virtual event trends in B2B. In this blog, we will shed light on the expected virtual event trends in B2B in the coming future. Get yourself prepared for the future and benefit your business by leveraging the top virtual event trends. Let?s get started!

Top Virtual Event Trends to Benefit Any Business

Event metrics will evolve, making it easy to measure success

With the paradigm shift in the event patterns and the evolution of advanced technology, event metrics are likely to evolve. It will help in measuring the event?s performance. Additionally, it will allow organisers to track which parts of the event performed the best and which do not have any digital footfall.

Every event attendee move will be tracked right from registrations to how they navigated throughout the event. What they shared, downloaded, how much time they spent on individual booths, etc. each and every activity is tracked. The data captured will be analysed comprehensively by event organisers and B2B marketers. It will help them in gaining an understanding of prospected leads during the event. Additionally, it will help them in creating marketing strategies for future events by making them aware of the areas to focus upon.

The data tracking facility and the ability to generate real-time event analytics reports overcome the obstacle of live physical events. In traditional event formats, organizers keep on guessing the results of marketing efforts and which segment performed well. Additionally, real-time event analytics will help marketers to gain a better understanding of the attendee engagements. It will help in generating optimal business outputs.

More importance will be given to customisation and comfort

Live physical events required attendees to take out time from their schedules to travel to attend the most awaited events. With the shift in the event patterns, personalisation became the key to keep attendees hooked with the event. Attendees attend the online event right from their remote locations. Thus, the chances of distractions are relatively high. Offering a custom virtual environment and options to engage attendees effortlessly during the virtual events will be prioritized. It will help in keeping attendees engaged with the event and deliver mesmerizing event experiences.

With the advancements in technology, various options for engagement and customisation are offered by the virtual event platform. Ample options of virtual event platforms are available in the market. Selecting a platform that offers an extensive range of features to replicate live physical events will become a priority.

Additionally, platforms that allow hosting private events with small gatherings as well as public events without any audience cap, will be the top pick. Personalisation and keeping the comfort of attendees in mind helps in delivering immersive event experiences.

More focus will be placed on virtual event engagements

As attendees will access the event right from their remote locations via a screen, the chances of getting distracted are high. A simple ring on the doorbell or a knock on the door will likely disturb them. Thus, resulting in making them leave the event. Additionally, if sessions are too long attendees will lose interest in it. In the coming times, more focus will be emphasized on virtual event engagements.

Various options such as Q&A, Live polls, quizzes, gamification, photo booths, social wall, and more will be part of every virtual event to boost excitement and engagement. It will relatively help in upscaling the performance of the event by keeping attendees engaged for long hours.

More networking options will emerge

To recreate live physical event experiences various networking options will come into play. It will allow attendees to interact with other attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors in real-time just like physical events. Right from live 2-way video conferencing, networking tables, business card exchange, AI-powered matchmaking, and various other networking options will come into play. It will help attendees to have free-flowing interactions like one can do in physical events. The conversations held during events help in fostering meaningful business relationships that are quite beneficial for future collaborations.

Virtual event platforms will become the mainstream

As virtual events will become a part of the new normal, virtual event platforms will become mainstream. To host any type of event, marketers and event planners will look out for comprehensive virtual event platforms. A virtual platform that offers all the possible custom solutions and a wide range of engagement, networking, and data analytics features will become the first choice to host any event.

It has been well anticipated, the competition between virtual event platforms is likely to accelerate in the coming times. The virtual event platform that satisfies all the event needs and offers real-time data analytics will likely win the battle.?

Over to You

Virtual events and hybrid events are not going anywhere anytime soon. They are here to stay for long and undeniably the future of the event industry. Virtual events make us prepare for such unforeseen circumstances like today without any stop. In the article mentioned above, we have listed a few virtual event trends that are likely to take place in 2021 to ensure successful virtual events. To be honest, some trends have already taken place and are likely to advance more in the coming times. Accelerate your game, by adapting these trends!