events – Confiva

The biggest (dis)advantages of online events

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Confiva user

The biggest (dis)advantages of online events

In 2020 most events were canceled or postponed. Back then, we were all wondering—what now, what’s next? But a year later, we all realized that online events proved to be a great alternative to live events during the pandemic. Moreover, we believe the hybrid model is the future of the event industry even after the battle with the virus is won.

Strictly online events can be terrific for many things but realistically, not for everything or everyone. So, what are the main advantages and disadvantages of online events? Are they better in comparison to in-person events? If not, why not? Let’s dive deeper.

The main advantages of online events

Saving time and money: Think about this: you don’t have to travel to a venue, you do not have to book accommodations or transports. Also, online events can be more time-efficient if they are structured and planned appropriately.
Higher and wider reach: Have you ever faced a problem where your event guest list was too long? Well, with an online event, you can achieve worldwide reach. That also means that with a proper strategy and a good marketing plan, you have the potential to reach many more attendees than with in-person events.
Sustainability: In-person events usually produce a fair amount of waste. Also, don’t forget about pollution caused by CO₂ emissions of air and car travel. So, if you are thinking about being more environmentally friendly, online events could be the answer.
Easy access: Online events can be more practical for participants since they can join the event from the comfort of their own homes. No more taxing rides or flights to other parts of the world. Easy access can also contribute to higher participation. An additional bonus is that with Confiva, which is also mobile-friendly, participants can easily partake in your event from any device they want without downloading other apps. Easy peasy!

The main disadvantages of online events

No face-to-face interaction: Online events can be less personal. Not to mention that connecting with others online is just not the same as doing it in person. However, at Confiva, we developed various networking tools for making the event as personal as possible.
Technical problems: You probably know that feeling when you are at an event or a meeting, and suddenly your internet connection stops working. Right in the middle of something important! This can happen, but most issues can be avoided with a little bit of practice and knowledge. It is also the reason why it is so important to have a great team and event-based support throughout the whole event.
Distractions: Keeping people’s attention can be challenging, especially when they are not physically present at an in-person event. Therefore, your online event needs to be engaging and attractive to keep the participant’s attention span as long as possible.

How to tackle the disadvantages of online events?

So how do you navigate through the pros and cons of online events in the best possible way? You can prepare plans to highlight the advantages and be considerate of all the disadvantages.

Focus on content, not on the budget. Content is still the main reason your potential customers buy tickets. To save time and money, you can focus strictly on content. No more expensive venues and catering bills. While the ticket price of online events is usually more affordable, there are still massive returns. Create a financial plan, find out how much backup you need from sponsors to break even, and assess the risks. You will quickly see the sense online events make.

Create a scalable event concept. When creating the concept, take into account that scalability is much easier with online events. Keep the viral effect in mind and try to direct your marketing team to think big. You do not have to worry about the venue capacity when it comes to online events.

Adopt sustainable event production. Make sure the attendees know that they are contributing in their own way. Introduce sustainability into the program of your event. Remind attendees with workshops or round tables about your environmental efforts.

Drive engagement. Battle the lack of face-to-face interactions with networking video rooms. Make small group workshops that encourage attendee participation. Enable your guests to connect through in-platform meetings.

Work with professionals. Live streams are dependent on many different things coming together, from the video production team to the webcam on your speakers’ laptop. Therefore, the production team has to be professional and test all the speakers and their equipment before the event.

Strategize. To tackle the shorter attention span of your online attendees, make the event shorter and split it into multiple days while offering access to more stages at once. Attendees can pick and choose based on their interests and later replay the ones they have missed.

The basics steps of online event planning

Find out what will make your event stand out.
Form a concept of the event.
Create a financial plan.
Re-evaluate priorities.
Manage the financial risk.
Create the event program and book.
Make the program shorter.
Find the right platform

- If you choose Confiva, this is where your worries over platform technology end.
- Our event managers help you with any production needs.
- In case you feel comfortable and would not need help, just read on.

Set a production partner.
Marketing & sales plans and execution.
Prepare all materials the event needs.
Communicate with the production teams.
Prepare schedules for tests and coordination.
Go live.
Gather feedback, learn, and adapt.
Follow up with attendees.

If you still can’t choose the event form, you have one more option: the hybrid event. The in-person and online events combined into one can join the best of both worlds. They are also the future of the event industry. Would you like to know more? Check out our article on why we believe that the future is hybrid.

Are online events profitable?

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Confiva user

Are online events profitable?

In 2020 the worldwide pandemic brought the otherwise prospering event industry to a standstill. Organizations were forced to shift from in-person to virtual events in the blink of an eye. Many of them faced this challenge head-on, while others are still waiting on the return of live events. Nevertheless, statistics show that as many as 84% of event organizers decided to carry out online events in 2020.

In one form or another, online events are here to stay. But the real question remains: are they profitable? To simplify, we will have to look at this question from two different viewpoints: the financial and brand building aspect. Before we dive in, we must stress that live events are indeed irreplaceable. However, we cannot deny that extending them online is beneficial in every aspect.

The financial aspect

While the overall revenue of a digital event is lower than in-person events, most Confiva hosted events have created the same ROI as live ones or have well surpassed their expectations. The production and software costs of going online are significantly lower. Making a profit is easier as fewer tickets have to be sold to make a return on the investment. With no venue limitations, the potential is much higher, and with lower production costs, the risks are lower.

The same principles apply to hybrid events. In a hybrid event, the online production is even cheaper as many costs are shared or are needed for the in-person events. Video production teams, technicians, venue, VJ’s, and others are already in place. With the help of a dedicated Confiva event manager, the switch is easy and quick. We also have to acknowledge that some people prefer to attend online or cannot visit your location at the time of your event. For online attendees, the price can be adjusted. The digital native attendees are out there and ready to buy their tickets. Here is a simple comparison:

Brand building aspect

Events are a powerful tool to create brand awareness, market your services, drive sales or engage your employees. Online events have proven to be no different. Acknowledging that online attendees can be engaged on the same level as in-person ones is the first step event planners have to take. Now we only have to find the correct way to do it and the right tools for it. Confiva offers an online environment with many native features for driving engagement, from gamification to attendee interaction. But we do not stop there. You are also free to utilize any collaborative or visual web-based tool directly into our platform.

Our HTML sections are in every area of the platform and are free for you to embed any website or web-based apps. If you want to take your guests on a 3D tour across the galaxy or invite them into your custom-designed game, ask our event manager for advice or find apps on your own, the possibilities are endless.

Full or partially online events are the future

These are just some of the reasons why we think it is crucial to consider online events as an integral part of your or your client’s business. Step into the digital evolution with the right partner. Find out more on a quick call with our sales team or contact us on our webpage.

Are online events easier and cheaper to organize?

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Confiva user

Are online events easier and cheaper to organize?

We often get asked if is it easier and cheaper to organize an online event in comparison to a live event?

To answer the question: yes, yes it is. Let us explain.

In a completely online event, we avoid all on-site costs. This amounts to roughly 30% and in some cases as much as 80% of all costs. Here are some of the event elements that will not be on your budget list:

Venue
There is no to decorate the venue and think about the stage design or the stage technical production (sound, screens, scenography) as attendees will not be there to see it.
On-site visitors
Physical registration personnel, security and visitor registration is not needed as it is done through an online platform.
Speakers
The overall cost of speakers is reduced as the hospitality aspect is not needed. Forget expensive plane tickets and accommodation costs.
Catering
Food and drinks will now be consumed from the kitchens of attendees and not at your event bars and food stations.
Production
Dealing with all the event elements listed above takes time and time is money.

With all these reductions we still have to keep in mind that if we want to create a good event we still have to take care of the basics. Promotion, visual identity and quality content are the factors that will intrigue your potential attendees and make them buy your tickets. You have to create appealing content to draw in the digital crowd.

As much as we love the online event and their business benefits we are still big fans of in-person events and hope to see them return in full effect soon. We are preparing many different features to be ready when they do.

The future is hybrid

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Confiva

The future is hybrid

In this fast-changing time, one day the health situation is looking better, another day worse. That is why one of our key learnings in this whole situation is that the event industry will permanently adapt with the hybrid model.

Hybrid events are a perfect mix of digital and live events. This kind of event takes place live for a small number of people, while everyone else can watch it online from any location. The main advantage of such events is that they combine the advantages of digital and live events, bringing together the best of both worlds.

Hopefully, the Covid threat will not be here for long and regular gatherings and events will be back in full force. Still, event pros will have to adapt with different measures to reduce health risks as much as possible.

So what are the benefits of creating a hybrid with the help of a platform like Confiva? The first and the most noticeable aspect is the ticket sales. While a physical venue has its capacity set, online events have not. Capacity for online events is limitless and the option to expand your ticket sales or reach more people quickly covers the cost of a live stream event platform. If your event has viral potential the income from online tickets can create massive profits.

In-person visitors can also access the platform and view content that they have missed. Connecting with other visitors is easy and your guests are not limited to participants that they bump into on-site.

Interested in organizing a hybrid event? For a completely free and non-binding Confiva presentation, contact us at [email protected]

An event as a marketing tool

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Confiva

An event as a marketing tool

In the last decade, events became an important marketing tool that helped companies to introduce their offers to a wider specific audience and improve the bond with their target groups.

We would like to introduce some facts that speak in favor of events in comparing to other, more traditional marketing tools:

An event facilitates one-to-one discussion with your consumers, helping them to establish a much more personal relationship with your brand,

People who attend events get a personal experience which they later pass to their peers or friends. This makes your brand more accessible to your target group,

Events are very cost-effective in comparing to other, traditional marketing media channels,

You get quick responses from the market which can make your business more flexible and adaptive.

As we established events are a powerful marketing tool but since last year event marketers had one more challenge to overcome. What are the first out-comes of digital events as marketing tools? As it turns out it is always a combination of interaction and visual appeal that creates the best results.

Being behind a desk is not the most appealing set to attract your views. Companies are building stunning sets that align with their campaigns and put the viewer’s state where it feels as they are watching a movie.

Engagement is still king and there are many ways to create it online. A shipped goodie package and a well-thought-out break-out room are one of many options for your attendees to feel special.

Send them a special coffee brew and offer a barista video workshop or have local farmers deliver fresh fruits for a perfect power smoothie. Through such activities attendees feel more engaged and are more likely to view more products or services from that event. That brings us one step closer to purchase.

All online events are viewed on some sort of digital device. This means that a connection to a purchase process is much more direct. Connecting your live content with pop-up notifications and showroom spaces offers your attendees to buy products or services with a seamless protocol. Thus driving up sales on such events.