The Excel Exhibition Centre in London reported that previous to COVID-19 ‘There were over 5 million inbound visits to the UK annually to attend business events, generating a spend of £3.5 billion’.

Amongst the tangle of cancellations and chaos that was unfolding, the virtual event was fast growing and it became painfully clear that flexibility and adaptability was needed to survive – not only within the current climate, but beyond.

Yes - there is now light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s clear that virtual is still vitally important today.

The pros and cons of virtual...

With the ability to host conferences, events and presentations in a virtual space:

• The safety required for staff and associates becomes far easier to achieve. 
• People don’t feel under pressure to travel to fulfill their job roles 
• Less travel means less impact on our planet
• Content gets richer - experts/speakers have greater availability (they can indeed be in two cities at once) and companies work harder to communicate better and can offer both live and on-demand
• There are no accommodation and travel headaches 
• Data driven marketing is king and allows for keen ROI measurements
• Capacity issues are almost disappeared and bigger audiences = greater reach 

... just a few of the reasons virtual has taken hold.

However…

• The buzz of a live event will never disappear - the highly social and tactile among us will never be satisfied with virtual only
• Some businesses rely on in-person demonstrations, test and display
• Creating a tangible brand experience is far more difficult to achieve through digital (although not impossible)
• There is reduced relationship-building in virtual- which is top of the list for creating a live brand experience

It’s for all of the above reasons, that being able to offer your clients or business a hybrid approach to events, should absolutely feature in your strategy and future plans. Virtual is here to stay, and there will always be a market for live too.

The good news is that whilst this is all being worked out...Immersive have created a virtual platform that can offer an array of features that meet all of the above needs! LIVE or not or indeed to compliment live.

We offer:

• Networking and building relationships - organically and planned as in real life - via our innovative Huddl feature 
• Round table video integrations 
• The chance to experience virtual venues in a fully 360 degree evolving environment - that offers an impressive and impactful brand experience
• Live events that can be streamed directly into the platform. 

Virtual can be better than great with Immersive - people can positively engage at their company’s events, sustainably and enjoyably; and receive a memorable brand experience.

We pride ourselves in offering a fully customisable platform that will help organisations communicate company values and house styles, to create a more recognisable environment to work and network within, and to help companies and their colleagues thrive in a way that suits them.

But we are also ready to offer you thoroughly integrated events too - a fusion of live events and virtual environments that maximise every single opportunity.

We can offer you both sides of the hybrid event.

Our live events team has over 30 years experience providing the design, build and all support needed for in person stands/setups internationally too. So we've got you covered.

Find out more about how we can support you with your future events here: https://www.go-immersive.com/ 

It’s good to talk, find us here:  https://www.go-immersive.com/contact