What are the Pros and cons of virtual exhibitions?

As the world continues to fight the destressing novel coronavirus, people have started improvising their organizing events. When physical events are out of the question, virtual events have paved their way into the new dynamics of the digital world. Virtual events have challenges and tactics that people might be unfamiliar with due to the uncertain shift of events. Similarly, if you are looking to host your first ever event online or planning to attend one, it is pretty common not to know what to expect from the virtual event. You must consider various ramifications before hosting any event, as one of the significant challenges faced by event organizers is the lack of physicality that physical events used to offer previously before the global pandemic came our way. 

To get the most out of your first-ever virtual event, take advantage of many aspects to consider. To give you a heads up, you must first understand the pros and cons of a virtual event. In this particular blog, we will be covering some essential pros and cons of a virtual exhibition and why are they trending in the current world. So without further ado, let’s begin! 

What is a virtual exhibition?

The virtual exhibition is events that take place over a web-based solution. After the world shifted to an online platform, many big brands took their shows to a virtual exhibition platform to build brand awareness and offer exhibitors to showcase their products, grow their market presence, and meet new and qualified audiences. 

Although virtual tools provide potential benefits to any exhibitor, they are still sceptical about the online bandwagon due to the newness and intricacy of this industry. They are doubtful whether this new venture will bring in more profits or successfully pay off the rapid organizational changes. To understand this more deeply, let us look at the pros and cons of hosting a virtual exhibition. 

PRO’s

LOW COST 

Hosting an online exhibition eliminates a fraction of the cost that was once common in physical events. These costs are as follows: 

• Accommodations
• Venue
• Rent
• Physical advertising material
• Food & Drinks 

In fact, according to some surveys, it is said that virtual exhibitions can cut traveling costs by 30% and other unexpected expenses. To host an exhibition program online, all you need is a platform offering services per your requirements, a good internet connection, a high-quality webcam, audio equipment, and sometimes an entry fee. In comparison to on-ground events, this is still relatively cheaper and effective. 

TIME-SAVING 

Living in a digital world, where technology advances in no time. Creating your virtual exhibition becomes easy and less exhausting as compared to physical events. Many service providers offer readymade and well-designed platforms for future use to save time and invest more valuable time on other essential aspects such as marketing your event. 

BETTER OUTREACH

A virtual exhibition platform enables better outreach and exposure to exhibitors and organizers in the market as it can last longer than traditional events. 

As renting a venue is eliminated from digital components, organizers can conduct an online expo for more than a week or a month, thus providing better outreach.

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION IS ECO-FRIENDLY

Remember how exhausting and expensive it was to execute a physical event. Hiring catering, booking hotels, spreading invitations, renting a venue, choose the food menu, and whatever else. All this used to affect our environment as well tremendously. After everything switched digitally, the environment counted less carbon footprint as you don’t have to travel, and no garbage produced on the venue location. All these aspects speak in favor of the benefits of organizing an exhibition program in a digital space. 

BETTER DATA GENERATION

Generating valuable data about attendees became extremely easy after virtual event platforms emerged. A virtual exhibition platform enables exhibitors to gather all the essential information about the exhibition and participants. This survey will help you better understand your audience’s perspective and curate success in future events.

CON’s

NOT EVERYONE IS HABITUAL WITH THE INTERNET USAGE 

Now that internet is the only viable option for us; many are unknown to its benefits. This represents all who come under different age groups participating in the exhibition. Attending an event online may need updated software to connect to the event. 

LACK OF HUMAN INTERACTION

As social distancing became the new normal, it also promoted a lack of human interaction to avoid getting infected by the virus. This can be another drawback of conducting an online event, as communication is the basis of every significant and minor deal. You may lack the ability to represent yourself as efficiently as you used to in a physical event. 

DISTRACTION

One of the biggest challenges faced by event organizers was keeping their target audience entertained and engaged throughout the program. As attendees are not physically attending your event, it becomes difficult to keep an eye on each participant and understand whether they are attentive or not. In most cases, we found that attendees either lose interest or cannot attend the program due to their background disturbance. You may lose attendance if such challenges are encountered. To avoid this, you can add fun and exciting activities to keep your attendees engaged and attentive during the program. 

POOR INTERNET QUALITY

This can be a widespread con for an event organizer as technical glitches or connectivity issues can occur anytime and anywhere. This can be another factor of distraction. 

OVER TO YOU

Every event has its pros and cons, and it is essential to evaluate all the aspects before you begin planning and promoting your event. Anybody can effectively host the virtual exhibition if you keep the above tips in mind. Remember, to know what suits the best for your program, it is crucial to know the market trends and news, understand what your audiences are looking for, and then learn how to use the technicalities to curate the most advanced and successful virtual exhibitions throughout!