Virtual Events 2020
With the threat of the Coronavirus Covid-19, lots of modern businesses are feeling the pressure. With the Government now saying that a fifth of the UK workforce could be off sick during the peak weeks of a major outbreak and large events are now already being cancelled due to the fear of spreading the virus. The service industries are already beginning to feel the crunch.
Fortunately tech companies that service events are natural problem solvers and are most likely already to be looking for new ways to adapt to the issues that affect the operation of large scale events in the current climate. One way to do this is to consider the scenario of self-isolation. How can anyone attend a trade fair or conference whilst confined to their home or office?
One solution that springs to mind is to explore the concept of virtual event solutions. With some cancelled events now adapting to have a presence as an online only event. Otka, the latest tech company from the U.S. is now to cancel its annual event, which is expecting somewhere in the region of 6,000 attendees and is now to go online. It says so because it’s the best way to "safely engage with our whole community." There’s more info about this in an article posted on the Business Insider website.
With live streaming becoming adopted by businesses as standard, as its obviously more cost effective communicating over the web rather than physically attending a meeting in person, we are now beginning to see how operating in isolation doesn't need to be so lonely or feel that you are missing out on any of the latest networking gatherings due to the technology available at our finger tips.
As sounded out on the diginomica website, several companies are trying to crack this nut and the coronavirus outbreak might be the catalyst that creates a robust market for virtual event software and services.
Platforms for virtual spaces with avatar based UI and virtual trade stands may well be accelerated to adapt to service a modern environment.