Online conferences have become very popular these days, and it goes without saying that online conferences are more advantageous and beneficial than their in-person and traditional counterparts. They have changed the way conferences have been conducted, and ever since the world has been introduced to online conferences, there is no going back.
However, it goes without saying that online conferences do have certain disadvantages and limitations over traditional formats. The biggest of them is that online conferences don’t have one-on-one interaction opportunities, such as in-person counterparts.
However, even though they have certain limitations, it cannot be denied that online conferences are more advantageous than offline conferences.
In this blog, we will discuss all of that. Here, we will have a look at the advantages of online conferences for both organizers and attendees. So, without any ado, let us jump into the blog and see what it holds for us.
Advantages for Organizers:
1. Cost-Efficient:
There are many reasons why online conferences can be advantageous for organizers. One key reason is that online conferences are often much cheaper to host than traditional, in-person events. It is because there is no need to rent out a physical space. Also, there’s no travel costs for speakers or attendees. Not only this, the organizers don’t need to spend on ‘n’ a number of things, the way they would do in case of offline conferences.
2. Wider Audience Reach:
Another advantage of online conferences is that they can reach a global audience. With an in-person event, only those who can physically travel to the location can attend. However, with an online conference, anyone with an internet connection can join in, no matter where they are in the world. It makes it possible to connect with a far wider range of people than it would be possible with an in-person event. Hence, concluding another advantage, online conferences enable organizers to boost their brand reach multiple times.
3. Less Hectic:
Next, online conferences take less time to plan and execute. While it needs the organizers to plan everything in advance in case of offline conferences, the same can be hosted with less effort and brainstorming. However, we are not saying that online conferences don’t require any kind of planning and preparation. It’s the advantage and, moreover, proficiency of online conferences that they can be set up and brought to life with less preparation and hustle, unlike their physical counterparts. Therefore, online conferences require brainstorming and preparation, but they have the upper hand over physical conferences.
4. Real-Time Analyzing:
Talking of the next advantage of online conferences, online conferences enable organizers to analyze their conference and quantify its success. Virtual conference platforms come with a live analytics tool. It enables the organizers to get an insight into their overall planning and execution. With the live analytics tool, the organizers can closely monitor how many of their strategies failed, and how many of them were liked by their participants. In addition, the live analytics tool lets them have a close check on the number of attendees who visited a booth. Also, they can get the number of people who interacted with each other, were a part of any networking table, and many more things like it.
In short, this feature helps them analyze their strategies, their strengths, and weaknesses.
Advantages for Attendees:
Talking about the advantages that online conferences provide to attendees, we have a lot to count on. Let’s look at a few of them:
1. Flexible:
It goes without saying that online conferences enable attendees to join the event from their comfort zones. The attendees no longer have to book flight tickets, spend huge sums of money on travel and accommodation, and attend an online conference. It not only helps them save money, but also their time and makes everything less stressful and hectic. The attendees can join the meeting right from their sofas, which means they don’t need to prepare additionally, which comes in case of offline events.
2. Recording:
Online conference platforms come with a recording feature. It means that the organizers can record the meetings and provide the videos to the attendees. It would help the organizers as well as the attendees in ways more than one. So, in case the attendee wants to recall what the keynote speaker delivered to them, they can always find it through the recording videos. We all know in the case of offline conferences, the moment once passed is gone forever. However, thanks to the advancements in technology, online conferences stay for a longer period of time, even after they get completed.
3. Long-Lasting Connections:
Not many would like to believe this, but online conferences are more efficient than offline ones when it comes to networking and making connections. When it comes to offline events, one person can interact with two to three people maximum. It is because physical interactions demand complete attention and time. However, when we talk about online events, an attendee can interact with multiple people at a time with the help of the networking tools provided by the virtual conference platform.
Hence, online video conferences enable the attendees to make more connections. They can exchange contact information & business cards in less time as compared to traditional conferences.
4. Eco-Friendly:
Finally, online conferences tend to be more environmentally friendly than traditional events. It is because there is no need to travel to the conference location. It can often involve flying or taking long car journeys. By not traveling, attendees can reduce their carbon footprint and help to protect the environment. This utilization of technology in the execution of online events lets the attendees and even the organizers be their heroes.
As we saw, online conferences have the upper hand over offline ones in cases of more than one. They are flexible and enable attendees as well as the organizers to save their money and time. However, the most significant advantage of switching to the online mode is they have redefined the hosting of conferences dramatically. Conference hosting no longer is a tedious task where the organizers would be on their toes till the end of the conference. Now, organizers can use self-managed online platforms and plan their online video conferences without worry.
