event organisers have commercially viable virtual strategies and the teams to execute these.
WEBINARS SHOULD BE THROWN ON THE FIRE, AS SHOULD FREEMIUM EVENTS. GET IT RIGHT AND PEOPLE WILL PAY FOR IT. "Virtual event tech is in hot demand, but most platforms currently do not fully support the needs of event organisers: they have poor functionality and analytics, with sub-optimal networking tools and archaic features, especially around virtual expos. Event organisers in 2020 often picked the wrong platform, did little research/testing, misled partners and delivered sub-par events. "Webinars should be thrown on the fire, as should freemium events. Our sponsors and delegates are now conditioned to pay for high-quality virtual events and the flight to quality is real. They expect incredible content in a variety of formats and without technical difficulties. Content must be easily accessible, delivered through an intuitive and engag-
ing platform and, post-event, immediately available on-demand. Virtual delegates crave interaction, connectivity and fun – a true experience. They do not want a vast multi-day event with multiple streams, nor do they want sell-side-heavy agendas. "Get it right and people will pay for it, so why offer it for free? "Through trial and error, we’ve found a formula that works. Content (and its delivery) is king. We’ve enjoyed success because we invested heavily, trained our staff, switched our business model and worked with our partners every step of the way, through good and bad.
+ In-person networking has this year been
replaced with high-quality online interaction January 2021 RIDE HIGH
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