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Why Virtual Events Must Focus on Digital First Experiences
4 min readMar 24, 2020
Why haven’t virtual events or online conferences replaced offline conferences over the last 10 years?
Because they can’t! But…
If we redesign the experience from a digital-first mindset, is it possible to provide a complimentary digital experience that bridges offline conference experiences 365 days a year and can supplement the value we aren’t able to deliver during times like now with the Coronavirus?
YES!
When designing a virtual event we must go beyond the platforms and beyond the conference experience to build a truly digital-first experience…
What won’t work and hasn’t worked:
❌ BACK TO BACK WEBINARS CALLED DIGITAL EVENTS
These are impersonal and often time unengaging.
❌ LIVE VIDEO PLATFORM STREAMING OFFLINE KEYNOTES
While these may be more personal, they’re still not super engaging if the speakers don’t engage with the audience comments like they would if it were any other live stream. The problem with that, is that this makes it less “conference like,” how…
