It’s no surprise this year’s busy fall events season will be a completely different ball game compared to past years, as we’re six months into quarantine and this new world of virtual conferences.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the events industry in March, event pros quickly pivoted to virtual. The shift was so drastic that business and professional online events increased 1,100% in April compared to April 2019.

Now that we’re half a year into experiencing events from home, we’re starting to notice some trends as virtual conferences become the new norm. Here are 10 virtual conference trends we’re seeing this year:

1. More cost-effective conferences: Event organizers are getting more bang for their buck, as virtual events cost less to produce than in-person gatherings, allowing for more wiggle room in their budgets. An IDC survey found that nearly half of event organizers said virtual events were less expensive to produce than an in-person event.

2. DIY event platforms: While there are dozens of event tech platforms out there, sometimes the best platform to use is your own. Some innovative event organizers, like Collision from Home and INBOUND, have created their own impressive virtual event platforms to help give their attendees the personalized experiences they envisioned. 

3. Increased social media engagement: Could exchanging Twitter handles and LinkedIn URLs become the new business card swap? An IDC study found that nearly half virtual event attendees are engaging with other attendees via social media, compared to just 16% at in-person conferences. 

4. Enhanced networking experiences: When in-person events came to a halt earlier this year, conference-goers may have become concerned about the lack of opportunities to organically meet and network. A Data Connectors survey reported that 86% of participants reported equal or higher levels of engagements compared to in-person, largely due to networking opportunities becoming more personalized by attendee data.

5. Data-driven recommendations: Events platforms and apps are getting smarter, as they have the ability to make activity and session suggestions using algorithms based on attendees’ profiles. Endless Events found that 74% of event professionals say data drives their decision-making.

6. More speaking opportunities: One perk of speaking virtually is that thought leaders don’t have to travel to the conference, whether it’s getting across town or flying to another city or country. With virtual events, speakers can present their talks from the comfort of their own home, which means more flexibility to get out speaking more.

7. Short and sweet sessions: Long-gone are the days of 45-minute sessions, at least until in-person events make a comeback. Sessions at virtual conferences are typically bite-sized—with some talks being as short as 5 to 15 minutes—to accommodate short attention spans. 

8. Tech giants embracing virtual events: In lieu of canceled or postponing user conferences and companywide gatherings to 2021, some of the biggest brands in tech have pivoted to virtual events. Google Cloud Next, Microsoft Build, and SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW are some of the conferences that have moved entirely online.

9. Still got swag (bags): Just because in-person events are on hold, doesn’t mean swag bags are a thing of the past. Virtual event organizers have been getting creative with their swag bags and event kits and shipping items directly to speakers’ and attendees’ homes. For example, Ascent Conference sent customized socks to speakers—with the speaker’s face on them!

10. Addressing cybersecurity concerns: Hopefully the days of “Zoombombers” are behind us now that we’re six months into this new normal. Given cybersecurity concerns around virtual conferences, event pros have the responsibility to protect attendees’ personal data and experiences. To outsmart hackers and spammers, more events are using enhanced security like two-factor authentication for event logins. 

Ready to implement some of these trends into your virtual events strategy? Connect with us at events@credpr.com.