Are Virtual Meetings Still Relevant in 2023? Seven Things to Consider

Whether you loved them or not, there’s no denying that hybrid and virtual meetings were a lifeline during COVID-19. According to one statistic, between 2020 and 2022 use of virtual meetings grew from 48% to 77%.

But our world looks different in 2023. The dangers of COVID have subsided and employees are returning to the physical workplace. So the question arises: Are hybrid and virtual meetings still relevant or are they a thing of the past?

Unlike social distancing, there is no reason to believe that hybrid or virtual meetings will phase out. One LinkedIn survey of 200 companies found that 72% said that they would continue holding virtual events long term.

Why do businesses continue to find value in holding virtual and hybrid meetings? In this post, we’ll answer why hybrid and virtual meetings are still relevant in 2023.

Ever heard of a money jar where you regularly put in a few coins or small bills? Adding a little money at the end of the day has funded vacations to Hawaii or even allowed some to pay off debt.

Imagine, though, instead of saving a few dollars here and there with the spare change in your pockets, you are regularly saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars. What would your company do with all that extra dough?

Whether you are having a small business meeting or a large conference, holding a hybrid or a virtual meeting reduces or even eliminates costs that come with face-to-face meetings, such as:

• Travel fuel
• Plane tickets
• Hotel rooms
• Facility rentals
• Snacks and beverages

The point? A little adds up quickly. Clients are often shocked when they learn how much money holding virtual meetings saves.

Time is the great equalizer. Whether you’re rich or poor, we all only have 24 hours in a day. This makes saving time as, if not more, important than saving money. Extra time can be used to make more money or for anything else you deem important.

Virtual meetings are nearly 100% time efficient. Any time spent is on the meeting itself and not on travel and set up.

When the Zoom meeting starts at 9 am, you are finishing your coffee while logging on at 8:59 (don’t deny it). Almost zero time wasted.

Face-to-face meetings, however, require time to physically get ready and travel to the meeting place. Sometimes it’s a little, sometimes it’s a lot, but it’s ALWAYS something.

If you decide to hold your meeting face-to-face, consider adding a virtual tie-in to create what’s called a hybrid meeting. Hybrid meetings or events allow you to increase your reach by gaining more attendees in 2 basic categories:

Those who are unsure. One study conducted at a hybrid meeting asked virtual attendees if they would have attended live instead if there was no virtual tie-in option. 96% said no.

Creating a virtual tie-in allows you to reach audiences who wouldn’t come otherwise because they:

• • • Are not interested enough to make the effort to travel to your event or
    • Are getting to know you and are still unsure of the benefits

Why you should care: Allowing prospective attendees to “sample” your event boosts future participation. 23% of event organizers saw increased attendance in face-to-face meetings after adding a hybrid element.

Those who want to attend but cannot. At every meeting, there will be some who are unable to attend.

Bad weather, sickness, long distance, and tight schedules are typically a death sentence for face-to-face attendance. Virtual meetings, however, are incredibly accessible and give almost everyone the same opportunity to attend no matter the circumstances.

Hybrid events lower the entry barrier for both categories – those who are unsure about coming, and those who want to come but cannot.

Virtual and hybrid events can offer more diverse and engaging content than live-only events.

Virtual components allow organizers to incorporate a wider range of speakers, activities, and experiences that might not be possible in an all face-to-face event.

Expanded speaker options: Going virtual allows event organizers to bring in speakers from all over the world without having to worry about travel expenses or logistical challenges. This means that hybrid events can feature a more diverse range of expertise.

More interactive activities: Virtual events can offer a range of interactive activities not available with face-to-face events. For example, attendees can:

• • • Participate in virtual breakout sessions or networking events
    • Collaborate on digital whiteboards
    • Engage in online polls and surveys

Customize your attendees’ experience by offering a wider range of content tailored to your audience’s specific needs and preferences.

We’ve all heard the adage: “the only constant in life is change”.

Being adaptable is essential to keeping your business moving forward, come what may. Going virtual allows you to hold important meetings, conferences, or events no matter what comes up.

Unexpected Events – Humans have little to no control over the events that affect their lives. The best we can do is roll with the punches life throws our way.

It could be a global pandemic, bad weather, sickness, or natural disasters such as the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in Iceland which affected nearly 10 million European travelers.

Hybrid meetings allow the show to go on when the unexpected happens.

Changing needs of your audience – Nearly 50% of employees currently work remotely. This is a massive shift from even just 5 years ago

Even after it has left, COVID has changed the way we use technology in our lives. Audiences have shifted their needs and we need to adapt to the way we provide for them.

Hosting a face-to-face event with no digital fallback is a gamble that you shouldn’t be willing to take. Meeting virtually means that your event will carry on despite unexpected events and changing expectations.

Hybrid and virtual meetings open up ways to connect and interact that aren’t possible with face-to-face meetings.

Deliver More Content – Going virtual gives hosts and participants access to tools that let them share content in unique ways. For example, in a virtual meeting, you can easily:

• • Screen share
  • Present slides and videos
  • Conduct surveys and polls

Sharing more content equals better learning and a more successful event.

Drive Engagement – Adding a virtual element to your event creates an avenue for higher engagement opportunities. Rather than just listening to a speaker drone on about a subject, virtual technology allows participants to interact in exciting ways.

• • Q&As
  • Networking opportunities
  • Gamification

Gather Data Insights – Virtual events let you analyze your event in ways that are impossible offline. More than just getting a head count, you can use matchmaking data and trackable metrics to see how engaged your audience is so you can measure the value of your investment.

Be a Globe-Trotter  –  Face-to-face meetings lock you into a specific place and time. Virtual meetings, however, allow you to reach people from any part of the globe, in any time zone.

This is not just a small perk. Instead of working with clients within just the Cleveland area, increase your market exponentially by connecting with customers around the world.

 A larger market = more business = more cash flow.

Language – Less than 15% of the world speaks English as a first or second language. Keeping your event monolingual means you’re missing out on a large piece of the pie.

Virtual meetings allow you to easily reach people of all nationalities. Events done virtually also make interpretation and translation more affordable since you can hire an interpreter from anywhere with zero travel costs.

This 7-point list is by no means exhaustive. There are numerous other perks to virtual and hybrid events going forward, such as:

• Environmentally friendly – Less travel, especially air travel, reduces our carbon footprint.
• Tighter agendas – Face-to-face meetings tend to include more small talk. Virtual attendees, however, usually prefer to get to the point. Get in, take care of business, and get out.

To wrap up: What place do virtual meetings have in 2023? Simply put, hybrid and virtual meetings aren’t going away soon. Conversely, virtual meetings are predicted to keep increasing.

Putting on a meeting virtually, however, doesn’t mean you’ll have a trouble-free life. Virtual and hybrid meetings still present unique challenges, such as:

• Technology issues
• Zoom fatigue
• Keeping attendees focused

Would you like an extra hand in mitigating these issues? Our team has spent decades in the virtual event space. We know what works and what doesn’t. And we’re more than happy to pass that experience on to you.

Why not contact us for a free conversation? See how you can experience the benefits that come from going virtual without encountering the issues. Shoot us a message and let us help make your next event one for the books.