A vicious cycle virtual events cause

I’ve written at length about the differences between in-person and online events, including developing a system that I now offer to some events, executives, and speakers to bridge the gap and produce signature moments for them for their virtual events. (The response to this blog post is what showed me the need for such a service.)

Today, I want to talk about what virtual events’ stereotypical content is doing to the events industry.

First, I want to be clear: I am not referring to the experiences provided by the virtual events/webinar platforms themselves. I’m ALSO not referring to the event organizers and sponsors who support their initiatives.

When I talk about the negative ramifications of virtual events, it all stems from the topic I’ve been writing about for awhile now: the stuff INSIDE the container, i.e. the content attendees experience.

When it comes to virtual keynotes and breakouts, there’s no denying it: The talks themselves feel cheaper than they do in-person.

So much is lost when an offline presentation gets ported online. I wrote a list of those things here. I also theorized about why virtual events feel so cheap here. It’s not always the fault of the speaker per se. It’s usually the fault of the medium changing, and the content staying the same. SOMEONE has to own up to that, whether it’s the speaker or, for non-professional speakers, the event organizers being more prescriptive in what a presenter or expert plans to deliver (and, more crucially, HOW they plan to deliver it).

Regardless, a vicious cycle begins:

The content feels cheaper than it would in-person.

Because the content feels cheaper, the audience sees virtual events as a whole as less valuable. A stigma forms in the market.

Because of this stigma, audiences are less likely to pay, or at least pay top dollar.

Because audiences diminish or become less valuable and less attentive, sponsors see less value.

Because sponsors see less value, organizers have fewer resources.

Because organizers have fewer resources, speakers don’t receive full fees.

Because speakers struggle to earn their fees, they can’t invest as much in the content.

And we’re back where we started. The cycle continues and worsens.

Some flavor of this cycle affects nearly every virtual event. So how do we stop it and start something better?

We need to address the talks themselves. They can’t be webinar-and-webcam presentations. They have to become truly immersive experiences. Even with a bit of lightweight editing in post-production, a typical webinar becomes something far greater.

The summary is this: a talk (or at least some key moments) should be pre-recorded and edited. The interaction AROUND the talk should be live.

The speaker might be available for Q&A. They might come “out” after their video plays for an interview with the organizers. The organizers might patch in some attendees live and visibly present to ask questions, too. But the presentation itself can’t just be a person in an office talking at a webcam or over some slides.

We need better, more experiential content from speakers, and better, more interactive community management from organizers.

Done jointly, the events that now feel cheap can add back what’s lost. We can escape the vicious cycle and re-build something new with a blank canvas approach. That’s the only way virtual events have the same transformative effect as in-person conferences and talks.

Everybody benefits when that happens.

— — —

For more content like this, and to support my work as an independent creator, consider the following:

Blog: subscribe for 3-5 short posts per week.

Book: purchase a print, Kindle, or audio copy of Break the Wheel.

Podcast: Unthinkable, questioning conventional thinking to do something better.

Speaking: I’m offering highly-immersive virtual keynotes (as well as producing this type of talk for fellow speakers/execs) during this social distancing period.