How to Avoid Virtual Event Fatigue

The year is 2019 and people are bustling about, traveling, and constantly meeting up with one another. There is also an abundance of live shows and in-person events. We all know what happened shortly after that and almost 2 years later, we are still trying to get used to the virtual event space.

While some people might’ve thought online events were temporary, it’s now time to face the music and recognize that the virtual event space isn’t going anywhere. There are many benefits of virtual events, and it was probably a fun change of pace the first few months of attending online trade shows – but the novelty has since worn off. Zoom and virtual event fatigue are very real, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to combat this.

Here are a few tips and tricks to prevent yourself and attendees from feeling the exhaustion of virtual events:

1. Remember things are different, so you need to think differently! Just because you had a 3-day in-person event planned with lots of activities at all hours, doesn’t mean you need to do that for your virtual event. Figure out what works for your audience in the virtual space and go from there.
   
   
2. Continuity is key: When promoting your online event, it is more enticing if you create a “place” that ties everything together – like a virtual event lobby space, for example. This lobby, similar to an in-person event physical space, is where everyone comes together and can go back. It’s a place that welcomes attendees and creates a sense of community. This “hub” helps avoid a disjointed experience and brings familiarity over the course of your virtual event.
   
   
3. Quality over quantity: When it comes to content, try to have shorter webinar sessions filled with the necessary information – short and sweet. Typically, people start to lose focus after about 20 minutes. Also, think about how you want to split up your sessions – having variety keeps viewers' attention.
   
   
4. Conversations: Even though the event is online, doesn’t mean people don’t want to interact and communicate. Make sure you build in time and space for networking and conversations – Create a place for your attendees to network and for vendors to advise and educate customers on their products. Providing a space to communicate with other show attendees creates a sense of community and promotes engagement.

With the virtual event space here to stay, remember fatigue is real - avoid this exhaustion for both you and your attendees with these few simple tricks and Perenso's Virtual Trade Show platform. 

To learn more about our Virtual Trade Show, click here!