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Good sound quality has a direct impact on the success of any meeting and event, and yet it is too often overlooked. Being able to hear the speaker loud and clear, is not just a matter of comfort for listeners but also a prerequisite for interpretation. So one of the key tools that you should consider using to improve your sound quality is a quality headset.

It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago most events were not fully capable of reaching large multinational audiences. Now, web conferencing and video broadcasting platforms, like ON24, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, have removed physical limitations from virtual events. Event planners and marketing teams are now able to attract audiences from across the globe, as long as they have a strong internet connection. However, inefficient language translation remains a stark barrier of access to events and creates extra friction. Without a common language or translation tool, many people feel excluded and will not attend the event.

Even though remote working has provided greater flexibility, it’s still almost impossible to gather all staff in one place at the same time.

What is the connection between Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and YouTube? Without a doubt, they are among the top video consumption platforms today. But they all have one thing in common: all of these video platforms include captions or subtitles for video uploads as part of their core features. Why? Let's dive into some of the key benefits of live captioning:

Many consider Cleopatra to be the first recorded event planner in history. She knew the value of bringing people together for celebrations, announcements, and other occasions. Famously, she turned meeting Roman general Mark Antony into a fabulous event. Cleopatra entered the meeting floating down the Nile on the ancient equivalent of a luxury yacht — while dressed as the goddess Venus. Talk about making an entrance.

Cleopatra’s goal for meeting Mark Antony was clear: she wanted to form a close connection with him. The result of her event? Her dynasty got to live on for another day. From seasonal festivals to the modern New Year’s party, events have retained the same underlying goal: to build connections and bring people together for a shared experience.

While the goal of events hasn’t changed, the significant investment required to create modern business events means that there is more at stake. This is especially the case today, with a vast array of technological tools facilitating many parts of event management.

Hybrid and virtual events take this that much farther, as many (if not all) attendees experience the event through their devices. Along with being accessed via devices, online events can be joined from nearly anywhere on the globe. This presents businesses with the opportunity to reach audiences at scale. But is reaching the largest possible audience a sign of a successful event? Some businesses certainly benefit from hosting smaller events that lead to deeper connections and more meaningful networking experiences.

With so many changing factors and business models at play, let’s consider how event “success” has evolved to meet the contemporary business environment.

The appetite for virtual events does not seem to slow down. According to marketwatch.com the year-over-year growth rate for the global virtual events market for 2021 is estimated at 40.37%" by the end of 2025.

And even as in-person events slowly begin to return, offering two entry points - a virtual experience and a on-site experience - is increasingly becoming an added value many event organisers don't want to miss out on. The undisputed, yet largely untapped potential of hybrid events means organisers will continue to look for best-of-breed cloud-based event technology to deliver stunning event experiences to remote attendees beyond the pandemic.

Consumers have recently undergone a dramatic shift in expectations. Now more and more consumers expect top digital experiences. Organisations are scrambling to update their offerings and the events industry is no different. But as McKinsey research shows, companies only have a short transition period before we settle into the “new normal.”

So what will online events look like under the “new normal?” In his new book, Reinventing Live, entrepreneur and events expert Marco Giberti predicts that online events will become significantly more sophisticated. He writes that “Post-Covid virtual events and webinars will be unrecognizable. It will be like comparing traditional TV with streaming.”

Soon, planners will no longer be able to get away with unprofessional events that “look like a bad video call.” Along with these shifts in customer expectations, event planners face another challenge that impacts event success: Zoom fatigue.

With the rise of remote working, viewers are spending more and more time in online meetings. This can be exhausting and can impact your audience’s drive to attend virtual events. After a long day at work, who wants to spend more time in front of their laptop?

To adapt to the new normal and overcome Zoom fatigue, event planners need to create engaging virtual experiences that win viewer attention. Drawing on some of the best recent online events, we’ve put together six key steps to improving your online events. Let’s dive in.

In March of 2020, we published a blog post offering advice on how to improve the diversity and inclusion of your online events. While it was still early days in the pandemic and the true impact of regional lockdowns was yet to be seen, it was already clear that there was a dramatic change in how events were planned, hosted, and attended.

Webinars have been around for decades and, just like almost anything that’s been around this long, they have evolved. Over the past years, webinars have seen a huge uptick and continue to gain popularity.