How Virtual Events Are Killing Creativity

Brave new dawn

In the brave new world of virtual events, where webinars, Zoom sessions and video conferencing have become the norm in place of physical conferences, creativity is becoming a lost art. Businesses see these interactions as more utilitarian than creative; thus sacrificing a key element that makes events meaningful and engaging. Despite this setback, there is still massive potential to take advantage of emerging technologies such as the metaverse and 3D web to bring back creativity into virtual events.

With the rise of virtual events, companies’ priorities have shifted from creating an immersive, engaging experience to simply getting people online and connected. This shift has resulted in a lack of engagement with participants feeling passive during these webinars rather than truly connecting with the brand or company they are interacting with. The end result is often information overload on top of not having an emotional connection to the event or product being discussed. A great example of this can be seen in B2B seminars that have been reduced to PowerPoint presentations accompanied by long-winded monologues – coma inducing for anyone who may attend these sessions.

A creative opportunity for more engagement

The creative industry has an opportunity to redefine what it does for clients when it comes to virtual events; injecting emotion and excitement into otherwise mundane experiences. This could be done through engaging gamification activities that encourage interactivity like scavenger hunts or even interactive puzzles with prizes for those who complete them successfully or faster than their peers. Brands also need to inject purpose into their events; allowing attendees to become part of something larger than themselves while they engage with the product or service being showcased. Finally, there needs to be genuine interaction between brands and their customers instead of one-way conversations; inviting customers’ ideas, questions and feedback during —or even after—the event itself will help create a sense of community that transcends traditional physical boundaries.

New creative tools

These developments all rely on emerging technologies such as 3D web which is a more immersive environment that allows users from different locations around the world to come together as if they were in person. Other technologies such as augmented reality (AR) offer exciting opportunities for creative industries both during virtual events as well as post-event interactions through digital marketing campaigns that utilise AR activations or experiences tailored around individual customers’ interests, needs and desires using data collected from previous engagements.

Creative industries need to challenge themselves to think differently about how they create experiences around virtual events; embracing technologies such as AR, AI & 3D web to bring creativity back into play when it comes to customer engagement &interaction between brands & their customers at events & beyond . By taking advantage of real-time analytics & data collection from previous engagements, creative industries can tailor experiences and activities specific clients’ interests while incorporating meaningful moments throughout every stage of their customer journey – all while ensuring true connection & engagement on both sides!

A bright and more immersive future

With these developments at hand, there is no doubt that we will soon see more meaningful interactions between brands & their customers at virtual events. At FLOX we are on a mission to create more engaging and creative virtual and hybrid experiences – lifting attendees from viewers to active participants!