"What makes humans human is their great ability to adapt,"said Socrates. This human capacity to adapt to different environments or situations has been put to the test in recent times.
A few months ago, French (and global) companies began to wonder how to manage their events during lockdown. Should they be postponed? Cancel them? Transform them and switch to a phygital/hybrid format or even 'all digital'?
Some opted to cancel their events altogether due to a lack of know-how, known alternatives, or simply a lack of time. Others took the gamble of postponing, in the hope that the situation would quickly improve. But the weeks are passing and the virus shows no sign of going away. The health crisis is dragging on and protective measures remain a necessity for the French.
The events sector is therefore facing a difficult situation. The number of people allowed to attend public gatherings continues to decrease as the government announces new measures. Companies in the sector are implementing measures and doing their best to survive. For many of us, accelerating the digitalization of our solutions has therefore become a necessity.
AppCraft is no exception. When lockdown began, we knew we had to reinvent ourselves and adapt. We are convinced that certain event formats will have to evolve and that digitization, at least in part, is necessary. This is particularly true for corporate events, which generally bring together a large number of participants.
Companies are now realizing that postponement may no longer be the solution. Indeed, no one knows yet how long the restrictions are likely to last. As a result, most are starting to think about digital. 🤖
But what are the advantages of this format? Is it as effective? Can stakeholders be engaged in the same way as at physical events? Many of us have asked ourselves these questions.
So, just for you, here is a short list summarizing the main advantages of digital events:
The number of potential participants is no longer limited! What's more, they can come from different geographical areas or represent different target audiences. If you're worried that your digital event won't attract many people, read the following example.
Every year, IBM organizes its Think Digital Event. In 2024, the IT giant managed to attract not 20% of prospects as usual, but 33% thanks to its first 100% digital event format (Stratégie Magazine – October 2020). Yes, when well organized and promoted, a digital event can attract a lot of people!
Different targets attending an event does not mean the same content for everyone. AppCraft has thought of this and offers to adapt the content available for download on the platform or mobile app. This means that each type of participant (prospects, customers, resellers, etc.) has access to different documents and materials. At an event, you can communicate your 2024 strategy to your employees and your ambitions to your customers.
This means your costs are shared. Instead of organizing two or three separate events depending on your participants, you can now hold everything on a single date!
Corporate social and environmental responsibility is no longer a marginal concept in B2B. More and more of us are concerned about our environmental impact and want to adopt cleaner solutions. With a digital event, there is no longer any need to fly your 200 American sales representatives to Europe for a three-day event. Fewer materials are sourced: no more stands to build or boxes to transport, and no more printing of paper documentation either. It also generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding the need to heat sometimes very large rooms. So the planet thanks you!
An "all-digital" event has the advantage of being able to broadcast your event on a larger scale more easily, depending on the target audience. You can use your event platform, specially designed for the occasion, to communicate before, during, and after your big day.
– Teaser in advance in the form of videos or mailings.
– Live streaming and networking during your event.
– Replay, document sharing, and content marketing after the event.
All of this will enable your participants to experience your event more intensely and over a longer period of time.
Video formats are predominantly used for virtual events, and quality must be assured. For several months now, we have noticed that requests are very diverse: live TV, fake live, webinars, one-to-one or group video meetings, single-site or multi-site recording, diverse speakers, live control room, with or without CDN, low latency or buffer, webRTC or RTMP, etc.
To get the best for our customers, we at AppCraft have decided to integrate several technical streaming and video solutions for an ever smoother user experience, delivering flawless, reusable results. A real asset for your brand image.
