Event dilemma: When to ditch the screen and attend IRL instead

CAREER

After a lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus, business events and conferences have roared back to life. Attendees are now faced with a new dilemma – online versus face-to-face?

Published by INTHEBLACK

Often touted as a silver lining of the pandemic, attending business events virtually has become easier than ever.

The early days of awkward tech mishaps are mostly a thing of the past, prompting many to predict the convenience of meeting virtually would make it a permanent fixture on the global event scene. 

Indeed, “hybrid” events – offering both physical and virtual attendance options – took off as soon as social restrictions eased and remain popular.

Although “in-person only” events have made a stunning comeback this year, returning more rapidly than expected by many event professionals, virtual events aren’t going away.

One research firm forecasts the value of the global virtual events market will top a staggering US$1 trillion (A$1.52 trillion) by 2032, up from almost US$200 billion (A$304 billion) last year.

This leaves many would-be business event-goers often facing a dilemma – is it better to show up face-to-face or log in?

For the full story  >  read it in INTHEBLACK magazine