HOW TO TURN A BORING ONLINE EVENT INTO AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE?
Many institutions and businesses have had to adapt to this extraordinary situation in which we now live because of the interest rate. At To Do, we have also been affected by the exceptional circumstances. Fortunately, we have been able to use this time to develop our own operations and find alternative solutions to support our customers’ events.
Online and virtual events have been an emerging trend this spring. And no wonder, because encounters are needed. We have explored a number of different solutions for implementing these, tested different platforms and participated in many online events.
We have noticed that online events are partly in their infancy and some of the implementations have felt somewhat boring and one-way. The solutions made are everything from talking heads to live TV broadcasts. We have dived deeper and brought the much-needed eventfulness to the surface.
INTERACTIVITY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF EVENTS
When the visitor feels seen and heard, and feels that they have had an impact, the experience is well on the way to success. This also applies to online events. It is not enough to just watch a virtual show without being able to participate or influence it. Communication and interaction with other participants and, for example, with speakers is needed. Whether it’s on a discussion board, a message board or through a variety of like and poll functions – we want to be together and share the experience with others.
Various activities that visitors can take part in, such as competitions and voting, will keep participants energised. Surprise keeps the viewer well glued to the screen. Was it really the cricket from the next desk, who got on the set as a celebrity chef’s sidekick?
Gamification is the word of the day and we have been exploring different gamified virtual event platforms, where you can not only create your own character, but also create your own event spaces and network with other participants. Networking takes place, for example, in dedicated meeting rooms, either via chat or video call.
THE USE OF AR, VR AND MIXED REALITY IN ONLINE EVENTS
In addition to traditional live camera solutions, there are many modern technologies that open the door to different solutions and virtual event realisations. Virtual glasses allow you to organise events in imaginative environments. We will enter adventures we could never have imagined seeing or hearing. And we can use technology to awaken our senses. For example, in 8D music, the sound is panned between the left and right channels, creating an effect that makes the sound seem to come from eight different directions. This gives the listener a completely different experience from listening to a regular song. For example, check out Billie Eilish’s 8D version of “Ilomilo” (note: this must be listened to with headphones).
With AR (augmented reality) technology, we can bring elements such as computer graphics into our own reality, or even a 360° image model of an unfinished site ready to be built. AR technology allows you to project objects, things, characters or 3D models into your reality, which you can view, for example, on your phone screen. The virtual event can be combined with on-screen elements that are literally brought right to your living room sofa. For example, would you like a virtual chef to guide you with recipes or a virtual guide for your event? This is what we want more of!
We believe technology will take us to even more engaging and memorable virtual events in the future and we look forward to its evolution!
SUMMER HOLIDAYS, PARTICIPATING SEMMA OR ANYWHERE ON THE WEB HACKHATON – New and thought-provoking solutions can be found both live and virtually!
There are sweet alternatives! Combining the virtual and real worlds in new ways can deliver experiential and impactful live, virtual and hybrid events. Based on what we’ve learned, we’ve put together the best ideas, combined the most interesting ways to implement them and found a nice recipe for organising a virtual summer party. Contact us. We are happy to tell you more!
