Types of Virtual Events: Navigating Digital Engagement Strategies

Meghana Dalal
• July 19, 2024

(6 min read)

Without a doubt, virtual events have become a necessary component of today’s corporate environment. The cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable nature of virtual events made them commonplace in this digital age, providing unmatched accessibility and ease of communication.

Table of Content

Having said that, virtual events are more than just a medium to communicate and connect people with each other. It serves various purposes, such as education, entertainment, networking, lead generation, brand recognition, and growth. 

From educational events to product launches, virtual events are utilized in different categories in our daily lives. This blog aims to analyze and categorize some of the lesser-known virtual events available today. 

Types of Virtual Events

The way we communicate and experience events has changed dramatically as the world gets more digital. Virtual events are changing the game by providing a special, unique, and practical platform that allows people to interact, learn, and connect from the comfort of their homes or workplaces. 

Here, we’ll look at some of the most impactful virtual event formats that need to become more mainstream, as they are already proving their efficiency in influencing how people interact and collaborate remotely.  

Also Read – The Ultimate Virtual Event Platform Comparison Guide 2024 

1. Education Events

In academics as well as businesses, virtual educational events, like webinars, career fairs, alumni meetups, onboarding sessions, networking events, and think orientation sessions, play an important role in community building, job hunting, skills enhancement, and more. 

These virtual educational events are just as impactful as the traditional in-person events, if not more.     

Education Events

Virtual event platforms, like Airmeet, are a game-changer for virtual educational events with their worldwide accessibility and robust networking capabilities, like an open lounge for peer-to-peer discussions, club activities, and career counseling sessions. These virtual event platforms also allow the sharing of contacts and resumes, capture engagement data through analytics, and provide interactive learning sessions. 

2. ERG Events

Employee Resource Groups, typically, aim to build employee engagement by hosting a variety of activities, workshops or discussions that promote networking, skillbuilding, and are centered around common interests, goals or identities. Modern workplaces that practice a remote work culture need to find alternative solutions to host these events virtually, with tools that are custom-built to deliver superior virtual experiences.

Elevate your ERG events to new heights with a virtual event platform like Airmeet that enhances community building and promotes diversity and inclusivity within organizations. It supports ERGs in hosting seamless and high-quality virtual events of several formats so you can continue celebrating diversity, fostering dialogue, and driving change, regardless of where in the world your colleagues and team mates are located. 

ERG Events

Airmeet offers customizable spaces, networking tools, and easy planning and execution of virtual events. It also scales to your requirement, and provides detailed analytics to measure participation and engagement so you can continually optimize your events to achieve greater success.

Also Read – How virtual event platforms have changed the event industry?
 

3. Community Meetups

Community meetups serve various purposes, including community expansion, spreading brand awareness, networking, enhancing online presence, and company growth. These meetups can be hosted as online meetings, webinars, or virtual events.  

With unified event solutions, like Airmeet, you can keep your community meetups interactive and inclusive. Airmeet empowers businesses and enterprises to meet their community event goals and objectives with its advanced features and functionalities, like:

  • Audience scalability
  • Global accessibility & multi-lingual support
  • Robust engagement & networking capabilities
  • Easy live streaming & API integrations 
  • Advanced customization & branding components, and more. 

These features help you bring engagement closer to in-person meet-ups, improve networking, offer an immersive experience, enhance brand visibility, and build long lasting connections. 

Community Meetups

4. Virtual Networking Events 

The main goal of any networking event is to connect people, focusing heavily on engagement, connection, and interaction, in contrast to any other kind of virtual event. 

Impress your colleagues, customers, buyers or peers by hosting impactful virtual networking events on Airmeet to enable meaningful conversations and build engagement effortlessly. The platform enables 360-degree engagement, with high-value features like Fluid Spaces, Social Lounge and Breakout Rooms, so you can put together an online networking event like no other. 

Virtual Networking Events

Also, read about 5 mistakes to avoid when choosing a virtual events platform for enterprises.

5. Virtual Workshops and Training Sessions 

Virtual workshops and training sessions have transformed how we upskill and acquire new abilities. These interactive events allow trainers to instruct attendees virtually through demonstrations, hands-on instruction, and guided exercises. 

L&D teams across thousands of global enterprises have turned to Airmeet to carry out extensive and effective online employee training programs and workshops. The platform’s scalability and ease of use empowers you to host virtual workshops and trainings for any event size and for any type of audience.

Virtual Workshops and Training Sessions

6. Virtual Social Events 

Even though virtual events are frequently connected to work settings, they have made creative social gatherings possible for us, in all areas of life. . Online game evenings, virtual reading clubs, virtual happy hours, and virtual movie-watch parties are just a few examples of virtual social activities. 

Virtual Social Events

Regardless of the participants’ locations, these gatherings offer a unique chance for friends, family, and communities to stay in touch, exchange stories, and make lasting memories. 
 

7. Leadership Conferences

Host Leadership events that inspire and drive industry change, connecting global leaders.Airmeet’s virtual event platform provides the perfect virtual environment, to help business leaders foster meaningful connections and partnerships. 

Leadership Conferences

Airmeet offers great tools for scheduling, speaker management, and audience engagement, and track engagement to shape future leadership conference initiatives and strategies. 

8. Product Launch 

Introduce your product to your online audiences on a reliable virtual event platform that focuses on creating an immersive, captivating, and memorable show-stopping moment.

Airmeet is a platform designed to showcase innovative products, create buzz, and capture the market. It offers a show-stopping moment with custom staging, multimedia presentations, and interactive features. 

Product Launch

The platform coordinates all aspects seamlessly, and comprehensive analytics help measure launch success.

Successful Virtual Events Across Different Categories

1. Educational Webinars

Example: HubSpot Academy Webinars 

HubSpot provides webinars on a range of topics around sales, marketing, and customer support for free and for a fee. These webinars encourage participation through in-person Q&A sessions while offering businesses and professionals insightful information. 

2. Virtual Conferences

Example: Apple WWDC 

In 2020, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) moved to an online format and has been so since. It allows developers to learn about technologies, as well as keynote talks and code labs.

3. Virtual Trade Shows

Example: CES 2021 

The pandemic forced the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to move to a virtual format in 2021. This format provided attendees with the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge technology through online product debuts, exhibitor booths, and live discussions. 

4. Virtual Networking Events

Example: LinkedIn Virtual Meetups 

LinkedIn allows professionals to connect through virtual gatherings on various topics. These gatherings allow people with related interests to connect and form bonds. 

5. Online Workshops

Example: Skillshare Online Workshops 

Skillshare offers online classes in multiple subjects, such as art and animation. These workshops provide students with opportunities to engage in a learning environment with teachers and other participants and recorded lessons.  

Conclusion

As we navigate the constantly evolving digital landscape, virtual events will undoubtedly remain a significant part of our lives and continue to influence the ways in which we connect, learn, and engage with one another. There’s an online event that suits your needs and interests, whether your goals are leisure, community service, or career advancement.   

Are you prepared to throw a unique online event of your own?

With the help of Airmeet, you can provide your audience smooth and interesting experiences.  With interactive tools to keep attendees connected, our user-friendly platform facilitates dynamic speaker interactions and offers valuable metrics to gauge your success.

FAQ

Webinars, virtual conferences, trade exhibits, networking events, workshops, social gatherings, and virtual meetings are some of the most common forms of virtual events. 

Various virtual events employ platforms and tools that are unique to their requirements. However, some of the most commonly used platforms for smooth virtual event hosting are YouTube Live, Zoom, Webex, and Airmeet.  

Compared to in-person events, virtual events have many advantages. They enable for worldwide engagement without requiring travel because they are more affordable and easily available. Because virtual events can be easily arranged and recorded for later viewing, they also offer flexibility.  

To guarantee participation and interaction during a virtual event:

  • Make use of interactive resources such as chat features, Q&A sessions, and polls.
  • Provide spaces for small group conversations in breakout rooms.
  • To keep attendees interested, use interactive exercises and live demonstrations.
  • Incorporate quizzes and other gamification features to add to the event’s enjoyment.
  • Gather input in real time via surveys and interactive sessions so that the event can be modified accordingly.

Recommended Reads

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform

Incredible Companies Use Airmeet

Most loved Virtual Events Platform