Planners discussed the future of the meetings, conferences and events industry

Mediasite Events, the comprehensive virtual and hybrid event platform used by professionals in health, higher-ed, technology and business associations from around the world, in partnership with BizBash, today released results from their spring study that explores the state of virtual and hybrid events one year into the pandemic.

More than 500 event planners participated in the survey, which identifies how business professionals have adapted, what they have learned, and where they still struggle to continue to create valuable solutions for conforming to hybrid events.

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“We saw the mass adoption of video during the pandemic – about 10 times what many of our users were doing pre-pandemic – and we wanted to learn key insight into the events industry on how planners will use video moving forward,” said Joe Mozden Jr, CEO of Sonic Foundry, the maker of Mediasite. “There has clearly been a lot of change in the events industry, but one thing remains constant: the value of educational content. That has always been and will continue to be our focus.”

Mozden continued: “Organizations have a tremendous opportunity to think well beyond their event by leveraging and monetizing event content year-round. For the past nearly two decades, our Mediasite Events team has been helping clients not only produce hybrid events but think differently to help them deliver value to their attendees with continued engagement, memberships, pay-to-watch and subscriptions. It is exciting to see the results of this survey that point to a hybrid future, and Mediasite Events is poised to lead the industry forward with its hybrid event platform.”

Hybrid Events Emerge as A Clear “New Norm”

The results of the 2021 survey show roughly 75 percent plan to replace in-person events with virtual equivalents now and into the future. In comparison, Mediasite Events and BizBash conducted the same survey in the fall of 2019 and found 33 percent of respondents did not use any form of video for their events. To appreciate the scope and speed of this shift, consider this change in landscape in only two years.

Attendee Engagement is Critical

More than a year into the pandemic, and screen fatigue is real. Organizers of hybrid events are tasked with keeping attendees engaged with their event’s content, presenters and fellow attendees — all while miles apart. When asked to identify top areas of frustration with hybrid events, 61 percent of respondents said, “lack of attendee engagement.” This was the most commonly selected response.

The Right Technology Plays a Major Role

Interestingly enough, when asked how they prefer to manage and store their virtual content, 70 percent of respondents said they wanted to have everything in one place, either handled by their own staff (41 percent) or by their trusted technology partner (29 percent). Not all event platforms are created equal and having one that offers turnkey solutions that facilitate video management and organization, engagement, ease of use and monetization – like Mediasite Events’ platform — is a priority among planners.

“BizBash has been tracking the events industry since its inception in 2000 and we are proud to partner with other industry leaders to produce key insights into the events industry,” said, Matt Johnson, President, BizBash. “Sharing these trends helps to raise awareness, so we can continue to produce better events regardless of what industry you are in.”

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