The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the ways that employees communicate, travel, and attend events, forever. The shift to digital engagement was very significant, and is still a phenomenon that we are observing today.

In terms of communication, email and video conferencing have taken the lead in the most popular platforms for connecting with colleagues. The business travel’s share of hotel room revenue is only expected to continue to drop. In addition, many frequent business travelers state that they “will never return to the road” in the wake of the pandemic. Events, however, are one of the most changed aspects about work life that is still evolving to this day. In 2020, 70% of physical events were switched to hybrid or virtual. Now in 2022, digital events remain very popular. 40% of events are still planned to be entirely virtual and 35% planned as hybrid.

Audiences have collectively moved to reliable digital engagement platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Both of these platforms have seen tremendous growth since the start of the pandemic, and their services are still valued to this date. 

Online interaction has been found to bring fatigue, frustration, and other personal challenges. Despite these findings, businesses and employees alike state that they still prefer attending events online. In fact, of people who attend 10 or more events every year, 46% attended online events and only 13% attended physical events.

The bottom line is that businesses need virtual events. They save time and money and increase productivity that has been otherwise lost during the pandemic. Online and hybrid events offer an array of possibilities, including the use of games and even the metaverse to make activities more engaging and worthwhile. Although physical events are not going away, businesses can reach new audiences and elevate their company experience with virtual events on digital campuses.