Things just aren’t easy now, for pretty much everyone. Sometimes it’s even tough to think about all the ways we used to be able to get together and connect only a year ago… And that’s just the baseline these days. We’re not trying to bum anyone out here, but we think about this stuff.
Lately, if anything funny or cool or interesting does happen, it seems to be happening in the virtual world. Like, Shaq being too big for even virtual NBA bleachers. Or Shia LaBeouf smoking weed in his truck during the virtual Fast Times at Ridgemont High table read… The virtual world, and virtual events, feel light and fun right now, because they feel more natural. And to be honest, more safe. Maybe hybrid events will get there soon. We hope. But a packed convention hall is sadly not happening anytime soon.
In fact, one of the reasons we built Expo Pass was to help organizers get thousands of people into an event space as fast as possible — not sitting in front of their webcams. Sure, we had ideas about how virtual events could change everything, but live events were king… Until the world made it clear that live events were in fact, not king… And we had our first freak out. And then we quickly decided to pivot — to utilize the strong platform that we had already built for live events, to support virtual events in every form. Including a new attendee interface to spur engagement between attendees and sponsors/exhibitors. And we also added streaming, obviously.
The Expo Pass platform now gives organizers the power to plan events that might be live, hybrid, or virtual, and then decide on the right format whenever it feels right. The branded registration and check-in process stays the same, and everything organizers build in Expo Pass stays intact in any event format. So switching to virtual, or hybrid, or maybe even making the leap to live one day, becomes a no stress decision. Which is what we all need right now.
It’s hard to tell how everything is going to end up. But after a few months of this new normal, it’s clear that events still make sense. They can still be good fun. And maybe even make the day a little easier. And that’s what we want to be a part of. Now more than ever.
We would love to share some ideas and practices we have seen while helping hundreds of event planners produce virtual events. Our Zooms are always on, literally, and we’re here to help out in any way we can. To schedule a chat, please visit www.expopass.com/lets-talk.
Written By: The Expo Team