Events

How Virtual & In-Person Events Will Both Play a Part in the Future of B2B Marketing

Man at a desk viewing virtual event

In recent months, in-person events have made a roaring comeback and most of us in B2B marketing have welcomed them with open arms. 

 As someone who started a new role during the pandemic, in the era of remote work, I relished the opportunity to finally meet my global counterparts and colleagues at a recent in-person event in New York. 

These were familiar faces; I’ve spent countless hours with them on Teams and Zoom. But to meet them in person? To shake hands, share hugs, and clink glasses? That experience will stay with me for a long time. 

As a people-person, someone who loves to network face-to-face, someone who feels recharged from being in a room full of people and lively conversation – I will always be an advocate for in-person events. 

But the past two years have broadened our event horizons forever. Virtual events have evolved rapidly and have cemented their place in this "new normal" world of work. They’re here to stay and are an essential part of the marketing mix for all B2B businesses. 

A Time and Place for Everything

One of the biggest debates that emerged over the past two years is that of virtual versus in-person experiences. Looking back now, I think the only reason why this was such a hot topic was that we had no choice. 

At the peak of the debate, Zoom fatigue was real and people were starved of in-person interaction. It was virtual events or no events at all and that left us craving what we couldn’t have. 

In spite of this, however, when we surveyed event organisers in Australia & New Zealand, India and Singapore, over two-thirds of them told us that they expect to continue running virtual events in the long term: 

  • 64% of event organisers in Australia & New Zealand expect to continue running virtual events in the long term. Their #1 reason: virtual events cost less (46%). 
  • 78% of event organisers in India expect to do so for the top reason that it’s more environmentally friendly (57%).
  • 66% of event organisers in Singapore agree that virtual events are here to stay for the #1 reason that it offers the opportunity to attend events globally without traveling (47%). 

The full research findings are part of the LinkedIn Event Resource Toolkit that is now available for download. 

Playing to Their Strengths 

Now that we have, for the most part, reclaimed our right to choose between the two, the question is, how best can we deploy virtual and in-person events? 

We’ve gone ahead and helped you weigh the pros and cons as part of the LinkedIn Event Framework, which is developed based on universal principles across the entire event lifecycle: 

LinkedIn Event Framework

Virtual events are great for global reach and scalability. 

Going virtual lowers the barrier of event participation since attendees no longer need to be in a specific physical location. 

As an example, consider how, when the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce started SthlmSessions, a weekly, 30-minute interview show live-streamed on LinkedIn, they were able to attract an average live audience that is 5x larger than that of their regular business events. Read their story here. 

In-person events are excellent for in-depth sharing and networking. 

Nothing beats in-person events for sharing, networking and building connections. This happens more organically as attendees run into each other and pause to chat. 

Of course, this means that getting the right people in the room is essential. Take Singapore’s innovation agency IPOS, for example. They host IP Week @ SG, the world’s premier intellectual property event centred on sharing and networking. When this was promoted on LinkedIn to a targeted global audience, IPOS was able to exceed its conversion goal by 3.5x. Read their story here.

Evolving With Events 

My personal key takeaway from the past two years is that events are an enduring but evolving marketing tactic. Events are here to stay, no matter what, but the shape and form they take must naturally change to fit people’s needs and behaviours. 

If you see events — big or small, virtual or in-person — in your future, you may find the  LinkedIn Event Resource Toolkit useful. In addition to the virtual events research and LinkedIn Event Framework that I’ve touched on, the toolkit also equips you with editable run-of-show templates that you can put to use right away. Download it here.