What are some of the biggest myths surrounding virtual events?

Here are common myths that I hear and try to dispel ;-)

1) "VIRTUAL EVENTS WILL CANNIBALIZE PHYSICAL EVENTS"

Quite the contrary - virtual events, as digital extensions to physical events, can broaden the overall reach of the "event" (combined) and, serve as a great marketing tool for the physical event. I call it "try before you fly."

Cisco Live is a great example - they discovered that the virtual component drives attendance to their physical conference.

2) "BECAUSE IT'S ONLINE, VIRTUAL EVENTS ARE EASY"

This myth causes virtual event planners to leave things to the last minute. While some of the logistics of a virtual event are simpler (e.g. no shipping, travel, drayage, etc.), figure to spend the same amount of time planning and executing a physical event as you would your virtual event. Believe me, you (and your event) will be better off if you do.

3) "VISITORS WILL PROACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH MY STAFFERS"

Some sponsors set up shop in their virtual booth and expect online visitors to chat the up. When it doesn't happen, they claim to see "no ROI" from the virtual event. What's wrong with this picture?

Well, the sponsor applied physical event dynamics to a digital venue. In a physical event, you can't help but "engage" with folks who walk into your booth, via eye contact, saying "hello" and asking them how you can help. In a digital space, this dynamic doesn't exist - so instead, you'll need to proactively reach out to visitors, via tools like group chat, private chat, vCard exchange, etc.

4) "THE LOCHNESS MONSTER EXISTS"

Just kidding.