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What is the difference between virtual, online, and digital events?
What is the reasoning behind calling it one virtual vs. online or digital? Have you noticed a difference in attendance when you call it one thing versus another?
(Question from the Focus Marketing Roundtable: The Next Generation of Virtual Events and Digital Communities)
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3 Answers
I belive the word "virtual" can have a negative impact in some markets. If the audience is unfamiliar with the technology, "virtual" can create the wrong image in some people's mind (second life perhaps...).
Online and digital are certainly terms that people are more familiar with; we have used these terms in certain markets to avoid confusion. Ultimately the attendance will be driven by the value of the content and the marketing campaign, but it's certainly worth considering how you present your event overall.
This is a great question. I think there might be technical differences, but generally speaking virtual and online are the same, although I agree with Richard that virtual feels more futuristic, and quite frankly the technology doesn't support that. However, I think digital speaks more to the technologies rather than the medium.
The word virtual can often mean many things to different people but it is the most common way to describe events that are longer in duration with multiple features especially those that are often found at physical events e.g. tradeshow, networking, etc. Online and digital are somewhat interchangeable and are broader terms to describe events that happen via a web browser.
People will evaluate whether or not to attend based on the content and features being offered and the relevance and perceived value they represent.
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