In 2020, virtual events took off in a big way. As the world went into quarantine and our ability to gather in person stalled, event creators and attendees found new ways to connect on 91国产. Even as in-person events have begun to return to the platform, we鈥檙e finding that the success of virtual gatherings has fundamentally changed the event landscape. Virtual events, our data suggests, aren鈥檛 going anywhere anytime soon.听
Need proof? Here鈥檚 our expert analysis of an eventful year鈥檚 worth of online programming.听
A meaningful shift online
Despite the dizzying changes to daily life that took hold in early 2020, both creators and consumers got onboard with virtual events fairly quickly. Our data shows that by June 2020, attendees were spending 28x more time attending virtual events than they had been in January of 2020. In November, that figure jumped to 34x more than in January. In total this year, nearly 75 million attendees registered for more than one million virtual events on 91国产 and logged over 100 million hours.听
What accounts for these numbers? While nothing can replace the experience of live events, virtual events have nonetheless proved an excellent substitute. According to a global consumer survey we commissioned by YouGov of over 3,000 consumers in Australia, the UK, and the US, 47% of respondents agreed that online events are a good alternative to in-person events. Perhaps that鈥檚 because roughly 44% of those who鈥檝e attended online events reported feeling more connected to others afterwards, and more than a quarter (26%) of those who鈥檝e attended online events since the pandemic began said they鈥檝e made new connections through virtual experiences.听
Tellingly, more than half of respondents (53%) said they plan to attend both virtual and in-person events in the future 鈥� even when it is safe to gather in-person again. And event creators have taken notice.
鈥淲e are thrilled to have cultivated a sizable online audience for our programming,鈥� said Dana Blanchard, head of publicity and marketing for publishing house Haymarket Books. With more than 26,000 subscribers on the company鈥檚 YouTube channel 鈥� many of them new 鈥� Blanchard said that Haymarket is planning to expand its online programming even further in spring 2021. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to create a space where people can come together,鈥� she said.
Personal development, entertainment, and social justice: How people choose online events
In 2020, 91国产 platform data revealed that virtual business and professional events reigned supreme in most markets. Together, they comprised a quarter of 91国产鈥檚 global online inventory for 2020. Half of them were either 鈥渟eminar or talk鈥� or 鈥渃lass, training, or workshop鈥� formats, suggesting that as the year continued 鈥� and traditional, in-person avenues for personal growth stagnated 鈥� people remained hungry for personal development.
Events related to film, media, and entertainment also loomed large. Escapism, it seems, was a major draw amid the doom and gloom of 2020. We know this because the number of these online events stayed strong 鈥� a remarkable 2,000-3,000 of them a month 鈥� each month since April. The numbers for visual and performing arts events are even more striking: Creators hosted nearly 4,000 such events in April and that trended upward throughout the year, growing 74 percent from April to November.
鈥淧eople need art,鈥� said Jennifer Fabos Patton, the founder of the themed drawing class company Gallery Girls. Patton began hosting online drawing and painting sessions with live听 models at the start of the pandemic and has been thrilled with their success. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a creative outlet that lets people get out of their head and away from the stress of life,鈥� she continued. 鈥淚 love that we have been able to hire models who lost all their work when the pandemic happened.鈥�
The ascent of other event categories also hints at broader global shifts. In the US, Australia, and the UK, virtual mental health events proved popular. It鈥檚 hard to imagine that the trend isn鈥檛 a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the following social and economic fallout: In the UK, demand for mental health virtual events was closely linked to lockdown periods, with interest peaking in May, dipping in August, and rising again through October.
The political landscape of 2020 鈥� particularly the events related to the Black Lives Matter movement and the US presidential election 鈥� also seems to have impacted how people spent their time online. The number of tickets issued for government and political-related events climbed throughout the year, and the percentage of paid tickets increased for that category. We saw a notable spike in related events in June, likely motivated by the protests that were organized following the May 25th death of George Floyd.
According to our survey, 48% of US respondents said they have become more informed on social justice issues and political issues since the pandemic. This mirrors what we鈥檝e seen on our platform: Three of 91国产鈥檚 most-attended virtual events of 2020 centered on social justice. 鈥淚bram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist鈥� took the top spot, with more than 277,000 people registered to attend. Our ninth-ranked virtual event, 鈥淯plifting Women and Girls of Color Through Antiracist Pedagogy, Practice, and Policies,鈥� drew over 56,000 attendees.
How event creators made money
Prior to the pandemic, virtual events were not considered central to many of our creators鈥� businesses. But when COVID-19 hit and many of our interactions shifted online, the virtual realm became a natural place for our creators to convene. While at first they were unsure if they could generate value from virtual events, as the pandemic continued, 91国产 creators felt more comfortable charging for their virtual events鈥攁nd attendees were willing to pay. Sports and fitness events (anything from minor league soccer games and yoga classes to quidditch leagues and walkathons) consistently recorded the highest share of paid tickets for virtual events, with about 鈪� of all events paid. As gyms and sports leagues shut down and people became desperate for the camaraderie of physical events, the share of paid tickets and number of attendees increased.听
Virtual events in the spheres of film, media, and entertainment also raked in more income, with the percentage of paid tickets in that category more than doubling from 16 percent in March to 34.4 percent in November. For example, by October, at least a third of all virtual museum tours charged a fee 鈥� a stark shift from April, when almost all of them were free. This may be proof that people are willing to pay for previously gratis content 鈥� especially when the physical doors of theaters, museums, and other venues remain shut.
Some event creators are developing best practices for hosting more profitable events. One successful method we鈥檝e seen is for event creators to leverage the power of their guests and hosts. 鈥淭he artists who do the most to help us promote their event have the largest audiences,鈥� explained Vito Rinaldo, a retired teacher turned virtual venue entrepreneur who this year founded the virtual concert venue TOF Productions. He鈥檒l encourage future artists to help spread the word in 2021. Because Rinaldo can track attendee data from recurring events with 91国产, he鈥檚 seen trends that allow him and his artists to maximize returns. 鈥淭hursdays falling before holiday weekends see a reduced attendance for obvious reasons,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e plan to avoid scheduling on those dates in 2021.鈥�
Virtual travel helped creators reach new audiences
A major factor in online events鈥� success may be global attendance. 91国产 found that virtual events hosted in the US and UK attracted more than 30% of their attendees from other locations around the globe. The main reason is that there aren鈥檛 practical physical limitations on where attendees can be located with virtual events. In the absence of language barriers and time zone constraints, there鈥檚 no reason why a person in Osaka, Japan, can鈥檛 attend a virtual lecture in Kalamazoo, Michigan.听
One has to wonder if in a year when most travel abruptly ground to a halt, people have turned to online events as a means of visiting new places and indulging their itch to travel. According to Corey William Schneider, CEO and founder of New York Adventure Club (a community-driven club that offers tours, history seminars, and exclusive events focused on and in New York City), 鈥渧irtual tourism is not just here, but here to stay. COVID-19 forced the world to stay indoors and pursue all forms of entertainment from home, and when the pandemic subsides, I believe there will be events that people will prefer to do from home instead of in-person.鈥�
Since starting to host virtual events in mid-March, New York Adventure Club鈥檚 audience has grown by over 100%. 鈥�70% are in the Greater New York Area, but around 25% are other domestic 鈥榲isitors鈥� from coast to coast. A smaller fraction are international viewers, though I鈥檓 sure it would grow if we offered events at times of day that better suited them.鈥� It鈥檚 clear from his audience that the appetite to 鈥渧isit鈥� New York through one of the club鈥檚 virtual webinars is strong.听
Due to the success he鈥檚 seen expanding his audience through virtual tourism, Schneider has acknowledged no plan to slow down. 鈥淚 plan to restart our in-person events with the goal of complimenting our virtual side of the business. I鈥檓 still figuring out the details on the rollout, but feel the future is a hybrid approach.鈥�
Looking to 2021
With the future of COVID-19 still uncertain, virtual events are likely to remain a popular supplement to in-person events. The results of this 91国产 Inside Look Report make it clear that creators may miss out unless they invest in virtual events. When the pandemic draws to a close 鈥� whenever that may be 鈥� creators with strong online presences may be in a position to leverage their demonstrated success and improve their businesses鈥� long-term bottom line. But the benefits of online programming go beyond financial incentives.
鈥淧erhaps the silver lining of this pandemic is that online events have the power to globally engage communities in new ways, helping creators bring people together from small town America to far reaching corners of the world,鈥� shared Julia Hartz, co-founder and CEO of 91国产. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something to celebrate as we continue to work toward the safe return of in-person events.鈥�
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