Everywhere Experiences Survey from Indigo Slate, a Zensar company, showcases that workers have embraced the rapid shift to Digital Events

San Jose, CA – September 30, 2020 – Indigo Slate, a Zensar company, which is a digital solutions and technology services company that specializes in partnering with global organizations on their digital transformation journey, today announced results of its new Everywhere Experiences survey, created to understand how the recent shift to online work, driven by the global coronavirus pandemic, has impacted both in-person and online events and experiences. The survey was designed to illustrate how event attendees are embracing the move to the virtual environment, as well as to explore the potential benefits of online events and how enhancing content and personal interactions can increase engagement during virtual events.

Speaking on the findings, Sandeep Kishore, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Zensar commented, “The corporate world has been the epicenter of new ways of working, connecting, innovative ideas as we all learnt to embrace digital more than ever before. Virtual events have gone from an experiment to a strategic decision to network, learn, impart knowledge and discover new avenues. Our survey is very timely as I see some of the takeaways in line with our thinking on how companies will design internal and external events in the future.”

“Virtual events have become part of today’s pandemic-driven ‘new normal’ and are an accepted part of marketing strategies,” said Abhishek Vanamali, Chief Marketing Officer, Zensar. “As such, they need to be optimized according to attendee preferences to make online events more engaging and immersive.”

“Now more than ever, firms that relied on live events and gatherings for engagement and pipeline contribution need a dynamic digital alternative,” said Michael Bartley, Executive Creative Director at Indigo Slate, a Zensar company. “Today, people have clear expectations of what they want to get out of virtual events – including a seamless experience that matches the best content and interactivity that they would get in the physical world. Up leveling the experiences makes sense, because leading-edge virtual events have the potential to offer the same depth and variety as physical events, combined with all the advantages that digital can bring.”

The greatest appeal for attendees of virtual events is networking, according to 93% of survey participants, while 90.1% of respondents say that the convenient delivery format associated with online events – including trade shows and educational symposia – has made it easier for them to attend. Survey respondents also shared that key benefits of online events include the ability to use interactive features to ask questions and to participate in polls and surveys. Other valued features enable audiences to enjoy virtual events in much the same ways they did when attending in-person gatherings occurring prior to the pandemic.

In addition to networking and camaraderie, the survey participants listed other benefits of attending online meetings and events, including the following:

• A majority 71.8% of those surveyed say training and skills development is the leading reason to attend a virtual event or experience
• Nearly one-third of the respondents indicated that online events enable better time management (32%)
• One-fourth (25%) of the survey participants cited the ability to attend more events as a key reason for their popularity

The majority of the participants believe a mix of content formats, including presentations and video, as well as interactive audio, helps enhance the virtual event experience for more effective audience engagement. Most respondents also showed a preference for live virtual events, versus those that are held on-demand.

In fact, 87% of survey participants stated they’re still willing to pay to attend new online versions of in-person events they have previously attended. This sentiment illustrates the importance of delivering high quality, compelling content and interactivity to keep attendees engaged — and coming back for more.